Instapundit
Encyclopedia
Instapundit is a United States
political blog
produced by Glenn Reynolds
, a law professor at the University of Tennessee
. The blog began in August 2001 as an experiment, and a part of Reynolds' class on Internet law. A 2007 memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee
described him as one of the five "best-read national conservative bloggers,"
though Reynolds self-identifies not as a conservative, but as a libertarian
.
from a supportive-but-critical viewpoint. Other common topics are technology
(such as nanotechnology
), space exploration
, human longevity, digital photography
, individual liberty and Gun politics
, domestic policy
, the media, and the blogosphere
as a social phenomenon. Reynolds has also lent his support to the Porkbusters
campaign, which exposes and roots out misallocation of Federal funds.
Much of Instapundit's content consists of links to other sites, often with brief comments. (His frequent use of "heh," "indeed," and "read the whole thing" have been widely imitated and are often parodied by other bloggers.) Reynolds encourages readers to explore the wider blogosphere and to fully read articles and posts to which he links. Since 2005, Reynolds has at times added original video reports, shot documentary-style, to the site. He covered the 2005 BlogNashville convention using video he shot himself. In January 2006, Reynolds began to host podcasts
from Instapundit, along with his wife Dr. Helen Smith
(who hosted discussion of the podcasts on her blog, "Dr. Helen"). The blogcasts have now given way to a video series on PajamasMedia called InstaVision, which Reynolds hosts individually (his wife contributes to PJM as well, but usually as a separate blogger).
Reynolds aggressively promotes the idea that bloggers, using now widely available tools such as digital audio and video, will eventually force established news media to adapt a more agile approach to providing information, though he does not believe "that blogs will replace Big Media".
Because of the blog's popularity, an Instapundit link to another site can cause the traffic
of that site to spike. Such an increase is often referred to as an Instalanche, or 'Lanche,
a portmanteau for "Instapundit avalanche". (See the Slashdot effect
for a similar phenomenon.)
In 2007, network theory
researchers who studied blogs as a test case found that Instapundit was the #1 blog for "quickly know[ing] about important stories that propagate over the blogosphere".
, specifically a libertarian transhumanist
. He favors free market
s and distrusts bureaucracy
. To this end he opposes government interference in both the economic
and personal affairs of citizens. He strongly supports the War on Terrorism
and has lent some support to the war in Iraq. He is an advocate for gun rights
, has singled out European Union
, the United Nations
, Islam
ic governments, American academia, and mainstream media as targets of critical remarks and links; he also believes there is systemic bias
in the "Mainstream Media"
. He believes there is an economic "bubble" forming in higher education, and that under most circumstances college students should avoid going into debt for the sake of getting credentials. He frequently points out that college degrees, or credentials, are not the same as an education.
Reynolds, who worked for Al Gore
's 1988 campaign,
now agrees with the conservative movement on many issues, including the war in Iraq, tax cuts, and some environmental issues. He has vigorously criticized Republicans for wasteful government spending for many years. His association with the conservative side of U.S. politics included a book-signing appearance at the 2006 Conservative Political Action Conference
, after which he characteristically hung out on Bloggers Row and conducted interviews with much less well known bloggers, giving a few of them some critically important exposure.
Reynolds holds libertarian positions on many social issues. For example, he supports embryonic stem cell research, abortion rights, and same-sex civil union
s. He has stated a number of times:
"Personally, I'd be delighted to live in a country where happily married
gay couples had closets full of assault weapon
s."
Reynolds believes global warming
is "plausib[ly]" caused by man
and that "burning less carbon is good planetary hygiene, and good practice generally." He believes "we should be pursuing global warming remedies regardless of what you think about global warming." One of his household vehicles is a hybrid SUV, and he has promoted hybrid technology in general—when he thought it was well-engineered.
In October 2006, Reynolds was criticized heavily by Rush Limbaugh
over several days for posting a "GOP Pre-mortem"
suggesting that the Republicans deserved to lose the 2006 Congressional elections.
Reynolds often blogs in support of Porkbusters
, which he helped create. He has vigorously criticized politicians from both parties for pork barrel
spending and earmarking
; then-Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss) once remarked that he was "damned tired" of the Porkbusters. Reynolds has stated in the past that earmarks and pork are not just a waste of money, but a corrupting influence on the political process.
Reynolds has testified before Congressional committees on space law, international trade, and domestic terrorism. He has also served as executive chairman for the National Space Society, and was once a member of the White House Advisory Panel on Space Policy.
In June 2009, Reynolds changed his blog header to the color green from its original red, in support of the anti-Ahmadinejad/pro-Mousavi protests made after the Iranian Presidential election
. This was originally supposed to be a temporary show up support, but it lasted about three months. On September 7, 2009, Reynolds replaced the green with his customary red, remarking, "I’m back to the original design. 'Going Green' was supposed to be a show of support, not a permanent change, and the summer’s over. My support for the Iranian freedom movement is no less, but symbolism takes you only so far."
He is also the author of An Army of Davids
, a New York Times bestseller. The latter book appears to have a symbiotic relationship with his blog, inasmuch as it promotes the changing of society for the best through the efforts of individuals, seizing the initiative and empowered by technology and community. He expresses this sensibility frequently in his blog, remarking on occasion that humans work best as "a pack, not a herd."
Reynolds also writes articles for various publications (generally under his full name, Glenn Harlan Reynolds): Popular Mechanics
, Forbes
, The New York Post, The New York Times
, The Atlantic Monthly
, The Washington Post
, The Washington Times
, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal
. He has written for the TCSDaily.com, Fox News, and MSNBC
websites as well.
As a law professor, Reynolds has written for the Columbia Law Review, the Virginia Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the Wisconsin Law Review, the Northwestern University Law Review, the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Law and Policy in International Business, Jurimetrics, and the High Technology Law Journal, among others.
Instapundit's early popularity led to the common adoption of the suffix "-pundit" in blog titles, for example Kevin Drum
(who originally blogged as "CalPundit") and Allahpundit. There are also direct take-offs on the entire name, such as Instapunk, and IsntAPundit.
There are many other "-pundit" blogs, of all political stripes. An extensive listing of blogs inspired to some degree by Instapundit may be found here.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political blog
Political blog
A political blog is a common type of blog that comments on politics. In liberal democracies the right to criticize the government without interference is considered an important element of free speech...
produced by Glenn Reynolds
Glenn Reynolds
Glenn Harlan Reynolds is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, and is best known for his weblog, Instapundit, one of the most widely read American political weblogs...
, a law professor at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. The blog began in August 2001 as an experiment, and a part of Reynolds' class on Internet law. A 2007 memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
described him as one of the five "best-read national conservative bloggers,"
though Reynolds self-identifies not as a conservative, but as a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
.
The blog
Instapundit frequently covers the War on TerrorismWar on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
from a supportive-but-critical viewpoint. Other common topics are technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
(such as nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
), space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
, human longevity, digital photography
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
, individual liberty and Gun politics
Gun politics in the United States
Gun politics in the United States refers to an ongoing political and social debate regarding both the restriction and availability of firearms within the United States. It has long been among the most controversial and intractable issues in American politics...
, domestic policy
Domestic policy
Domestic policy, also known as public policy, presents decisions, laws, and programs made by the government which are directly related to all issues and activity within the country....
, the media, and the blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
as a social phenomenon. Reynolds has also lent his support to the Porkbusters
Porkbusters
Porkbusters is an effort led by mostly conservative and libertarian bloggers to cut pork barrel spending by the U.S. Congress used to help pay for projects....
campaign, which exposes and roots out misallocation of Federal funds.
Much of Instapundit's content consists of links to other sites, often with brief comments. (His frequent use of "heh," "indeed," and "read the whole thing" have been widely imitated and are often parodied by other bloggers.) Reynolds encourages readers to explore the wider blogosphere and to fully read articles and posts to which he links. Since 2005, Reynolds has at times added original video reports, shot documentary-style, to the site. He covered the 2005 BlogNashville convention using video he shot himself. In January 2006, Reynolds began to host podcasts
from Instapundit, along with his wife Dr. Helen Smith
Helen Smith (psychologist)
Helen Smith is a forensic psychologist in Knoxville, Tennessee who specializes in violent children and adults. She holds a PhD from the University of Tennessee and masters degrees from The New School for Social Research and the City University of New York...
(who hosted discussion of the podcasts on her blog, "Dr. Helen"). The blogcasts have now given way to a video series on PajamasMedia called InstaVision, which Reynolds hosts individually (his wife contributes to PJM as well, but usually as a separate blogger).
Reynolds aggressively promotes the idea that bloggers, using now widely available tools such as digital audio and video, will eventually force established news media to adapt a more agile approach to providing information, though he does not believe "that blogs will replace Big Media".
Because of the blog's popularity, an Instapundit link to another site can cause the traffic
Web traffic
Web traffic is the amount of data sent and received by visitors to a web site. It is a large portion of Internet traffic. This is determined by the number of visitors and the number of pages they visit...
of that site to spike. Such an increase is often referred to as an Instalanche, or 'Lanche,
a portmanteau for "Instapundit avalanche". (See the Slashdot effect
Slashdot effect
The Slashdot effect, also known as slashdotting, occurs when a popular website links to a smaller site, causing a massive increase in traffic. This overloads the smaller site, causing it to slow down or even temporarily close. The name stems from the huge influx of web traffic that results from...
for a similar phenomenon.)
In 2007, network theory
Network theory
Network theory is an area of computer science and network science and part of graph theory. It has application in many disciplines including statistical physics, particle physics, computer science, biology, economics, operations research, and sociology...
researchers who studied blogs as a test case found that Instapundit was the #1 blog for "quickly know[ing] about important stories that propagate over the blogosphere".
Political views
Reynolds describes himself as a libertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
, specifically a libertarian transhumanist
Libertarian transhumanism
Libertarian transhumanism is a political ideology synthesizing right-libertarianism and transhumanism.Self-identified libertarian transhumanists, such as Ronald Bailey of Reason magazine and Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, are advocates of the asserted "right to human enhancement" who argue that the...
. He favors free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
s and distrusts bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
. To this end he opposes government interference in both the economic
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and personal affairs of citizens. He strongly supports the War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
and has lent some support to the war in Iraq. He is an advocate for gun rights
Gun politics
Gun politics addresses safety issues and ideologies related to firearms through criminal and noncriminal use. Gun politics deals with rules, regulations, and restrictions on the use, ownership, and distribution of firearms.-National sovereignty:...
, has singled out European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic governments, American academia, and mainstream media as targets of critical remarks and links; he also believes there is systemic bias
Systemic bias
Systemic bias is the inherent tendency of a process to favor particular outcomes. The term is a neologism that generally refers to human systems; the analogous problem in non-human systems is often called systematic bias, and leads to systematic error in measurements or estimates.-Bias in...
in the "Mainstream Media"
Media bias
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
. He believes there is an economic "bubble" forming in higher education, and that under most circumstances college students should avoid going into debt for the sake of getting credentials. He frequently points out that college degrees, or credentials, are not the same as an education.
Reynolds, who worked for Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
's 1988 campaign,
now agrees with the conservative movement on many issues, including the war in Iraq, tax cuts, and some environmental issues. He has vigorously criticized Republicans for wasteful government spending for many years. His association with the conservative side of U.S. politics included a book-signing appearance at the 2006 Conservative Political Action Conference
Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States....
, after which he characteristically hung out on Bloggers Row and conducted interviews with much less well known bloggers, giving a few of them some critically important exposure.
Reynolds holds libertarian positions on many social issues. For example, he supports embryonic stem cell research, abortion rights, and same-sex civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
s. He has stated a number of times:
"Personally, I'd be delighted to live in a country where happily married
gay couples had closets full of assault weapon
Assault weapon
Assault weapon is a non-technical term referring to any of a broad category of firearms with certain features, including some semiautomatic rifles, some pistols, and some shotguns. There are a variety of different statutory definitions of assault weapons in local, state, and federal laws in the...
s."
Reynolds believes global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
is "plausib[ly]" caused by man
Anthropogenic
Human impact on the environment or anthropogenic impact on the environment includes impacts on biophysical environments, biodiversity and other resources. The term anthropogenic designates an effect or object resulting from human activity. The term was first used in the technical sense by Russian...
and that "burning less carbon is good planetary hygiene, and good practice generally." He believes "we should be pursuing global warming remedies regardless of what you think about global warming." One of his household vehicles is a hybrid SUV, and he has promoted hybrid technology in general—when he thought it was well-engineered.
In October 2006, Reynolds was criticized heavily by Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
over several days for posting a "GOP Pre-mortem"
suggesting that the Republicans deserved to lose the 2006 Congressional elections.
Reynolds often blogs in support of Porkbusters
Porkbusters
Porkbusters is an effort led by mostly conservative and libertarian bloggers to cut pork barrel spending by the U.S. Congress used to help pay for projects....
, which he helped create. He has vigorously criticized politicians from both parties for pork barrel
Pork barrel
Pork barrel is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district...
spending and earmarking
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
; then-Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss) once remarked that he was "damned tired" of the Porkbusters. Reynolds has stated in the past that earmarks and pork are not just a waste of money, but a corrupting influence on the political process.
Reynolds has testified before Congressional committees on space law, international trade, and domestic terrorism. He has also served as executive chairman for the National Space Society, and was once a member of the White House Advisory Panel on Space Policy.
In June 2009, Reynolds changed his blog header to the color green from its original red, in support of the anti-Ahmadinejad/pro-Mousavi protests made after the Iranian Presidential election
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
. This was originally supposed to be a temporary show up support, but it lasted about three months. On September 7, 2009, Reynolds replaced the green with his customary red, remarking, "I’m back to the original design. 'Going Green' was supposed to be a show of support, not a permanent change, and the summer’s over. My support for the Iranian freedom movement is no less, but symbolism takes you only so far."
Other writing
Reynolds is co-author of Outer Space: Problems of Law and Policy and The Appearance of Impropriety: How the Ethics Wars Have Undermined American Government, Business, and Society.He is also the author of An Army of Davids
An Army of Davids
The term 'Army of David' redirects here. For information about the historical Jewish 'Army of David', see David#Biblical narrative.An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths is a non-fiction book by Glenn Reynolds, a...
, a New York Times bestseller. The latter book appears to have a symbiotic relationship with his blog, inasmuch as it promotes the changing of society for the best through the efforts of individuals, seizing the initiative and empowered by technology and community. He expresses this sensibility frequently in his blog, remarking on occasion that humans work best as "a pack, not a herd."
Reynolds also writes articles for various publications (generally under his full name, Glenn Harlan Reynolds): Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, The New York Post, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
. He has written for the TCSDaily.com, Fox News, and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
websites as well.
As a law professor, Reynolds has written for the Columbia Law Review, the Virginia Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the Wisconsin Law Review, the Northwestern University Law Review, the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Law and Policy in International Business, Jurimetrics, and the High Technology Law Journal, among others.
Influence on other bloggers
In an article about the growth of blogs, writer and blogger Ed Driscoll states that:- Reynolds’ quick rise to prominence helped to foster a hospitable environment for new bloggers. His background in DIY music may have been a factor: PunkPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new-wave musicNew Wave musicNew Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, plus the home-recording boom of the early 1980s, encouraged an “anybody can do this” attitude, a spirit that Reynolds carried into the emerging "blogosphere.” In 2002, he published a list of well over two hundred blogs that claimed to be directly inspired by his own.
Instapundit's early popularity led to the common adoption of the suffix "-pundit" in blog titles, for example Kevin Drum
Kevin Drum
Kevin Drum is an American political blogger and columnist. He was born in Long Beach, California and now lives in Irvine, California.-Education:...
(who originally blogged as "CalPundit") and Allahpundit. There are also direct take-offs on the entire name, such as Instapunk, and IsntAPundit.
There are many other "-pundit" blogs, of all political stripes. An extensive listing of blogs inspired to some degree by Instapundit may be found here.
External links
- Instapundit in 'Blogging America: Political Discourse in a Digital Nation By Barbara O'Brien
- Instapundit in Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge By Cass R. Sunstein
- Instapundit in New York Times, 2008
- Instapundit profile from New York Times, 2003
- "Bring Your Own Camera: How Sarah Can Fight Back", Glenn Reynolds, The New York Post, September 13, 2008