Forty More Years! Forty More Years!

Matt Welch | September 22, 2008

The opening sentence of my book about John McCain, written while I was a staffer at the Los Angeles Times, reads as follows:

Thanks first and foremost to Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason, which for my money is the best and most consistently interesting political magazine in the United States.

It's still true! And one of the many reasons why is that, unlike just about every other magazine of political opinion, reason doesn't have a governing team to root–or apologize–for. We make our personal Declaration of Independence every day, which cycles us in and out of partisan favor, as you might be able to listen to in real time today when I go on Hugh Hewitt's radio show at 4:30 EDT.

Another way we put our money where our mouth is: After decades of preaching openness, free exchange, and the embrace of new technologies, reason become one of the first (and still one of the few) political weblogs in its class to allow and encourage unfiltered comments. As the immortal MikeP put it just this morning, "Reason not only lets me read and learn and support the course of liberty: It's a place where I can play as well."

Enjoy the playground? Click here to see all the ways you can donate, and all the goodies you'll get, aside from the warm glow of supporting journalism that won't leave you feeling yucky the morning after.

Speaking of new technology, here's a quick clip of me explaining how the reason approach to reporting is so useful, and invigorating.

Comments

name withheld|9.22.08 @ 4:21PM|#

The unfiltered comments are fun, but there have been a lot of incidents of commenters spoofing others identities lately. Maybe some kind of log in would be a good idea. At least for commenters who want to own their commenting name and not have others spoof it.

QJS|9.22.08 @ 4:22PM|#

And one of the many reasons why is that, unlike just about every other magazine of political opinion, reason doesn't have a governing team to root-or apologize-for.

You forgot illegal aliens. Maybe you should be appealing to them for donations, because you sure aren't rooting for native population.

jeff|9.22.08 @ 4:23PM|#

We make our personal Declaration of Independence every day, which cycles us in and out of partisan favor, as you might be able to listen to in real time today when I go on Hugh Hewitt's radio show at 4:30 EDT.

Isn't that Pacific time? Medved is on now.

Xeones|9.22.08 @ 4:25PM|#

Welch is just shilling for Big Gillespie.

FrBunny|9.22.08 @ 4:29PM|#

Matt Welch wrote a book about John McCain? Why hasn't anyone mentioned it here before?!

(I kid because I love.)

|9.22.08 @ 4:29PM|#

Reason, which for my money is the best and most consistently interesting political magazine in the United States.

ROFL!

|9.22.08 @ 4:32PM|#

Where's my cut, Welch?

|9.22.08 @ 4:51PM|#

I'll definitely give $25, but I'll up it to $50 if you ban that content-free Lefiti twit.

|9.22.08 @ 5:22PM|#

Click here to see all the ways you can donate


Bring back Cavanaugh for good and we'll negotiate.

Gorgeous Gus the Wonder Dog|9.22.08 @ 5:22PM|#

"Reason Writers Around Town: Matt Welch Talks Foreign Policy and the 2008 Election with Eli Lake"

Matt Welch, force-feeding his book, one sentence at a time. How diabolically dickensian!

jj|9.22.08 @ 5:25PM|#

I'd support reason if it was not so arrogantly anti paleotarian

Gorgeous Gus the Wonder Dog|9.22.08 @ 5:26PM|#

Oops! F'ed it up...

"Thanks first and foremost to Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason, which for my money is the best and most consistently interesting political magazine in the United States."

Matt Welch, force-feeding his book, one sentence at a time. How diabolically dickensian!

Peggy Lee|9.22.08 @ 5:55PM|#

Where's my cut, Welch?

What? Did he welch?

texas_libertarian|9.22.08 @ 6:08PM|#

The unfiltered comments are fun, but there have been a lot of incidents of commenters spoofing others identities lately. Maybe some kind of log in would be a good idea.

Log in? C'mon, don't be a fascist.

shecky|9.22.08 @ 7:17PM|#

It'd be nice for a little bit of Reason to rub off on Hewitt. Then again, I suppose it'd take an awful lot of rubbing to make Hewitt even slightly listenable.

name withheld|9.22.08 @ 10:02PM|#

Hahaha, disregard that, I suck cocks

name withheld|9.22.08 @ 10:31PM|#

Whoever is using my withheld name had better cease and desist, or else my lawyers are going to be sucking his wallet dry!

name withheld|9.22.08 @ 10:32PM|#

P.S. Anybody know a good lawyer who specializes in anonymous blog comment libel?

name readily forthcoming|9.22.08 @ 10:53PM|#

NW, sounds like you need someone well versed in Internet Law.

|9.23.08 @ 1:54AM|#

I'll donate if they change their slogan:

Free minds, free markets, free gentlemen's latte's

|9.24.08 @ 12:16PM|#

Matt Welch has good fashion sense - love the glasses (and his political philosophy, of course).