Patterico's Pontifications

12/6/2008

Allahpundit: The Web’s Best Blogger

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 8:26 pm



I’ve told a few people recently about the phenomenon of Hot Air having almost 1/3 the traffic of latimes.com. Strangely, the reaction of many is to say that they were unfamiliar with the site. I can’t believe that’s true of anyone who reads my site, but just in case, let me give you an example of the kind of writing that we’ve come to expect from Allahpundit:

I’ve long since started seeing politics through the archetypes of Romero’s movies. The economy’s just about at the point in “Dawn of the Dead” where the gang breaks into the mall and the zombies start flooding in. You know things are about to go irretrievably FUBAR; the only question is who’ll manage to avoid getting eaten. The good news? The daring black guy in charge keeps his cool and figures a way out. Fingers crossed!

The guy is the best blogger on the Internet, bar none. Exit question: can’t someone get him a regular weekly column at NRO or the Weekly Standard?

UPDATE: I should make it clear: I’d like to see a regular Allahpundit column in addition to what he does at Hot Air — not instead of it.

30 Responses to “Allahpundit: The Web’s Best Blogger”

  1. Like you, I’m surprised when I talk to acquaintances who regularly read news on the internet who haven’t heard of or rarely read Hot Air. I’m especially surprised when they are MM readers.

    DRJ (b4db3a)

  2. What I really want to know is: Who is Allah? My gut feeling is that it’s Ron Rosenbaum.

    Official Internet Data Office (2284a0)

  3. I read somewhere that he is in “real life” Andrew Levy, the wry “ombudsman” of the bizarre late-night Fox News Channel show, Red Eye.

    Of course, I read that on the internet. So I take that with a shaker of salt.

    L.N. Smithee (34e392)

  4. BTW, Pat, I think you’re better, our current disagreement re COLB notwithstanding.

    L.N. Smithee (34e392)

  5. I wonder too who he really is…he and Riverbend are still the two big secrets.

    I sort of hate to change anything about him though because then maybe he wouldn’t be as good or as fun. I love him at hotair but I do miss his old site a little.

    Patricia (ee5c9d)

  6. Steal him from HotAir for some other website? Nah, better to steal the readers of the other websites and get ’em on HotAir.

    cthulhu (852c36)

  7. I’ve met Allahpundit. I cannot say anything about who he is.

    Patterico (cc3b34)

  8. Steal him from HotAir for some other website?

    No, no! That’s not what I mean! I’d like to see a regular column in addition to what he does at Hot Air. I’ll update.

    Patterico (cc3b34)

  9. Jesus, I must be the only person around here that thinks he, frankly, sucks and I can’t believe people read Hot Air precisely because of him since most of the hot air issues from Allah’s maw.

    ECM (de5660)

  10. I love his stuff, but I do NOT frequent Hot Air, but only because too often it seems like the commenters want to turn into some right-wing version of DU or DKos…

    And it’s affiliated with Michell Malkin. Just not a fan.

    Scott Jacobs (90ff96)

  11. ECM,

    Yes, you must be.

    Patterico (cc3b34)

  12. Scott,

    Don’t read the comments there, then. I hardly ever do.

    Patterico (cc3b34)

  13. Iowahawk is it. But there are so many who are the best of the best; different categories. DRJ, too.

    Vermont Neighbor (5ea336)

  14. Post for post, I find the quality of political commentary at Power Line superior to that of any other blog.

    As for Allahpundit, his truest genius (both as writer and mad-skilled photoshop wizard) was manifest when he wrote ‘in character’ at his now-defunct site “Allah Is In The House.”

    clark smith (d8da01)

  15. How about this example, written during the brief moment when McCain was leading in the polls:

    Exit question: On a scale from one to 10, with one representing utter despair and 10 representing very cautious pessimism with strong hints of doubt, where should the big A’s mood meter regarding the GOP’s chances be set this afternoon? (Answer: Seven!)

    I was laughing about that for a whole day.

    Attila (Pillage Idiot) (7e2b79)

  16. #14, My blog-heart broke into a million little pieces when that blog went dark.

    He’s really my favorite. Don’t tell anyone.

    SarahW (a6e80b)

  17. I prefer the writers here – Patterico, DRJ, WLS, et al.

    JD (059bab)

  18. Jeff G and Iowahawk are better too.

    JD (059bab)

  19. Don’t read the comments there, then. I hardly ever do.

    Aw!

    Jim Treacher (592cb4)

  20. “#14, My blog-heart broke into a million little pieces when that blog went dark.”

    I hear you, SarahW, I hear you.

    Allah’s photoshops were so classic that I made sure to save them to my harddrive before his site folded.

    clark smith (d8da01)

  21. I love Allah when he’s being funny.
    Sometimes he’s so pessimistic I think he’d make a bad boyfriend. Then I remember he isn’t my boyfriend, so I go back to reading him.

    His wit is amazing.

    MayBee (d82a30)

  22. Scott, that’s surprising about MM. I wouldn’t have guessed that from your posts. I don’t agree with e/t, but hers is a great read.

    Also enjoy Ed M and while the posters can get a little righteous, who am I to call the kettle Obama? Here’s a great quote from ‘angryed’ at their Cold Cash thread:

    I am told repeatedly by the MSM that LA is a backwater state full of racist hicks who hate non-whites with a passion. Yet the state elected an Indian-American governor and now the 1st ever Vietnamese member of Congress.

    And both of those men are Republicans, the party that according to the MSM is only for rich, white old racist men.

    Makes no sense.

    Vermont Neighbor (5ea336)

  23. Jim Treacher did some A M A Z I N G work leading up to the election. That’s a month worth remembering, especially with his regular posts and coverage. His site had the only acidic, completely humorous devastating clarity that nailed Teh One to the wall over and over and over again.

    Vermont Neighbor (5ea336)

  24. If Obama gives me some money, I’ll share it with my favorite bloggers. Until then, most of my assets are in cat food.

    Vermont Neighbor (5ea336)

  25. Allah’s photoshops were so classic that I made sure to save them to my harddrive before his site folded.

    Comment by clark smith — 12/7/2008 @ 9:45 am

    Maybe you could share? I’ve tried to get Allah to burn them to CDs and sell them, but to no avail.

    Attila (Pillage Idiot) (7e2b79)

  26. Scott, that’s surprising about MM. I wouldn’t have guessed that from your posts.

    She was more than a little shrill regarding Hillary during the Primaries, and the rabid nature with which she tore into Fred Thompson and McCain were counter productive.

    It’s like she wanted the Republicans to lose.

    Which, if you think about it, makes sense… I mean, who wants to read a website that doesn’t have nything to bitch about?

    Note: This is why I secretly suspect Patterico never wants the LA Times to straighten up and fly right. 🙂

    Scott Jacobs (90ff96)

  27. The first 25 comments in this thread just clean disappeared!

    Official Internet Data Office (083276)

  28. I think a cache program was turned on. I turned it off again because I don’t think the traffic quite justifies it. DRJ probably saw a link coming in from Power Line, and decided to protect the site by turning on the cache, which is a good call — but I think we can weather the storm without it.

    Patterico (cc3b34)

  29. Scott, I agree with you on all points. Several power voices were more than helpful in playing the libs’ hand at a critical time. Although, I think that in the face of an illegally funded candidate the final numbers by McCain and Palin were equal to a substantial win. JM should have been clobbered, Sarah or no Sarah.

    Anyway, after January we’ll see how Batboy handles the press. If he keeps the media-love flowing beyond summer, I guess we’ll have one patriotic country. For the moment, everyone at MSNBC and NYT is proud to be an American.

    Vermont Neighbor (5ea336)

  30. Re bloggers. Michael K at Dlisted is a really talented writer. He can take a nothing story and make it fly like Harry Potter magic. Very funny guy. He admits to not following politics. (Obama voter, of course.) The predictable flow of anti-Bush digs. But otherwise a good site.

    Vermont Neighbor (5ea336)


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