Top 10 Political Websites ( Free Republic Number One, HuffPo 2nd, Kos 3rd)

Thursday, November 22, 2007 | Kristinn

[kristinn]

FreeRepublic.com, the eleven-year-old conservative granddaddy of political discussion websites, was rated the most popular political website by Hitwise, an Internet data tracking service, for the week ending November 17, 2007 with 5.14% market share.

The liberal site, HuffingtonPost.com, founded two-and-a-half years ago, was the only site that came close to Free Republic in interest from net users, with 4.51% market share. In a distant third place, the five-year-old liberal site DailyKos.com, was left in the dust by Free Republic and Huffington Post, garnering only 2.57% market share.

The others sites Hitwise listed were, in order, politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com with 2.17%; townhall.com with 2.1%; buzzflash.com with 1.95%; politico.com with 1.9%; humanevents.com with 1.84%; realclearpolitics.com with 1.72% and democraticunderground.com with 1.69%.

Free Republic has received none of the fawning promotion in the mainstream media that its nearest competitors get. It takes no paid advertising, has no membership fees and relies solely on donations for its existence. Its founder and webmaster, Jim Robinson, is not touted as a political player like Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga are. The site has endured withering criticism this year by pundits from Bill O'Reilly to Patrick Ruffini. Yet, Free Republic survives and thrives as one of the most popular and influential political websites.

From leading the charge to impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998, to the 2004 exposing of the fraudulent National Guard documents that led to Dan Rather's firing by CBS News, to the recent deep-sixing of expansion of the S-CHIP program, Freepers, as members at the site are known, have changed politics in America.

Liberals despise them, some conservatives seeth with envy, yet none can deny that more than a decade in to the online revolution, Free Republic is still a force to be reckoned with.

[AliVeritas]

I have a few people to thank...

Code Pink, whom I couldn't do without...

Chuck Norris...

Those who use their first amendment rights...

Those we countered in D.C., they took it really well...

Randi

Those who stabbed us in the back and insist on giving away the country

From the "You really disgust me" files. Green helmet, who takes children out of morgues to plant them for filming... bastard.

Flat Fatima

Shakes head... wanna be fifth columners

Yes, even Garofalo

The MSM, criminals all...

The Emmy winning performers of the Middle East

He who will not be named... keeper of defense pork and stocks...

I thank the village...

Ahhh... who couldn't love them?

Hezbollywood (or Hollywood)

Pete Stark

The Chinese... for their craftmanship...

Dear Leader... after Hill of course (yes, it's real)

The talking heads... Matthews, Russert, Olby.

Teddy

These two...

And since I know you can't get enough of Mahmoud...

My favorite international advocate for human rights...

He's really a nice guy... once you know him (cough)

Those that differ... and don't quite get it.

Um David... Jewish.

Understanding may take a while...

He who leads by example... UBL

Those on the other side...

Hill

More Big Sister...

Lastly, I would like to thank someone we haven't heard from since rehab and have strugged uphill ever since, Foley.

[AliVeritas]

[gondramB]

Just curious is that for my blog (which I've been badly neglecting) or Freep?

[AliVeritas]

Here. Mine should be pre-K.

[janereinheimer]

Maybe I’m naive, but I still believe that the truth wins out.

Every time.

Eventually.

Thanks Jim Robinson, for enduring.

[Syncro]

Good news!

Having seen this written many times and not being true, here it fits:

IT WAS EVER THUS

Free Republic is the Premier Conservative Website

Mighty good for the economy too. Look at all the staff members hired by the MSN and pundits far and wide to peruse FR so they can be "first" with the news...

[sweet_diane]

So THIS is how it feels to hang out with the popular kids!

Mega dittos all around!

[HonestConservative]

Thanks, kristinn.

Great job.

Interesting that neither BOR or Ruffini have had the honor to retract their remarks based on obviously erroneous nature of their claimes.

[glock rocks]

Interesting that neither BOR or Ruffini have had the honor to retract their remarks based on obviously erroneous nature of their claimes.

Whor'Reilly and honor in the same sentence?

[HonestConservative]

Yep.

You are correct.

What WAS I thinking?

[GregoTX]

What a great thread .... It should be posted daily so all FReepers get a chance to see it!

[Joya]

FR is Number One, marking this thread.

[B-Chan]

democraticunderground.com with 1.69%

LOL FAIL

[B-Chan]

万歳 = w!

[Mr. Silverback]

Freepers...keepin’ it real, keepin’ it old school, and kicking ass.

[Mr. Silverback]

Interesting to see. The Daily Kos crowd like to say how they speak for “the American people” etc. and that their views reflect the mainstream. Then why is their market share so small?????????

If the Kos kids really reflected mainstream thought in the U.S., I'd have moved to Canada by now.

[KingofZion]

If I believed in a supreme being I would thank him for the existence of this site. But since I don’t I thank the hosts. FR helps to keep my sanity in the liberal hell a/k/a San Francisco.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Wow!
so true.
and it truly springs from the heartland....not from Soros money.

[trooprally]

If you haven’t seen this yet, it is a great Thanksgiving Read.

Woohoo to ALL FReepers!!

[stand watie]

GM, Kristinn.

hoping you & yours had a great/BLESSED ThanksGIVING Day.

free dixie,sw