So Where Are the Political Blogs?

I just made a mildly snarky update to a post from this morning, and I think it's time to get this out in the open: I'm really disappointed in the big political blogs for their near-total exclusion of environmental and sustainability news from their posts. I check a variety of this blogs, such as Talking Points Memo, Eschaton and TAPPED daily, and while I'm very clear on who stands where on Social Security reform and the "nuclear option," it's quite rare to find any coverage at all on energy issues, climate change or the "up is down" rhetoric coming from the Administration and Congress on the environment. I realize there's a lot going on in the Beltway and the state capitols, and these folks can't cover everything (I can't even keep up with all the news in my particular niche), but if climate change is the single greatest threat facing us, and if energy is an issue of security as well as maintaining a high standard of living, shouldn't these issues receive a little more attention? Shouldn't our top bloggers do a little more to counter the bile coming from their right-wing brethren (who are always willing to twist the truth of even the most minor environmental news)? Don't think for a minute that I'm saying that issues such as Social Security reform or the current attempt at a right-wing power grab in the Senate aren't important -- they are. But all of these things happen within a natural environment that's still being exploited and degraded at a phenomenal rate. Shouldn't this at least register on the radar of Josh Marshall, Atrios and Matthew Yglesias? At least as much as Rick Santorum saying something stupid (now there's a shocker)?

I will say this: many of the political blogs on the next tier, such as Ezra Klein and Preemptive Karma, do a much better job of considering environmental issues. The MoJo Blog is a very strong reporter of environmental politics, as is Alternet. And I'm sure when Ryan and The Higher Pie get back, they'll continue their excellent coverage of sustainability issues. I'd just love to see the big boys and girls playing along, as they could do us a great service by promoting the concept that the environment is not a seperate issue from "politics"; if anything, it's central to it.

OK, enough ranting... back to our regular schedule.

Technorati tags: blogging, politics, environment, sustainability

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