I discovered Andrew Sullivan by chance flipping the channels one morning is February/March. He and Christopher Hitchens were on Tim Russart's show (RIP) discussing the election. As you know I turned into quite the election junkie at the turn of the year. I listened to every pundit, read every web-site and followed every election show I could find. In that crowded field of voices I never found one smarter or more impressive than Andrew's.
When the show was over I couldn't remember his name but I did remember he did have a book that they had mentioned on the show, some thing about The Conservative Soul. After a quick web search I found him and his gold mine.
As it turns out, our friend Andrew is one of the world's most well known bloggers (yes, I have patterned my blogging style after his) and has a lot of interesting things to say. I've been reading him daily ever since.
I don't agree with him on everything. But what I respect most is the fashion in which he expresses his thoughts. He is very self aware, which I find very attractive in an author, and he's not afraid to be proven wrong.
The thing that bonded me with him fastest was his prophetic analysis of the election. Not only did he see what was coming way before the rest of us, he knew why and explained it better than anyone I've seen. And I've seen them all.
Money Quote:
"...as a simple observer, I really don't see what's stopping [Obama] from becoming the next president. The overwhelming first impression that you get - from the exhausted but vibrant stump speech, the diverse nature of the crowd, the swell of the various applause lines - is that this is the candidate for real change. He has what Reagan had in 1980 and Clinton had in 1992: the wind at his back. Sometimes, elections really do come down to a simple choice: change or more of the same?
Look at the polls and forget ideology for a moment. What do Americans really want right now? Change. Who best offers them a chance to turn the page cleanly on an era most want to forget? It isn't Clinton, God help us. Edwards is so 2004. McCain is a throwback. Romney makes plastic look real. Rudy does offer something new for Republicans - the abortion-friendly, cross-dressing Jack Bauer. But no one captures the sheer, pent-up desire for a new start more effectively than Obama," Andrew Sullivan, May 24, 2007
2 comments:
Hi Jack,
I (enjoy may be too strong of a word) "something" Andrew Sullivan. Even though I find some of his religious points cliche and sometimes trite or boring-he is pretty good on Bill Maher's show and is EXCELLENT on his diatribes against Sarah Palin. I find him a bit too conservative on some areas-but that is my opinion.
YouTube some of his clips on Bill Maher's HBO show--and he also did a debate on beliefnet with an atheist that makes for good reading--
The Beliefnet debate mentioned by Mr. Burns was my introduction to Andrew Sullivan. Sam Harris, author of "The End of Faith" and "Letter to a Christian Nation" was his opponent.
Although Harris mopped the floor with him (seriously), I did find Andrew's honesty endearing. I also encourage you to read the debate transcript at the Beliefnet site.
Although Mr. Harris is a dirty, dirty atheist, I think you'll appreciate his rapier wit and rational outlook. And, of course, you'll learn a lot more about the content of Sullivan's personal beliefs.
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