Why Do Liberal Blogs Have More Readers?

I noted with interest this post at the Daily Kos yesterday, which was actually a followup to this post at MyDD, claiming that the rightwing blogosphere is collapsing under our aristocracy. It seems we are ruled by Instapundit, Michelle Malkin, Captain Ed, PoliPundit, and the other high traffic sites, who use their lack of comments and the fact that they don't use Scoop software to quell dissent. Or something like that...

First of all, I don't buy the premise that the rightwing blogs are stagnant; traffic ebbs and flows. Second, how influential are the big liberal blogs, outside of their little niche of the already-converted flaming moonbat Bush haters? Third, many right-leaning blogs do allow comments, even bigger blogs, such as Captain Ed and PoliPundit.

Indeed, PoliPundit suggests here that one reason comments are not allowed at most of the bigger blogs is that trolls make it a full-time job just policing the comments. This is not a new liberal tactic; it is the same sort of intimidation liberals use when a well-known conservative dares to show his or her face on a college campus.

I have my own theory, assuming the numbers are correct: liberal blogs foster a sense of community because they feed off of paranoid 'alternative' views of reality. Despite their frequent claim to be part of the 'reality-based' community, it seems there is no theory so outlandish that it will not be given instant credence by the Kossacks. If there is no place for your views in the mainstream, you seek out the fringe.