Have conservative blogs gone 'brain dead'?

Liberal columnist Paul Krugman says he avoids the mindless feedback loop of conservative blogs. But which side of the political commentariat is really more closed-minded?

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman poses with then-President George W. Bush in 2008: The liberal writer has kicked off a frenzy of debate when he recently acknowledged he doesn't read many
(Image credit: Getty)

In a blog post about his reading habits, liberal New York Times columnist Paul Krugman acknowledged that he doesn't habitually peruse conservative websites, because he can't think of any "that regularly provide analysis or information I need to take seriously." Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic says that Krugman isn't alone, and that the "brain dead right" is "paying a high cost for its unholy marriage to Limbaugh-style rhetoric." Is the conservative blogosphere really so polarizing and light on substance?

Even moderate right bloggers are a waste of time: It's a lose-lose situation, says Kevin Drum at Mother Jones. The only reason to read the "loony blogs" is "entertainment value." And, while the "non-insane conservatives" on the moderate right can make interesting points, they're "so out of touch with mainstream conservatism" (which won't concede that cutting taxes reduces revenue, or that climate change is man-made) that they feel irrelevant, too.

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