Mediaite ranks the top ten most influential columnists in America. Can’t say I’m happy to see Michelle Malkin and Maureen Dowd ranked so high, but I do find it interesting that many of these journalists are left of center even if some — Thomas Friedman — are total idiots:
1. Paul Krugman
2. Thomas Friedman
3. Maureen Dowd
4. Michelle Malkin
5. Christopher Hitchens
6. Malcolm Gladwell
7. Charles Krauthammer
8. Mark Bitman
9. Ariana Huffington
10. Glenn Greenwald
TheZoo 
They entirely missed Frank Rich!
Does Michelle Malkin even have a print column? I though she was just an internet phenomenon.
Walt, you are so right!! I LOVE Frank Rich. Why would Michelle Malkin be on that list..? She is a nothing but a venomous shrew…. She is a Ann Coulter wannabe.
The fact that Charles Krauthammer ranks above Ariana Huffington is what scares me. He’s just as hateful as Limbaugh.
Influential?
Here’s some metric they should use:
How many times has a given columnist been quoted by a Congress critter to support whatever argument was being made?
Which argument then ‘won’, in terms of the passage or failure of legislation ( this would have to be wighted low, as other factors apply of course).
Who do the CEO’s/CFO’s of the Fortune 500 read?
THAT would be influence, regardless of of whether the agreed or disagreed with the columnists.
Which major media outlets quote each columnist in other articles/news segments, and how many column inches/airtime do they generate and for how long?
What political activity has a columnist generated or added to?
Fr’instance, when Hitchens had himself waterboarded. THAT had an obvious influence.
What influence has Michelle Malkin actually had on anything? She’s been quoted by a couple of anti-immigration politicians but with what result?
How about;
10 Most Influential Columnists: Smart or Fart?
( who has been right, who has been wrong, who has told the truth, who has lied? )
1. Paul Krugman: Smart
2. Thomas Friedman: Fart
3. Maureen Dowd: Smartish
4. Michelle Malkin: Fart, fart. fart, –someone light a match!
5. Christopher Hitchens. Smart AND Fart
6. Malcolm Gladwell: Who?
7. Charles Krauthammer: Thbpbpbpthplllbbb–do NOT go in there!
8. Mark Bittman–very clever cook
9. Ariana Huffington: Used to be a Fart, now pretty Smart
10. Glenn Greenwald: So Smart.
5th, You crack me up! 😀
krystal…
I’m happy to be of service.
This is as good a place as any to put this but for all of us who watch MSNBC, how about that Lawrence O’Donnell? He is a pitt bull and never lets the liars get away with it. But did they give him his own show? No they gave Dr. Nancy and Dylan Ratigan shows. I have to turn those to OFF.
Friedman – fart, right on. He’s a total p***s. Blows in the wind which ever way. ‘flat earth’, ‘green revolution’ – what a prat. Your prattlings in your green revolution book completely negate your flat earth crap…. the end of cheap energy turns you into a total p***s, Tommy.
Although his influence in the invention of the time unit called ‘the Friedman’ has entered vernacular.
Malkin – bat shit crazy for fascism.
Chuck Kraphatter – achtung! Ashtonishingly cheap with other people’s blood despite his own disability.
Hitchens – smart, pickled, self-hating former Trotskyist. Fun to read and ballsy for being waterboarded.
Greenwald: only #10?
Arianna: mmm, likes me Arianna, Huffpo getting trashy though.
Krugman: best chance to f*** Goldman Sachs and the health care lobby passed up by Obama.
Other comment on Hitchens: completely taken in by Chimpy’s ‘democracy for the Middle East’ strategy evidenced by his cheerleading for the Iraq invasion….. not so smart, come on Chris, Chimpy fooled you?
Terry,
“A gin and tonic? Certainly sir. And help yourself to the pickled Trotsky”.
Terry,
Ah yes, Friedman invented the Friedman Unit ( or FU ) but he didn’t patent it, and thus he died, in poverty and obscurity–or at least he will, in about six months.
Krugmann, Friedman, Dowd and Bittman recieved their Print Circulation and On Line Unique Visitors ratings simply because they work for the NYTimes. Frank Rich has the same employer, but was based on something else for those particular ratings. The Google hit rate is not reliable because it includes links, links of links, links of links of links…etc. I could go on…and on and on.
5th arraararararararaarf
“Influential” is a subjective statement, same as Egg Shen saying “China is in the heart”….
Jeeves? Is the bally sun over the yardarm yet?
TtT,
It is if you are in the continental US or adjacent waters.
Hadnt checked email in a bit…thought I had comments enabled on the nutty blog, only to find Cats R Flyfishing had left a comment. My bad. 8^T
Alrighty Walt! Surf’s up!
Off to make an appointment with a Mr Mac and Mr Jack and a tumbler of their finest African Amber…. now I can say that at least it wasn’t my idea 🙂