You may have noticed that my story about Sen. Boxer and others stepping up and insisting a public option in the Senate health care bill made its way to Firedoglake today. Well, there’s a good reason for that.
I’ve accepted a position with Firedoglake running a new site over there that will be called FDL News. The site has not yet gone live bit will come into being in the next couple weeks; in the meantime I’ll be posting on the main site over there, starting next Monday (today was kind of a preview). It’s an opportunity to do a mix of breaking news, analysis and some original reporting. Firedoglake has some fine bloggers in their stable and I’m excited about the opportunity.
Unfortunately, what this means is that, due to the expected workload, I will be unable to continue writing at Calitics, at least in the near term. This is a big blow to me. I started here sometime after the 2006 gubernatorial election and have participated in Calitics’ expansion to one of the more widely-read sites in the state blogosphere, and even a conduit for national blogs to understand what the hell was going on out here during the various budget and governance crises. The site has been a real boon to me in learning how to cover an unfolding story, which will greatly enhance my capabilities at my new job.
More than that, Calitics is like a family. All of us writers sort of built this site together and took it from scratch into as important a daily read to understand California politics as there is anywhere in the state, including (perhaps especially including) all major media outlets. Brian, Robert, Dante, Julia, Jeremy, Lucas and anyone else I’ve missed should be extremely proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish, and I have no doubts that they’ll be able to make great strides in the future. This remains a crucial time for progressives in California, with so many challenges: to return majority rule to the state, construct a Constitution that actually works to govern the population, restore democracy to the citizenry, all with 2010 elections coming up to boot. Those are not small topics, and as a California resident I know I’ll be looking to Calitics to help sort it all out.
I never intended for blogging to be anything more than a hobby, but it quickly grew to an obsession and now a career. Thanks to everybody here for helping make that a reality. And who knows, maybe you’ll see me pop up in the comments every now and again. I’m going to stop posting here on Friday. I’ll be sure to drop a URL and let you all know where you can find me once FDL News gets off the ground.
Thank you again.
It’s good to see good bloggers get supported. Progressives are typically penurious when it comes to funding infrastructure, especially online and messaging infrastructure. You do both better than almost anyone else I know (and the only reason I say “almost” is just in case there is someone better out there; nobody actually comes to mind at the moment). Good to see you’re getting the backing you deserve.
On the other hand, this is no small blow to Calitics. I’ve not been able to post as much as I’d like, and you’ve done a lot of our best writing. We’re gonna miss you here, and if there’s anyone out there who wants to step up and help us fill the gap, drop us a line.
Ok, had to say that. Now, I think you’ll do a great job at FDL. Progressives in this state owe you a sincere debt of gratitude, as do I.
Thanks, Dave, and we’ll see you around the blogosphere.
That’s pretty damn exciting.
Seriously, big hearty congrats Dave.
It’s been wonderful to see so many Caliticians grow up and find a living working in online politics.
You leave a huge hole here with your absence, but I expect great things from you over at FDL.
What, now I have to add another blog to my daily reading? Like I have all this extra time laying around. Sheesh.
Seriously, though, congratulations! You’re keen in your observations and a great writer to boot. I look forward to following your work at Firedoglake.
Hope you have time to meander back here every once in a while to keep the trolls in check.
Congrats David, though I’ll miss you here. You’ve written a huge amount of interesting and provocative stuff, much appreciation for that.
You’ll really be missed here, but I’m glad we’ll be able to find you in another place. On the many occasions I’ve agreed with you, you’ve helped make me a better advocate, by having accurate information and stating things clearly and fairly. And on the rare occasions I’ve disagreed with you, you’ve also improved my thinking, by making me track back over the ground to see how and why I came to a different conclusion about something. That’s the kind of impact a writer should be proud to have. All the best.
Now who am I gonna do battle with? 🙂
Congrats and good luck at FDL.
but I’ll miss you being here. I second Brian’s boo.
Good move by FDL.
DDay, nice moving up to the big leagues – and with the loss of Christy Hardin Smith – you’ll be stepping into some big shoes. It will be a pleasure to see you getting a larger audience. How come nobody’s talking about someone to replace you here. My nomination is Randy Bayne of Bayne of Blogs and all around swell fellow. How about it Calitics e-bd?