SUNDAY OPINION: "Has a 'Katrina Moment' Arrived? Obama still lags behind America's populist rage," by Frank Rich, New York Times, 22 March 2009.

Sean and I knew we would have a transition on the readership to go along with Obama's transition. A lot of readers/commentators only knew me through a GOP White House, and we knew a good chunk wouldn't be able to stay around for a Dem one--it just wouldn't work. So we made a conscious decision to process them as they signaled their discomfort. In the end, the numbers were far smaller than we expected (there is always some come-and-go on the site and especially with a new book), and we were sad to see some go, but the needs of the site rule. Unfortunately, we can't do the same time with the opinion pages of the NYT, WSJ, WAPO, etc. Some columns were okay when it was Bush, but then they just seem out of touch with Obama, like the line-ups desperately need to change. Frank Rich, to me, is a prime example of this. Interesting enough at first with Bush, but now you just realize he's like that with everyone all the time, and it gets boring ("Really, we've already reached the 'Katrina' moment X weeks in?"). I don't mind criticism of Obama. I just think the major papers should actively rejigger with a changed political landscape, because the lag is noticeable and bad. Point is, the conversation always changes, and you want the right mix, whether it's your paper or the blog. Some churn is always healthy and needed, as is some consistency, but some people really lose their utility and you have to judge that without emotion and move them along.