To be honest though, I really don’t understand why he’s getting all up in arms. Despite the fact that he is experiencing lower than normal traffic, his traffic levels are still MUCH higher than Hot Air’s. In fact, his daily traffic is higher than Hot Air’s, LGF’s, Townhall’s, and Rush Limbaugh’s COMBINED!

I think much of Matt Drudge’s frustration is simply stemming from the nature of the medium.

Drudge will always have the distinction of being the first. (perhaps an arguable fact, perhaps just an opinion, but I personally believe he was the first to make internet journalism respectable in the mainstream) He no longer has the distinction if being the only. Because of this fact, combined with the fact that it is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff sometimes on the internet, he’ll probably poo-poo anyone who doesn’t do it the same way he does.

Crooks and Liars

The Cavewoman is in a hissy fight with Drudge. If you’re not familiar with The Eggman story—click here. Anyway, Drudge made fun of her Hotair videos…
Just ugh. The things I want to say right now. But we’ve got…

Let me try that again…

Drudge at 5 year traffic low

Drudge still higher than 4 other major sites combined.

Best way to blast back, hit him where it hurts.

http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?url=drudgereport.com

Drudge is hemorrhaging readers, declining steadily since December, off 50% in terms of percentages of page views on the Internet according to Alexa.

No, not November, with the elections. December.

Anil Petra on March 19, 2007 at 3:17 PM

Actually, check this one out:

Drudge is not only in a 6 month low, he’s in a 5 year low. He hasn’t seen this low an amount of traffic since 2002. I think he’s simply starting to feel the pressure from the competition and it’s a burn for him.

To be honest though, I really don’t understand why he’s getting all up in arms. Despite the fact that he is experiencing lower than normal traffic, his traffic levels are still MUCH higher than Hot Air’s. In fact, his daily traffic is higher than Hot Air’s, LGF’s, Townhall’s, and Rush Limbaugh’s COMBINED!

Methinks that Drudge might be getting a wee bit too big for his britches, and is starting to feel a bit cramped and cranky.

Sounds like his schtick (retro-yokel Walter Winchell hat) is starting to suffocate.

He needs a change of venue, if not Depends.

If I didn’t believe in conspiracies, where has Karl Rove been lately??????????

Civility

sports fans, treat each other like humans.

Michelle (if it was Michelle that did the recruiting) did an excellent job of putting together a great staff; each with their own strengths; that they bring to this site.

Yes, I am the recruiter. And thank you. I agree. :)

Michelle on March 20, 2007 at 1:21 AM

Michelle is an excellent “managing editor”. And as realverse opined hours ago, Hot Air Rocks.

Let me cap the observations about Drudge’s collapsing hits with its companion implication:

He’s seen his income peak, and begin a rapid downturn which is likely to accelerate.

Hence, the lashing out.

I've heard that his radio show really stinks though I haven't listened to it. Just ugh. The things I want to say right now. But we’ve got an FCC. The things I want to say. Maybe we’ll do, uh, uh, a commentary on the Internet like …

This thread has become too long in the tooth and too personal. The time has come for all good men and women – to shut up.

There is no fun in being a ditto head. I think Prof. Blather hit the nail on the head.

I’ll be back much more often and you might be surprised, you might wake up one day and find that you kind of like me.

WildBill on March 20, 2007 at 12:39 PM

Are you kidding? I freaking LOVE you, man. Nothing entertains me more than massive unadulterated hypocrisy, and you are the world featherweight champion in that category! Dude. I’ve literally been chuckling all day. People keep asking why I’m in such a good mood. It’s you, baby. All you.

Besides, it does me good to remember that pseudo-intellectual pomposity and mindless self-parody exists on both sides of the political aisle. I appreciate the reminder.

Did you REALLY think you were going to attack a fellow conservative pretty viciously … and then claim your whole point was that attacking fellow conservatives was a bad idea … and have people NOT laugh at you, kettle?

Dude. You’re awesome. You’re like our own Glenn Greenwald. A monument to hypocrisy. If you’re always this funny, I’m gonna find your blog and start reading it. Do you have a bunch of sock puppets and a Brazilian cabana boy, too?

If Hot Air wants to become the American Idol of blogs… well there’s a reason I don’t watch that show either. Manufactured controversy does not intrigue me nor does the shallow Drudge like debate AP spurs on in his posts.

bj1126 on March 20, 2007 at 2:20 PM

My point was simply that what they found, works. They routinely get hundreds of comments. The content is always fresh. Why mess with it?

And for the record, if I count correctly, of the 23 posts currently on this blog, Allahpundit delivered 19 of them. Is he an arrogant ass at times? Sure. I feel you, dawg. Word. Does he piss me off sometimes? Sure.

But 19 out of 23, man. It’d be awful quiet here without him, don’t you think?

Besides, I enjoy reading crap that irritates me. There are plenty of places I could go where everyone thinks the same, and where I’d agree with everything. The irony of old Crazy WildBill’s posts up there is that he somehow misses that this place is SO not that place.

Plenty of other blogs to read, if you’d like. In fact, I hear old gay-chaser Bill up there has one. And he’d kill his grandmother for the traffic, so you should check him out.

Seriously. My sides hurt, people. The hilarity has got to stop. I told you to ban me, Allah, you atheist buttmunch.

bj1126 on March 20, 2007 at 2:20 PM

AP, you lib…I knew it. Hmmm, the more I think about it, the more it seems that AP is actually Markos Moulitsas Zúniga.

Something strange is at play here…Michelle??

SARCASM

Second, as much as some of his content may piss you off (or me, for that matter), he’s actually pretty clever in picking exactly the content – and making the right remarks – to spur debate. You may not like what he says, but the very fact that you KNOW that means you’re still reading him.

Well first off it is not the content he picks that pisses me off it is his comments and no I do not read his posts anymore. It’s not really my disagreement with AP that causes my disdain it is his hypocrisy and all too often liberal tendencies that cause me to think he’s not the best fit for the type of blog I would hope MM was trying to create.

Think American Idol, without Simon. Sure, it’d be a sweet happy happy joy joy kind of show. You’d hear nothing that would bother you or annoy you.

And the show would be canceled by next Tuesday.

Just like that goofy show accidentally stumbled upon a working combination of personalities, so did this place.

They’d be foolish in the extreme to fix what isn’t broken.

If Hot Air wants to become the American Idol of blogs… well there’s a reason I don’t watch that show either. Manufactured controversy does not intrigue me nor does the shallow Drudge like debate AP spurs on in his posts.

My point still stands… we can have a meaningful discussion on WildBill’s situation in the right forum because we he gives evidence. Drudge didn’t give anything on which Michelle could respond specifically, hence the well-worded but general response article she wrote above. My guess (just a hunch, not an evidence-based accusation) is that Drudge was just looking to start a high profile fight for the benefit of his ratings. From the content and sheer number of these comments, I’d say Drudge bit off more than even he can chew.

I hope Drugde, Ann, and Michelle can start working together again. We have an election to win.

WildBill on March 20, 2007 at 12:39 PM

Interesting point. It leads me to these thoughts.

You know, there is one key difference between what Drudge did and the discussion that ensued between WildBill and others. With WildBill, we know why he is making his criticisms. He has backed up his criticisms with evidence. Some of us, myself included, have disagreed and even taken exception to that evidence, but at least we have been able (and, as I pointed out earlier, at the risk of wrongly taking the focus completely off Drudge) to discuss the facts behind the matter.

With Drudge, all we got was a quick shot of venom backed up by no hard facts to support his rage.

Being of one mind 100% of the time gives no benefit. For one matter, it’s impossible. For another matter, it doesn’t allow us any opportunity for discussion, learning, and growth as a result. The founders of our country realized these truths and built a system that allowed for such discussion and meaningful resolution.

Such discussion may get heated on strongly held views, as illustrated by WildBill, Blather, me, and others, but, in the right context, such discussion is our strength, not our weakness. Note that the Left has no room for such discussion whatsoever. In the end, I think we can all unite, at the very least, under a conservative banner based on that very fact.

Somebody buy Allah a beer…

(evil smirk)

E L Frederick (Sniper One) on March 19, 2007 at 8:08 PM

There’s probably some background I’m unaware of, but cool pic nonetheless.

‘Blues for Allah and Sha-llah’

Here’s Matt Drudge on Michelle Malkin’s Hot Air, “Just ugh. The things I want to say right now. But we’ve got an FCC. The things I want to say. Maybe we’ll do, uh, uh, a commentary on the Internet like……

Finally, is it just me or does Matt Drudge’s radio show lack something? He talks for about 90 seconds, and then goes to commercial break for 4 minutes, that’s his broadcast schedule.
realVerse on March 19, 2007 at 9:51 PM

Talk for a minute and a half, break for four minutes of commercials, and repeat for three hours? Dude, you just described every syndicated conservative talk radio show in America!

I swear the radio host that puts a halfway entertaining radio talk show in Limbaugh’s timeslot with a show clock timed so that the host is talking only when Limbaugh breaks for commercial, will be a millionaire in 18 months and that host will seriously erode Limbaugh’s audience…

;)

You never want to draw aces and eights? (LOL! Couldn’t resist)

Seriously, some of us remember what happened. We exchanged emails then. I know how tough that was for you and how torn up you were over the whole thing. Most of the people here won’t care though – but you know that. I think you’ve made your point and spending any more time arguing it here is just going to make you relive it.

PS. Michelle, my grandchildren Chris and Ian are probably your youngest fans, 2 and 4. They miss the “on the front burner today”. They would say it with you and say “Hi Michelle”