Josh Marshall seems to represent the collaborative reporting, where his readers offer tips and thoughts that shape his reporting, whereas most mainstream journalists seem to despise the "vitriol" of the rabble, and be more elitist and insular.

Klein and Swampland seem to be one of the few places where MSM has effectively used the democratic aspect, and anyone who is a regular reader of Swampland has noticed a bit of a transition in Joe's reporting. Many (like me) were originally quite spiteful of Joe, yet we didn't scare him off, and he didn't totally dismiss us, and even found areas where he agreed with us. It's to the point where my least favorite pundit provided, in my opinion, the best campaign coverage.

So, I'd like to get a quick quote from Joe, if I can, if not directly, then out here in the open, in a very blog fashion: how do you regard the penny seats these days, Joe? And how much do you feel they have influenced your thinking? Or, do you see your writing as not evolving at all the way we do? How much have you come to accept some of the TPM model, where you allow the general opinions of people who respond in places like Swampland to shape your reporting like any other inside source?