Vote Early, Not Often

The voting has begun for Kevin Aylward’s Wizbang 2004 Weblog Awards.

Here are my picks. (BTW, I didn’t vote in the categories containing blogs with which I’m not familiar.)

Oh, and before you check my choices, the word is out that the denizens of a certain blog are using their technological prowess to…uh…rock the vote.

UPDATE: The rumor has been confirmed.

Best Overall Blog

Powerline

Best New Blog

INDC Journal

Best Group Blog

Winds of Change

Best Humor Blog

Okay, I picked one of these, but it was difficult. All of these “gentlemen” are in dire need of therapy and, therefore, worthy of your vote.

Hog on Ice
Protein Wisdom
IMAO
Beautiful Atrocities
Iowahawk

Best Conservative Blog

La Shawn Barber

Best Military Blog

Again, one was my choice, but all are deserving.

Black Five
Citizen Smash
Froggy Ruminations
2Slick
Marine Corps Moms

Best Essayist

Eternity Road

Best Canadian Blog

All Agitprop, All the Time

Best Australia/New Zealand Blog

Arthur Chrenkoff
Tim Blair

Best of the Top 100 Blogs

Allah Is In Da House Has Left The Building (We pine for the return of the Photoshop Deity!)

Best of the Top 100 - 250 Blogs

Michael J. Totten

Best of the Top 250-500 Blogs

Just One Minute

Best of the Top 500 - 1000 Blogs

Froggy Ruminations

Comments

[Patterico]

Best of the Top 100 - 250 Blogs

Michael J. Totten

Oh! Like a knife to the gut, that is!

[Scott B]

Your fingers were off homerow when you typed the best 250-500. You meant to type Speed of Thought... :-)

[baldilocks]

My bribes were tardy, gentlemen. :-)

[David Blue]

I've had great fun looking at all the blogs in the categories I intended to vote in.

Some of my votes:

Best Overall Blog: Little Green Footballs
Why: Rathergate contributions.

Best New Blog: INDC Journal
Why: Rathergate contributions. I think Rathergate was the big blog story of 2004.

Best Group Blog: Winds of Change
Why: outstanding civility and fairness.

Best Humor Blog: First I voted for Scrappleface. Then for Beautiful Atrocities. Then (etc.)
Why: there's a bunch of these guys that are really, really funny.

Best Conservative Blog: BeldarBlog
Why: Beldar is unusually bright, and consistently courteous.

Hey, you read Eternity Road! That was one of the happy discoveries for this contest for me! Good, good blog. But I still think Victor Davis Hanson is a much better essayist, compared to nearly anyone.

But - Froggy Ruminations? I bought the dead Osama theory, and looked like a prize fool because of it. Fool me once, shame on you.

Best Australia/New Zealand Blog: alternating Chrenkoff odd days, Blair even.
Why: both provbide something unique - Chrenkoff the good news; Blair the humor, and legends of the plastic turkey, and my happy, happy memories of celebrating Howard's greatest win with equally happy Americans, Australians etc. at Tim's place.

Best of the Top 100 Blogs: Ace of Spades
Why: So when Ace gets rich on that easy blog money, he'll remember his old friends (wink). Or seriously, because from time to time he hammers his republican buddies for doing the sorts of things he'd hammer Democrats for. He likes playing uber-partisan for fun, but he's got a decent, fair-minded streak that appeals to me. I don't like his language, but I'll live with that.

Best Media/Journalist Blog: Michelle Malkin
Why: Because she didn't like Dick Cheney dropping the f-word any more than she would have liked a Democrat doing it. And for a bunch of more serious reasons - but it really is little things like that that tell me someone has standards and not just a side.

Was my voting fair? Fairly fair. I tended to vote for blogs I'd read a lot of, over roughly equivalent blogs I've just discovered. I felt I could vouch for them more, 'n happy memories 'n stuff. Next year, even if all these blogs are the same (never happens), my votes might be different because of the new entries in my bookmarks.

[Francis W. Porretto]

Thank you, Juliette. It was an honor to be nominated.

The problem with a secret ballot is that I don't know to whom to send the thank-you notes. It wouldn't be any trouble; there have only been sixteen of you so far!

[Dave Schuler]

Since I've never been known for undue modesty, may I ask for your support for The Glittering Eye? I've been nominated in the 1000-1750 category.

And FWIW, I voted for you, Francis (at least once). It's a derned tough category.

[LB]

Thanks, blog sis!

[Val Prieto]

You know, Cuba - home of I love Lucy's husband Desi Arnaz who, incidentally happens to be the foremost singer of "Babalu!!!" - is in the Caribbean.

Yes, Im shameless, I know.

[Donna]

Shameless plug:

Further down the ecosystem... Pajama Pundits in the 3500 - 5000 poll. I'm getting clobbered, but maybe somebody can fend off a blow or two?

[Froggy]

Thanks for the plug. David, I wasn't foolin', just wrong. Ever been wrong? Froggy

[Patterico]

Are you still open to bribery?

[Kathianne]

Gosh we agree, no surprise there on my part. Some of these categories are making me go back and putting the nominees on a rotating basis. How does one choose? A plethora of talent.

I too will not vote in categories I really am not knowledgeable about, i.e., anything involving tech or photography.

[David Blue]

"Thanks for the plug. David, I wasn't foolin', just wrong. Ever been wrong? Froggy"

(deep breath) Yup, lots. And when I am, it's nobody's fault but mine. So, OK, clean slate on that one.

[David Blue]

By the way, Froggy, I also gave you a vote for Best Military Blog in the Weblog 2004 Awards, because I would have been inclined to give you one before now if not that I had nursed a grudge on looking like a big fool over this.

[baldilocks]

Hey Pat,

I'll hook a brutha up today. :-)

[baldilocks]

David Blue: Where have you been? Tangling with the Froggy One, I see. :-)

You're a classy guy. (As is Froggy.)

[Patterico]

I *think* I understood that.

Or, as they say

I feel you!