Bob Swern Paints Himself With Honey And Lies Down On Daily Kos Ant Hill
May I doff my hat in admiration to one who so often wades in regardless of shark fins, who marches into the lions den, and who rips off his sunglasses to expose the whites of eyes to his adversaries? Bob Swern, there aren’t enough metaphors to honor you today.
The indefatigable Bob posted an epic diary at 3:00 am this morning at TOP with the title
Warren: “Party Identity's Shifting.” Kos: Sanders’ Beatings Will Continue ‘til Party Morale Improves. Oh, go ahead ahead and read it, even if you’ve sworn off adding traffic to Kos’s clicks, it’s so worth it. It's at the top of the rec list. Or maybe Bob will come over and post it here in its entirety.
In a nutshell, you may be familiar with the current imbroglio about Bernie Sanders causing the earth to tilt on its axis by not claiming progressive cred for a candidate who denied it for himself and for also endorsing another Dem candidate who is perceived to be squishy on abortion rights because of his personal belief that abortion is inherently wrong, even though he took the same position that so many Dems have previously taken in the same situation(like notably Tim Kaine) - that his personal beliefs would not sway his legislative positions.
Some might be forgiven for thinking that the moderate/centrists/pragmatists of the Party would have thought that this “purity” flexibility on Sanders part was exactly the sort of compromise that was required in a Unity tour designed to reunite the two estranged factions of the Party. If so, you would be completely wrong. You see, Bernie’s acceptance of this candidate is a wholesale sellout of all women, and Democratic women in particular, and he and his Bernie Bro followers can take their impure purity back to the fake progressive, misogynist, sexist, frat house they inhabit. Because why give up the spectacularly unsuccessful, deceitful, disgusting cudgel these DNC Dems had wielded so ineptly in the primaries and general election, right? You know,when they drove off whole platoons of their own voters by insulting and stigmatizing them?
Bob Swern makes this point far better than I just did against Head Dis-unifier Kos and other media lackeys and also employed to great effect an insanely effective eviscerative column by Naked Capital’s Yves Smith on the same topic.
Sanders supporters,(which definition I will enlarge to encompass all those who support his policies and positions if not the man himself), in order to remain members in good standing of the Democratic Party, are hereby now ordered to embrace a cognitive dissonance that requires rigid non-compromise when previously they had been ridiculed for exactly that same quality. This would be amusing if it wasn’t so telling and so sad. Yes, they think we are stupid. Yes, they still despise us. Yes, they think we are not capable of logical and reasoned thought and are incapable of knowing and recognizing when we are being manipulated.
Where is this leading to? Well here is the latest breadcrumb trail I have noted. Any liberals running for anything anywhere, will be hoisted on a pre-fabricated petard that they are not liberal enough. Any centrist moderate running for anything anywhere will be elevated as being just liberal enough. I heard Elijah Cummings this morning on MSNBC make some comments about Big Tent Democrats and how we needed Blue Dogs back again. This is apparently a new theme, seeCummings: Democrats Need a Big Tent To Be Effective
I would have thought that a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus would have been advocating for more members of Congress of that particular ilk, especially in light of the fact that the public policy momentum in the country of the electorate is headed in that direction. Why would we want to recruit and elect more Blue Dog moderate Democrats, who are generally considered to have been the fly in the ointment of progress in Obama’s first term? Isn’t that why we got rid of them? Things that make you go hmmmmm . . . .
Comments
I'm shocked Bobswern hasn't been banned
He must have taken time off.
In an unrelated note, check out the latest on the DNC lawsuit. It's worth a listen to what the DNC lawyers were saying.
Thanks for the link gjohnsit
I will watch it, its nineteen minutes long.
As to Bob Swern, I guess he is not able to rec comments so I guess he is under some kind of sanction. I notice he posted his diary at 3:00 am - maybe shift change of the guard watch?
I have not logged into Daily Kos to comment or write since the day I left last year, but I do read it on a regular basis to see what the party line is and how effective or ineffective their progressive wrangling techniques are. I think of them as an official mouth organ of the Party.
They are still stuck in an endless loop of vituperation against Bernie and his followers with some very heavy handed trustee type commenters who try to keep the Berners down. They are endlessly deploying the meme that anyone who wasn't in the Hillary camp was either a tool of the Russians or a victim of the Russians, because I guess no one could come to their own conclusion that they wanted to move on from the Clinton machine. And it is a machine, of that there is no doubt. I always admire when someone stands in front of one of their tanks like Bob did today and as Subir did a few days ago with his last Kos call-out.
I haven't changed my opinion that change from within in is simply not possible. They have the money, the organization and the media and it is all aligned against the 99% except for lip service and manipulation. I still think a new leader can rise organically through social media and alternative media who could build a following, find funding, and be a national factor. Or,maybe some day Bernie will grow weary of being flagellated by the Democratic Party and take Cornel West's advice and leave the compound.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
Bob is under NR
which means that he cannot recommend diaries or comments.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
He has been NR for at least a year.
What could possibly be the point of it? They won't shut him up because he is good for business.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
I can't pick my jaw up off the floor.
Kos ignores the truth as he opportunistically conflates hypocritical, Democratic status quo spin with “fighting over privilege.”
So the ex-Republican who is on the DNC payroll and sold his blogs for millions, lives in a villa in the middle of Oakland, and drives a Tesla is telling me what's entitled.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Weaponized Identity Politics
Markos and his klan are as cynical as they come.
Wow.
I guess the only word that comes close to describing this state of affairs is Putin.
Little Putin
So instead of "Little Napoleon", we ought to use the nickname "Little Putin" for Kos?
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
O M G Mic drop for BobSwern
O.k. When is the next meeting for the revolution?
-FuturePassed on Sunday, November 25, 2018 10:22 p.m.
Absolutely. I thought he deserved a shout-out.
Meanwhile, the comments have descended into a brawl midfield with both benches emptied.
Trust me, the handwriting is one the wall. The Dems will deflect to their ever popular, ever losing game plan of alienating progressive voters because they prefer and want moderate and even conservative voters. There will be a return to the 50 State Strategy and an all hands on board effort to resuscitate the concept of recruiting Blue Dog Democrats in Red States.
Ironically, this effort is titled as a Big Tent effort to draw in conservative voters when the people the tent isn't big enough for are the percentage of the Party and Independents that label themselves as Progressives.
In a masterpiece of mistiming and poor judgement, the Party will make its suicidal appeal to moderates and Blue Dogs at the exact moment According To Polls Most Americans Are Socialists Like Bernie That article is from two years ago, but if anything, Bernie popularized his policy positions and brought them even more into the mainstream.
The people who are failing to lead even from way way behind are the party honchos and the media who fail to understand the world they exist in and continue to behave like its the 1990s.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
Just in time to give the GOP and Kochs
all the states and the political power they need to rewrite the constitution in their image.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Yes, my internet speed couldn't keep up with the pie fight!
It is amazing he is being blamed for it. I gotta say I do feel like a sucker for going back there. I do believe Kos does it for the hits. I have to show restraint in the future as I went back TWICE this week! I guess if I were a warrior over there it wouldn't bother me. I just want to see what my brothers are saying.
O.k. When is the next meeting for the revolution?
-FuturePassed on Sunday, November 25, 2018 10:22 p.m.
Bob did a nice job
But he usually does.
Kos is a rich neo-liberal grifter pretending to care about women.
Anyone remember when he swift-boated Kathy Sierra for no other reason than he could?
Here were my responses at the time:
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2007/4/13/32858/3927
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2007/4/13/224119/578
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2007/4/14/211711/765
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
“The global elite are headed for a fall. And…don’t even know it”
https://theweek.com/articles/694923/global-elite-are-headed-fall-dont-ev...
Good read - thanks for the link.
The perception and the reality need to change.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Great comment
This is meritocracy in action. These people actually believe that they deserve all the perks of the jet set life. Obama famously declared when he first ran that he would shut down the revolving door. It looks like he preferred to take advantage of the revolving door to the tune of $400K. That is the epitome of corruption and the man is not even trying to hide it.
Obviously for Obama, the Clintons, and other neoliberals, they do not see government as a form of public service. Instead it is just a short stop on the path to more and more wealth. They have zero shame about it. I admire Jimmy Carter for his refusal to cash in. He will probably be the last President to ever do that.
Meanwhile Obama should not worry about his legacy being tarnished. He is doing a damn good job of it himself. I have zero respect for him and great regret that I ever voted for him.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
@gulfgal98 Jimmy Carter, yes, the
Jimmy Carter, yes, the last best decent humble president we've had. I too am ashamed I was taken in by 'hope and change' Obomber.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020
Hmmmmm, do
you think his book will do that well?
dfarrah
$65 million advance? Amazing, isn’t it?
How many copies of the book would have to be sold for the publisher to earn back that kind of money? Maybe they think the film rights are worth that much because the book will be turned into a Harry Potter sized blockbuster movie? Nah — it’s a big fat “thank you for not prosecuting anyone or breaking up media monopolies” payoff.
yes, I don't
think book sales would completely explain the advance.
dfarrah
I miss you here, Phoebe.
Thanks for the alert to Bob's diary. I left the dkaos site over a year ago and have only been back to read Subir's piece last week. I'll probably read Bob's today, but not log-in or comment.
Cheers!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Thanks Raggedy Ann
I haven't been around much over the last couple of months for a few reasons. First was simply fatigue with politics in general and to see how things were shaking out in general in our new bizarro Trump world. I think stepping away occasionally is always a good thing.
Then over the last month, I have been physically moving, something I haven't done in decades. I was occupied with tossing and sorting and cleaning and packing which was pretty damn exhausting, so I was only reading news and blogs at night with no energy left to participate.
But change is good, all went well and I'm ready to get back into whatever fray we find ourselves.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
Pearls before swine. They have inoculated themselves
against reality and facts.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Why does Bob Swern
even bother with that cesspool. I logged in and recced the few people who do not have their heads firmly implanted in the Demoratic party's asshole. They are all freaking delusional including Bob. The Demorat's are a zombie party. They will stagger on and continue to be the lesser evil choice as it's a rigged electoral system. I know no one, including many Democrat's, in real life who are this delusional or pig ignorant.
Even in my solid blue state on a city, state, level people are pissed off at the Demorat's they are forced to vote for or else. When your so called Dem.candidates who are in reality Republicans who are run as 'progressives' get elected they implement the same damn thing with a 'socially liberal' gloss. I'm such a 'purist' that I intensely dislike the ex Republican Elisabeth Warren and Bernie's not anything but a freaking sheep dog for the Democratic establishment.
The Democratic pols who run my city are wrecking/demolishing the city for investor's,developers, and realtors. Gentrification is sold as progressive. Those of us residents who are pissed off at the wholesale demolition and can't afford the exorbitant rent are now being told that we are racist and white privileged. A pretty pathetic scold when a 2 bedroom apartment in one of the developers hideous monstrosities costs 4,700$ a month and looks like a jail cell. Parking is 100$ more a month. Nestle is getting our water, no farmers can sue Monsanto, the pig cops are rampaging at will. The city has closed the city supervisors meetings to the public because angry citizens are slowing down the Demorat's neoliberal agenda and the beat goes on.
But hey Putin! lol. So who gives a rats ass about the dead as a door nail Democratic party? Let it die and get off the stage. You cannot resuscitate the Democratic bag o rats. What's so hard to grasp about a duopoly? Jingoism abounds and the bloody corporate empire wars just keep coming. Forget about it. Jobs that pay enough to live on? The 'market' would suffer. There is no left, left so stop your sobbing and get in line you purist's.
Why are we here following suite and bothering to endlessly rehash and wallow in this pointless partisan kabuki show?
Because it's the only pointless partisan kabuki show we have?
I agree with you that it would be great if it weren't pointless, and it's our job to make it less so. But ridicule is a powerful weapon. So is sunlight.
I could be wrong, but it's my impression that Daily Kos has been delegated or designated as a semi-official Democratic Party mouthpiece rather than just the vanity blog of its namesake and home of various independent mostly Democratic bloggers of various stripes as it used to be. I say that because no one could write such venal, logic excluding crap as Kos has been doing this last year without some sort of directive or reward, at least I would hope not.
Plus, I have noticed Daily Kos popping up as a source in Google News in more prominent positions, something that rarely happened before, so IMO it has attained some sort of elevated news status. How, why or when this happened I cannot say.
But, while I hesitated to write or comment about Daily Kos before because I saw it as simply the furthering of internecine blog feuds, now I see it as a possible duty if Kos has entered officialdom, the same way I would occasionally write about other dumb-as-rocks columnists in prominent positions like Kevin Drum in Mother Jones or some of the Vox sycophants or Salon pencil pushers
So I applaud Bob for directing his criticism directly at the source. Nothing could ever tempt me to write there again myself because of the hostility and the roving swat teams and rampant incivility if you don't buy into the Party line.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
I too have seen kos and his blog cited as a source of news.
As long as it is perceived as "the largest progressive blog", somebody has to take it down. It is like the Party it is a mouth-piece and puppet for. I am surprised, however, that they let Bob Stay. All I can think is that he creates attention to them and brings in new dupes.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
I think Kos loves the pie fights
He occasionally complains about it, but he doesn't do anything to stop it; in fact he intentionally stirs the pot, paints targets on people, behaves like an immature asshole, and hires and promotes writers who are flamethrowers -- all part of keeping the site active and riled up. Pie fights drive traffic and make the place seem relevant. The gangs must have targets to attack in the comments and dueling diaries on the wreck list, or they would grow restless and wander elsewhere due to boredom in the echo chamber.
It's all so predictable now. I spent eight years there and I did learn a lot during that time (like how democrats are not what they pretend to be but phony as hell, unrepentant liars). I went in as a wide-eyed believer in Obama's hope n change, and left eight years later with my eyes open in a whole new way.
When they started attacking single payer and other progressive policies, and then the Edict -- bow down before the Clintons or leave -- the final layer of the mirage was lifted for good. Kos and his cohorts in the dem party taught me to never believe or trust a democrat again. And that there's no place for me in the dem party, and no earthly reason to vote for democrats. Congrats on the party-building!
If the Dems are actually paying kos to help them, they and he are doing it wrong. What else is new.
It may be the
only show we have but it's wearing thin as a huge amount of people aren't buying it. It has reached insane proportions for most people to believe in thios madness. Just because Markos is in with the in crowd doesn't mean people should feed the insanity. Who believes the political talking heads anyway. 23% of the voting population are Demorat's and that number is dropping daily.
As I understand it this is not a partisan blog and some of us do not give a rats ass about internecine blogs or the dead Dem. party's squabbles and the pols of mass deception. Why feed the madness? Why prolong the duopolies 'inevitable' break down that is needed.
I just can't see the point and could careless about the really brainwashed denizens who inhabit dkos or any of the Demoratic blogs, propagandist TV shows or fake progressive movements brought to us by the people who aim to rebuild what should be gone daddy gone, globally. Stop consenting to this reality is sometimes the first step needed in real resistance. How about we expand our horizons and work for solutions outside the gates of Eden.
I don't particularly respect or listen to people like Bob Swern who keep knocking their heads against paper tigers like kos. How in the hell is 23% registered Dems. worth getting all tweaked about. These are not even the rank and file Dems. left, they are the asshole brigade who are just lost. I like your writing always have but please don't tell me that this is the only game available. Nothing is static especially in politics or history. So no it's not a kabuki show we should feed and accept. Stretch your imagination and maybe think outside the lines the Dem. assholes have drawn.
Hey I am clueless as to what will happen but I sure like rejecting this non-reality as it sucks. It has has no outcome that is acceptable on any level. All roads do not lead to Rome or DC, Me I'm on the Vandals side as chaos is preferable to this global insanity. So there you go Phoebe a lowly cc99%er's take on rehashing the same shit I've spent 12 years wallowing in. This loop of better or worse evils for nothing. I place my faith in people globally who can and will take these fuckers down including Bernie. Enough is Enough.
I'm always interested in communication, media manipulation
framing, memes, discourse, rhetoric, political debate, opinion and editorial writing, wherever and by whomever I find it. We live in a country dominated at the moment by two pathetic parties who do not speak to the needs and concerns of most of us. I'm not exactly sure what to take from your comment - do we stop talking about the existent situation because of the kabuki, Potemkinish nature of the structure that dominates us?
Does ignoring it make it go away? I wish it would. It reminds me of the old question about what if we had a war and no one showed up - what if we had an election and no one showed up, as an acknowledgement of what a charade it all it all is.
I am in complete agreement with you that the sole reason this is the only game in town is because we have all allowed it to be the only game in town. But I disagree with you in that I think writing about the hollowness of our predicament serves a useful purpose in making people more aware of how they are being used and manipulated and that they deserve better and should step up to the plate and demand better. I know that I personally benefited and was educated in many ways by writers like Bob Swern (and so many others) who made me think harder and dig deeper and put me on a path where the status quo wasn't sufficient.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
Exactly
Exactly
Okay, I did go there
and I did give Bob a comment and a rec. It was an epic diary and I am shocked at the extreme levels of denial over at that place. I makes me feel like I need a shower after visiting there, but Bob did deserve a rec. There is a delicious irony seeing Bob at the top of the rec list castigating Markos and dkos.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
I got basically one comment in.
The very first response is completely delusional and thinks that all that is needed is to focus on Trump. As if the diary didn't clearly point out right at the beginning that the majority of America thinks Democrats are out to touch, and among Democrats almost half think the party is out touch (Add in people like me who left the party, and that's certainly over 50%). I'm tempted to reply to that comment re: how much they completely missed the point, but not tempted enough to actually do it.
It's at over 1000 comments right now
I actually read about 500 or so and had not run across a single one which addressed the substance of the diary itself - the incredible stupidity, cupidity and cognitive dissonance of those writers (like Kos) who continue to flay Sanders or his wife Jane on artificial altars of Bernie Brodom in order to diss the man and his followers to no good end.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
@Phoebe Loosinhouse OMS?
OMS?
Good to see you, Phoebe. (I feel your pain re: the moving!)
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
The only good thing about moving is that it
forces you to get rid of the useless detritus cluttering up your life. I once heard a professional organizer on some TV show tell people to simply remove one bag of useless stuff every day and that you would be clutter free before you knew it. It seemed so simple - I vowed to do it. Of course I didn't. And then its a mad dash when it could have been a leisurely stroll. People! Clear out those junk drawers - today!
What is OMS? I couldn't find what it was an acronym for, it's not one I'm familiar with.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
@Phoebe Loosinhouse Opinion Management
Opinion Management Software. Also known as Perception Management Software. Colloquially referred to as sockpuppets, but I like to refer to it by its other names, because "sockpuppet" implies that one troll out there just decided one day to create multiple identities to sow more chaos. Which happens, of course, but it's not my main concern; what's really destructive is when companies create software that will generate up to twenty identities per every live human handler and sell that software to corporations, or to government agencies, to manage the opinions of people online.
Imagine, for a minute, what twenty identities trying to cause harm could do to a website.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Interesting, CSTMS
I have noticed more than ever before in multiple places similar non-sequitur comments that are designed to derail conversation, not further it and with a lot of ad hominen attacks thrown in for good measure. IMO websites should be diligent in weeding out comments like these, because after a while, it definitely stifles commenting. But then, that is most likely the whole point.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
This is the course that the Dem Leadership appears
to have chosen--to 'broaden the tent' a la Rahm Emanuel's magic formula for winning red states--recruit as many Blue Dogs and New Dems as you can find. MSM has been writing about this Dem strategy for weeks.
Bottom line, my problem with the endorsement of Mello has nothing to do with his stance on 'women's issues'--it's the fact that he's a 'Ben Nelson Democrat' that concerns me. What good will it do if he wins? (He's one of Nelson's former senior aides per Wikipedia.)
Also, Mello's claim to fame (what he's running on) is that he 'worked across the ailse' while he was a State Senator. (I posted both links, here, earlier this week.)
After the special Election in California's 34th, I'm wondering if a pattern is developing--endorsements from the progressive wing of the Dem Party will only be proffered to candidates in mostly red/rural states--when there are no Dem Party Establishment 'favorites' in the running. More on that race, later.
Nice essay, Phoebe--thanks!
Mollie
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."--Will Rogers
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
@Unabashed Liberal If I had any mundane
If I had any mundane political power, and I wanted to stay within the Democratic Party, I would absolutely work mainly in red (and a few purple) states, mostly ones with lower populations. Why? Because when you're at war, you probably don't go after the enemy's biggest, most strongly defended fortress first--unless you have a weapon far more powerful than theirs (like using gunpowder against swords, spears, bows, and catapults), or unless you have a hell of a plan (like building a Trojan horse and getting inside).
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Unabashed Liberal But your point about
But your point about Mello stands nonetheless. Ben Nelson? Fuck that.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Phoebe, thanks for the heads-up and good essay...
rec'd and tipped on TOP.
Wish Bob Swern would post that here. I can't stomach the
thought of going there ever again.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020
bobswern is the blogger who taught me
why crap like NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP, TTIP, etc. are bad economic and environmental nightmares. I already wandered over to TOP and checked out his piece. Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
Me too.
Not just Bob, but others as well
MMT (Modern Monetary Theory), Austerity, Trade courts, environmental issues (some of which I wish I could erase from my memory banks, they are so damn scary) current event autopsies like Deepwater Horizon in real time, etc. At one time I thought I was drinking from a fire hose of knowledge. And the fire hose was manned entirely by the backpage proles; the front pagers and Kos himself added very little except for the most wonkish inside baseball. But then they and the blog itself became like the firemen in Farenheit 451 - trying to stamp out any inconvenient non rah rah Party info.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
Lotta good lines.
My favorite:
Of course the comments are a complete mess, but interestingly enough the overall tone of the pro-Kos faction, while still ignorantly smug, seems decidedly less self-confident than I remember in the past.
If social media were around in 1856, my guess is that the Whig party board would sound surprisingly similar - probably with a few references to 'Lincoln Lads' thrown in for good measure.
The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?
Hi, CStMS--good to see you! Hey, point taken--
I get the strategy that's being employed--I suppose I just don't agree with it.
(Full disclosure, I favor working outside of the Party--but, 'to each, his own.')
Admittedly, I've loudly applauded the downfall of every New Dem/Blue Dog that the Dem Party shed over the past elections cycle--Landrieu, Beggich, Pryor, etc., and have never regretted it. Partly, it's because I've lived under more than a few Conservadems, and from my experience, it's often worse than living in the district of a (moderate) Republican US Representative. IOW, Conservadems mostly go out of their way to "out Republican, the Republicans." But, more importantly, it's often easier to galvanize resistance to and/or defeat their (Republican lawmakers') toxic and/or misguided policies, since, for some reason, the Dem Party Base mostly refuses to push back against it's own corporatist/conservative lawmakers. Go figure.
Plus, you know me--ever the 'purist.'
Seriously, every time I see a (candidate) name that I don't recognize, like Heath Mello--I Google it. And, what I turn up, I'll continue to share. Certainly, I have no personal axe to grind with the Dude--I had never even heard his name until the recent brouhaha erupted. But, I couldn't support a 'Ben Nelson' Dem/Repub/Independent under any circumstances. Obviously, other more pragmatic types may be willing to support him, and throw gobs of money his way--and, that's kewl.
My 'guess' is that one reason for Bernie's endorsement was to give Mello's candidacy legitimacy, in hopes of helping him fund raise. I say this, because Bernie has been talking about the need to reform the DNC, and make it dependent on small donors (like his own campaign), since the week following the Dem's November shellacking.
(Wolf interviewed him on this topic, within days of the Dems' November shellacking. It should be easy to find at the CNN transcript web site.)
BTW, from articles I've read, the Dem Party Leadership/DNC isn't planning to just recruit run-of-the-mill Conservadems--they're going all out, trying to recruit former military folks to run in Red States. IMO, that says it all about their true intentions, agenda-wise.
Hey, have a good one!
[EDIT: Postscript: Not intended to indicate that I could vote for a Republican--regarding my statement about some conservadems 'out Republicaning, a Republican.' Often, me and my Family members vote third party, or cast a write-in vote. Anymore, none of us can handle casting LOTE votes. Again, that's an individual decision. I understand and respect that many folks would not agree with my POV.]
Mollie
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."--Will Rogers
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
@Unabashed Liberal I feel I'd better
I feel I'd better clarify:
I don't want to work within the Democratic party. Even my understanding that the Clintons have been trying to drive people like me out of the party for the past 30 years doesn't make me want to stay.
If I chose to work in red and purple low-population states (and I would) I wouldn't be running Ben Nelson Democrats there. I'd be running Bernie Sanders Democrats there. Sounds like Sanders is being disingenuous about who Mello is. I would, straight up, provide a left-wing economic populist alternative in those red and purple states, making the heart of my argument a combination of FDR and Bobby Kennedy.
With sufficient campaign chops, I'd win a lot of those races, too--except for the fraud machine.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Spot on, CStMS! Looks like I totally misconstrued
your main point--sorry! I do appreciate the clarification.
[Edit - corrected 'typo' in heading.]
Mollie
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."--Will Rogers
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
@Unabashed Liberal Yeah, what I meant
Yeah, what I meant was if I WERE going to work within the Democratic party, I'd work in rural and red states and I'd run Sanders-style lefties there.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Harsh you are ...
Heath Mello and Ben Nelson are the best we can do in Nebraska, have a heart !
Harsh? Honest maybe. But don't think that
comments such as these,
Certainly, I have no personal axe to grind with the Dude--I had never even heard his name until the recent brouhaha erupted. But, I couldn't support a 'Ben Nelson' Dem/Repub/Independent under any circumstances. Obviously, other more pragmatic types may be willing to support him, and throw gobs of money his way--and, that's kewl.
and,
Often, me and my Family members vote third party, or cast a write-in vote. Anymore, none of us can handle casting LOTE votes. Again, that's an individual decision. I understand and respect that many folks would not agree with my POV.
would normally be characterized as 'harsh.' At least, I hope not.
If it makes any difference, I left the Dem Party in 2004, after the MSM, working with the Dem Establishment, destroyed Governor Dean's candidacy, and have been registered as an Independent (called 'unaffiliated') ever since.
Further, in 2005, we watched as the corporatist Democratic Governor of TN, Phil Bredesen, threw 323,000 folks off the state Medicaid rolls.
So, I guess you could say that we've had our fill of DLC/Third Way/New Dem Democrats.
BTW, both Phil Bredesen and Ben Nelson were DLCers.
As stated in my original comment, I respect others' right to disagree with my POV. So, no offense intended.
Mollie
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."--Will Rogers
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Well I gave up on Nebraska
The funny thing about Nebraska is that some of the most "Left" people on the planet are here, but we are outnumbered by the "Right" people.
I could write volumes, but that would be self indulgent and never get me anywhere but down in the dumps. Nebraska as a whole is just a cliché
@PriceRip But I don't believe that
But I don't believe that! If WV can go for Bernie Sanders, why can't NE? Especially with all the fucking fracking and pipelines wrecking y'all's water! How are you going to farm or ranch without clean water? And don't even get me started about the private property rights part of it. I mean, in reality, none of us has rights anymore, but as long as people (in power) are claiming that the Bill of Rights and Constitution are a thing, they should be restrained by the force of those documents, and of the law generally--and I bet Nebraskans would agree with that.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal I'm not afraid of
I'm not afraid of conservatives. If I speak honestly to them, with a good heart, some of them will extend me the same courtesy, and some will even join me.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I believe Nebraska's can become progressive
to the same degree I believe Trump can become progressive and for the same reasons.
I am actually a rather amicable sort of person (on line not so much) and like to meet people. I have had many very polite conversations, but I would not describe Nebraskan Republicans as friendly or particularly willing to care about the systemic bias that drives these issues.
I think the only reasonable conclusion is that I am not capable of communicating with these people, and it is time for me to go back to where I belong.
@PriceRip Well, I bow to your
Well, I bow to your superior knowledge. Local knowledge is always better. There may be something about NE that makes it so. But I think Sanders made it obvious that "Whoa, these states are too conservative, the best you can do is a ConservaDem" is not a general truth.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@PriceRip And I think you're
And I think you're perfectly amicable online.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver