Outrage Paralysis: Liberal Blogger Julia of Sisyphus Shrugged Speaks

One of the Left's most prolific bloggers and writers, Julia at Sisyphus Shrugged has turned her keen eye on everything from the intricacies of New York politics, city and state government to conservatives and the nation at large. We got a change to catch up with her recently. Here's what she had to say about what we had to ask.

Shawn Struck: You've being writing at "Sisyphus Shrugged" for 5 years. Why did you first start your blog, and why did you choose the name "Sisyphus Shrugged"?

Julia: A friend of mine used it as his entry into a bad band names contest. I fell in love with it and asked him if I could use it.

Giving it more consideration than I did at the time, it seems to me that our society would be in far more trouble if the people who get up and do the same thing every day gave up than if the people who've decided that their overpaid labors are making the world turn took some time off.

As a matter of fact, I encourage them to do just that.

Shawn Struck: Tell us a little about your appearances on

Julia: I was terrified into incoherence is what happened. Also I went to have a cigarette with one of the producers and got locked out in a stairwell until about fifteen seconds before airtime.

I was recommended to them by Jeanne, of [the blog] Body and Soul, who was the first popular blogger to link to me and whose voice I miss terribly.

Shawn Struck: One recurring feature is the "Claude Raines Memorial Gambling Awareness Awards"-- who has been the most deserving, and why?

Julia: Well, historically it's pretty much always been Andrew Sullivan. I've never quite been able to understand why it is that a man whose academic record suggests that he has at least some base level of intellect was able to completely ignore any realities that contradicted his grandiose political theories. I decided early on that Occam's razor probably left us with Mr. Sullivan being well compensated to ignore reality. I still haven't come up with a theory to explain what appeared to have been actual shock when he figured out that the people in charge actually thought he was One Of Those People.