"Kibbutz, why do you do this to yourself?", an online friend asked when I was sharing some comments and "news" from a right wing site.
I'm not a masochist, truly I'm not. I monitor right wing sites because I think they provide valuable and interesting insight on how the political right thinks, what their interpretation of events is, and to heed the warning to "know your enemies...."
The wingnut sites range from the almost civil "Redstate" ("civil" being a relative word) to the Palin-worshipping Free Republic and the racist Stormfront. "Stormfront", run by former Republican David Duke, is the least interesting - everything is the Jews fault; a one-trick pony site that is almost a caricature of a hate group.
I've personally found "Free Republic" to be a good bellwether - if the Freepers are against it, it's because Rush has told them to hate it. They are like a focus group for Serious Money Wedge Issue Idiots, and so I have been following with great interest the rise and defense of Herman Cain, the new hero of most Freepers.
