Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

I am here because just over a year ago, I became a blogger.  If I had not become a blogger, Tom Ball and most of you, would probably have never heard of me. Truth be told, blogging changed my life, as it is changing the lives of many; and as it is changing the political and social dynamics in the nation. About a year ago, I started my own blog. I thought it would be good to be able to publish a few small items a week on my new, professional web site. Eventually someone told me about The Daily Kos -- and a whole new world was opened to me as a writer and as a political activist. Maybe I was born to blog. In any case, a little while ago Tom Ball asked me to participate in the adventure we call Political Cortex.

And here we are.

There has been a lot of head scratching about the phenomena of "blogging."  As one who learned to type on manual typewriters, and used them well into the early 1990s, there is nothing to scratch my head about.  There is a great freedom -- and great risk -- in writing unedited before a national audience. It's about as close to live performance as writers get. It's a high-wire act without a net. Indeed, those of us who have frequented The Daily Kos have seen people soar -- and we have seen people fall. I think that's part of the appeal for the writer, as well for as the reader; just as it is for any live performer and audience.  

Sure, we often have carefully researched, well-crafted essays, but most often there is a certain immediacy to the writing that is just not as present in other media. In magazine writing, for example, it can be months before your copy reaches the reader. And so you take a much longer view of the place of your words in time. Blogging creates a sense of being directly engaged in events. And indeed, we are. It's like talking in prose. And then, there are the conversations that immediately follow, and those conversations sometimes go on for weeks and months.

The distinct and storied pleasures of reading and writing books, newspapers and magazines not withstanding -- there is something visceral, sometimes hair-raising, in the experience of language in this medium. Quite aside from the routine news, analysis and interesting political writing, some of the most stirring and memorable writing I have ever seen has appeared on blogs this past year. (As well as some of the worst.) And for many of you reading this, I would guess you have had similar experiences. And having tasted it, you hunger for more. You hunger for the extraordinary humanity that pours forth: the passion; the howling laughter; the tears of grief and mourning; the heartfelt prayers; the formation of lasting friendships; the outrage; the calls to the barricades, (the arguments about which barricades to rush to, and how best to rush to them); and the soaring prose that reminds us of our highest aspirations and fills our souls with joy -- before we are knocked back to our basest instincts by the gritty political screed we read next. All that and more.  Eclectic. Ecstatic. Erudite. Raw. It's all here. And it's an act of profound imagination as you stare at your screen and peck at your keyboard.  It's both a literary and a political experience. And there are those who wonder about your strange obsession...

Well, I started to tell you about me. But the stories I want to tell, take a little time. And they need to be told one at a time. They will provide context to my posts here in the Cortex. So over the next few weeks, I hope to tell you two or three stories (and who knows, maybe more), between my posts on other subjects.  

In the meantime, here is a little map of where to find out more about me, if you are so inclined.  

You can start by visiting my blog. There is a brief bio; links to some of my published articles; links to a year's worth of blog posts; and lots more. Some of the stuff you read here will sometimes be crossposted from there. But not always.

I also am in the process of founding (yet another) national political blog site called Talk to Action. Some colleagues and I have been posting on a temporary site while we ramp-up Phase II.  It will be a rolling national conversation about the Religious Right and what to do about it. (I'll keep you posted as we get closer to the launch.). These days, you can also sometimes find me guest blogging at DefCon.

As I mentioned above, I will be writing from time-to-time about Massachusetts politics. In the interests of full disclosure, I am one of the founders of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, (an outgrowth of the 2002 Robert Reich campaign for governor) and currently serve on the executive committee. It's my home as a citizen/activist these days, and I will probably want to tell you some of what I am learning about organizing; about electoral politics; and about building a progressive Democratic electoral movement. I am, and we are, among other things, supporting Deval Patrick's campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2006.  I plan to report on aspects of his candidacy that seem to be of interest and significance to people outside Massachusetts -- and I think there will be much that rises to that standard.

Well, now that the introduction is over, (whew!)...  see you Thursday.