Blogger alert–here come the right-wing think-tanks! That’s the word from Gary Farber, a clueful libertarian and one of my favorite sources for interesting links. The Heritage Foundation wants Gary (and probably other bloggers) to opt-in for a barrage on right-wing-policy email. I love the smarmy opening:
“Gary, You’ve been discovered! Tim Rutten’s Media column in today’s edition of The Los Angeles Times is the latest example of the traditional media’s newfound appreciation of the growing influence of bloggers on America’s public policy debates. “
Checking out the press releases online at Heritage.org, I’m not sure they rise much above “President Bush is demonstrating genuine leadership.” The tone of the praise for Bush sounds like Smithers raving about Montgomery Burns. Consider this rosy “analysis” of the Bush tax cut:
“Weve been scoring tax proposals for years, and Ive never before seen one that would give the economy such a boost,” he [Heritage economist William Beach] said. “The main reasonand its ironic, when you consider how the plan is criticizedis the dividend tax cut…
“This isnt a tax cut for the wealthy,” he said. “Its a job-creation machine.”
No word on how many of those predicted new jobs go to India or Korea–or how many just pay as if you were living there.
Who is the Heritage Foundation? According to a recent article in The Economist (the article is premium content there, but online with permission over at Heritage.org):
At their most organized, the right-wing think-tanks often seem more like businesses than universities. Heritage, for instance, has a carefully defined mission: influencing Capitol Hill. Mr. Feulner ruthlessly sets objectives and measures performance. Heritage is as passionate about selling conservative ideas as Coca-Cola is about selling gaseous drinks.
Bloggers, watch out for gaseous drinks ahead–Coca-Cola or Raging Cow–and now Heritage Foundation wants you to drink their Kool-Aid.
Urrrrrrrpp.