Well, Ken Layne was rather surprised to be added to the "lefty list" (I'm surprised by some of the additions myself... the net's being cast a bit too wide, methinks), and it promptedthis response:

I only read about 15 of these 80+ sites. Of those, I hadn't really considered any of them to be "lefty." Kaus? Jarvis? Freakin' Free-Trade-Or-Die Denton?

Have glanced at some of the other sites, but lefties generally can't write. They sound like earnest preachers. They're rarely funny. Everything's always horrible, the world is so mucked up, we have failed as a species, blah blah blah. As somebody said -- P.J. O'Rourke? -- you'll never hear a good bar described as "leftist."

First: he may be a fictional character, but somebody needs to aim Ken Layne in the general direction of Spider Jerusalem from Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan; if nothing else, Ellis proves that it can be done. Hell, I'll extend that to the rest of you: go read Transmetropolitan. Now. It's brilliant, funny, allegorical, poignant, horrific, enlightening, and damned entertaining all at the same time- living proof that you don't need to be Japanese or Neil Gaiman to create comics that not only transcend the genre, but transcend the label.

Second: Which blogs did he read? Tom Tomorrow, Vaara, and Atrios aren't funny?

Third: Why the hell does good writing have to be funny and unserious? I mean, I know too many "dittohead"-esque conservatives live for stupid, crude, inane and simpleminded humor aimed at their ideological opponents in order to make them feel better, but this sort of concept is astoundingly ignorant. Hell, my own namesake is living proof- Demosthenes was one of the best orators history has ever known, and he didn't need to rely on humor to make his point and capture his audience.

and finally...

Fourth: Brian, it's pretty obvious that Ken doesn't want to be on that list with the rest of us leftists. Judging by that post, the feeling is mutual. If he's going to be an ass, take your ball and go home. Let him go play with Instapundit or something.