Andrew Sullivan, perhaps one of the greatest masters of the blog format, is ending his blog - The Daily Dish.
One of the things I’ve always tried to do at the Dish is to be up-front with readers. This sometimes means grotesque over-sharing; sometimes it means I write imprudent arguments I have to withdraw; sometimes it just means a monthly update on our revenues and subscriptions; and sometimes I stumble onto something actually interesting. But when you write every day for readers for years and years, as I’ve done, there’s not much left to hide. And that’s why, before our annual auto-renewals, I want to let you know I’ve decided to stop blogging in the near future.Why? Two reasons. The first is one I hope anyone can understand: although it has been the most rewarding experience in my writing career, I’ve now been blogging daily for fifteen years straight (well kinda straight). That’s long enough to do any single job. In some ways, it’s as simple as that. There comes a time when you have to move on to new things, shake your world up, or recognize before you crash that burn-out does happen. [More]
I am not surprised. His output, range of subject and quality of analysis earned him the respect of friends and adversaries alike. I have freely linked and been led to wonderful information over my blogging career. More importantly, I have tried to emulate his variety, intensity, integrity, and thoughtfulness when posting my own stuff.
But boy howdy - do I appreciate his decision. Blogging - especially at his staggering output level is exhausting and can take over your life very quietly. Given his precarious health, this decision is not just understandable but overdue, IMHO.
Still, I will sorely miss his work. I'll bet I averaged an hour per day on his site, after following up pointers and sources. And like me, he was a conservative who could suddenly found himself unwelcome in the GOP as it careened to the hard right. With his strong Burkean philosophy, he could not join the abandonment of true conservative principles on matter of military intervention and egalitarianism.
His voice and intellect framed many political debates, and his insights will be sorely missed. I will him well, in every sense of the word.
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