The Worst of the Worst [Updated]

The wrong John Hawkins.

Right Wing News (“Kneecapping Barack Obama at every opportunity.”) conducted a “poll” the other week to establish, well, what exactly I’m not quite sure.

They asked 100 RW blogs for their votes for the 25 worst figures in American history.

The resulting list provided by the 43 blogs that could be bothered to respond runs the gamut from Saul Alinsky, with a surprisingly poor showing considering how many column inches he occupies among the frightwing, at a lowly no. 23, to a palpable cluster of perfidy at equal no. 13 with Al Gore, Noam Chomsky, Richard Nixon, Jane Fonda, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi, to a predictable President Obama at a solid no. 2, to the no. 1 Worst Figure In American History ... (roll of drums) ... President Jimmy Carter.

John Hawkins (ahaarrrr), who announced the results for Right Wing News and is suspiciously fond of beginning sentences with “Also,” conceded:

Also, it’s worth keeping in mind that this is a fairly conservative group of bloggers and their selections reflected that.

No shit, Sherlock.

As Jim Geraghty at the National Review observed:

Some of My Fellow Righty Bloggers Need a Broader Definition of ‘Worst Figure’

Well, he said a lot more than that, as that’s just the title, but he fluffed it by taking it seriously enough to offer his own nominations.

One can nitpick any poll results, of course, and I’m not going to do that here as pretty well everyone who has a blog will probably have a go at it, if today’s Memorandum is anything to go by.

What I’d like to do instead is go all Nate Silver, reverse engineer the results, and give you my own conclusions from the raw data below the fold

I applied exhaustive regression analysis and the latest paradigms. Then I realized the conclusion I was seeking was staring me in the face right there in the data set of respondents.

Therefore, with all due fanfare, I give you ...

The Worst 44 Blogs In American History

101 Dead Armadillos
Argghhhh!
Basil’s Blog
Cold Fury
Conservative Compendium
The Dana Show
DANEgerus Weblog
Dodgeblogium
Cara Ellison
Exurban League
Fausta’s Blog
Freeman Hunt
GraniteGrok
House of Eratosthenes
Infidels Are Cool
IMAO
Jordan Woodward
Moe Lane
Mean Ol’ Meany
The Liberal Heretics
Midnight Blue
Pirate’s Cove
Nice Deb
Pundit Boy
Professor Bainbridge
Pursuing Holiness.com
Liz Mair
Moonbattery
mountaineer musings
No Oil For Pacifists
No Runny Eggs
Right View from the Left Coast
Russ. Just Russ
Say Anything
Don Singleton
The TrogloPundit
The Underground Conservative
This Ain’t Hell
The Virtuous Republic
Vox Popoli
WILLisms
Wintery knight
YidwithLid

That’s 43.

And right at the tippymost top of the pile?

... *rustle of envelope* ...

Rightwing News, for conducting the stupid poll in the first place. Ta-DA!

I haven’t decided on a prize yet, but maybe you can suggest something suitable.

Last thought: I’m struck by the fact that if you asked a sample of 43 leftwing blogs the same question, the results would possibly overlap to a startling extent, particularly near the top there.

Update: Rightwing Nuthouse agrees (almost): THE TOP 43 DUMBEST CONSERVATIVE BLOGGERS

Update 2: This is not going down well with some RW bloggers, not well at all.

Posted by YAFB on 08/14/10 at 02:26 PM • Permalink

Categories: Politics • Bedwetters • Nutters • Poliblogs • Our Stupid Media • Skull Hampers •

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So wingnut of them to have a poll listing, “Who don’t we like?”

I guess they need the list to formulate the 2010 campaign strategy. I expect to see lots of comparisons between Democratic candidates and Jimmy Carter henceforth.

Comment by Glix on 08/14/10 at 02:30 PM

So Timothy McVeigh is #9 that should tell you all you need to know about these people. Benedict Arnold at #5 seriously? The most scary thing about the list is that Lee Harvey Oswald isn’t on it. Now that makes me nervous.

Comment by Litlebritdifrnt on 08/14/10 at 06:52 PM

I would also like to point out that George W. Bush has been directly responsible for the death of more Americans than has anyone else on that list. Just sayin.

Comment by Litlebritdifrnt on 08/14/10 at 07:02 PM

Well, just remember—this poll is somewhat skewed because all the votes for Skeletor, Cobra Commander and Eric Von Zipper had to be tossed out.

Overall, this looks like a rather lazy exercise in self-indulgent page-filling, which drew responses from three or four “name” blogs and a gaggle of link-hungry nobodies.

Personally, I’m amazed that John Wilkes Booth is included at all, let alone in the top 50%.

Comment by StrangeAppar8us on 08/14/10 at 07:43 PM

Overall, this looks like a rather lazy exercise in self-indulgent page-filling, which drew responses from three or four “name” blogs and a gaggle of link-hungry nobodies.

Hey, I’m doing my best here!

Comment by YAFB on 08/14/10 at 07:48 PM

Kudos for not providing links to each of the 44 Houses O’ Crazy.

The #1 “winner” is further proof that these hatebags are mostly old cranks; who remembers Carter except those old enough (or nearly so) to have voted for him? And really, Carter? Mr. Habitat for Humanity, Nobel Prize Carter? That guy? I only realized recently how much they hate Carter, and I am still wondering why he gets such a ragegasm from them.

Comment by StringonaStick on 08/15/10 at 11:24 AM

To be fair and Silvery objective, Carter at no. 1 doesn’t mean they necessarily all felt he was the worst, but it does mean he was the one they all mentioned!