The GOS is not back
Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 05/09/2017 - 11:36am
Yeh, yeh. Who gives an f, right?
However, last month the Democratic mouthpiece Huffington Post proclaimed Daily Kos Is Back.
So for the purposes of historical accuracy, I decided to discover the truth.
Plus, Markos' declaration of "go the fuck away, or I will make you go away" yesterday inspired me.
You've probably seen this chart already.
But you probably haven't seen this one.
However, the most important chart is this one.
You can see TOP is down from 2012, and waayyy down from 2008.
So is "DKOS back"?
No. Without a doubt, no.
However, if Markos truly wants people to "go the fuck away", it's working.
Keep up the good work Markos.
Comments
The GOS peasants are restless
Looks like more people are about to get bojo'd.
From the rec'd list:
Dear Kos, I'm not leaving.
and
Markos, Unity is Not a Dishonest Attack on Left Democrats.
Let him Bojo them
The interwebs, the Democratic party, and left-wing politics in general will do just fine with or without the GOS. They just aren't that important.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Agree. Why progressives
even bother with that site is bewildering. It is clear kos wants no Leftys on his site. renska had great responses to the Hillary v. Bernie pie fight there in TomP's diary, "Markos, Unity is Not a Dishonest Attack on Left Democrats."
one of them...
"
nutherhumanbeing > renska
May 08 · 09:40:22 PM
I also think it is a bit unfair for people to simply say that Sanders came along to “challenge” Clinton. That isn’t why he ran. He had every right to want to be president. The challenge came inevitably due to the differences in their views.
...
renska > nutherhumanbeing
May 08 · 10:13:14 PM
I don’t disagree, but it’s how some people see it, to a greater or lesser degree.
I did an interesting work workshop on bias (so, it didn’t deal with wider US culture just work culture) but there were a couple of interesting points made about your worldview being dependent on your experience and the (valued) lessons you’ve learned. They shape your responses, particularly if those lessons are learned in times of stress (when you are emotional).
At this point people are on a hair trigger and their “fast” brains (amygdyla) are informing people’s reactions (rather than engaging their frontal neocortexes for evaluation purposes).
I do believe that there is something to
* seeing politics as a team sport
* feeling personally disrespected when people disagree and devalue what you respect and admire (even when it’s not personal)
* needing a trusted messenger to deliver information you may not like (whereas, if you hear it from someone you don’t like/respect, confirmation bias will lead to it cementing your existing opinions)
All of this means that Clinton and Sanders folks will continue to talk past each other. It’s frustrating and unhelpful, but it’s also the human condition."
and...
"
renska > kaliope
May 09 · 01:24:11 PM
I could be entirely wrong, but I don’t think Sanders is going to run for president again. Right now, I think he sees himself as having value in being able to say things that the Dem establishment can’t or won’t. This is valuable for several reasons; there may be more than I’ve thought of.
It injects a counter-narrative into the mainstream
This is hugely valuable when you consider the stranglehold the the Rs have had on messaging. Dems have ineptly messaged around and against it for decades. We have tried to adopt their messaging and triangulate, and the party has moved right as a result.
It opens up space for more progressive Dems to play
In other words, by Sanders staking out the “far” left positions, Dems can move left without venturing into this “extreme” territory
It potentially keeps leftists who are disaffected with Dems within the Dem coalition
This is iffier. Based on what I’m seeing on Twitter, the Dem Socialists are growing. They are natural allies and are largely people pissed off with the Dem party. Highlighting where we agree, and doing this unity tour with Perez, can help bridge the current gap. If Sanders joined the party, I think he’d undermine his credibility (at the very least) with this group.
IMO, Sanders is spending his political capital on issues he believes in and has advocated for decades. These are positions that establishment Dems wouldn’t have touched with a 10-foot pole prior to this electoral cycle and they’re becoming more mainstream (single-payer, fight for $15).
Not saying he deserves sole credit, but still..."
-- end quote --
Pretty much my take on Bernie. He's just doing (and spending what political capital he may still have) what, at 74, 75, he thinks moves the overton window Leftward. Pretty much as simple as that. That some feel betrayed... well, he hasn't got the time or the fucks to give, he's busy attempting to move that damn window back where it belongs.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
Unrelated Caitlin Johnstone article
link
Well, it turns out Kos was right about one thing
It is a big internet! I'm so happy I got away from that place and expanded my horizons- thanks to this site. You all have turned me on to so many new people to read and listen to.
I love Caitlin Johnstone, she is absolutely wonderful. I read everything she writes now, as well as listening to her interviews when I find them. I also love Jimmy Dore's show, he gets almost everything right, and I relate to his anger. I also still come home, here to c99%, every day.
I made the mistake this morning of clicking on a link someone posted here to kos' recent diatribe -- I thought it was just going to a specific comment there, but instead I found myself looking at kos' "story" and reading... the same old thing, yawn... kos is mad at us. Sniff.
Then I got down to scrolling through the pie fight/comments section. Oy. Saw more the same old shit, from the same old people... there was some effort to push back, but no discussion or listening, just hidden comments and threads justifying flagging people for saying things that didn't conform to the party line. I saw a lot of hate, and lots of lies, smears of "Bernie and his Bros" -- and zero listening or useful discussion.
I was about halfway through the comments when I suddenly snapped out of it. Why was I wasting my time on this? Just to affirm once again, I suppose, that there is nothing for me there anymore. The relationship lasted eight years, but it's over. They don't even make me mad anymore. I'm at that point where you wonder, what did I ever see in them? Heh. It's so over.
I highly recommend moving on. I realized kos is simply trolling for traffic, stirring up fights on purpose, and now we can see why. Things are slow, and they need the excitement of these hate-fests and pie fights. There's so many better ways to spend time. Like watching paint dry. Or reading insightful, intelligent people like Caitlin Johnstone, and listening to Jimmy Dore rip into the truth.
Miss you
Hi CS! I love Caitlin too... and am so glad to have found her on the internet. She'd survive all of 5 seconds on DKOS. I am currently on a time out until August. Have no idea what precipitated it at all (however, Wee Mama is now part of Admin welcoming new people- don't cha love it!). I actually think it was Kos himself because of the language of the message- "Enough of your trolling, divisiveness, personal insults and accumulated violations of DBAD. We're giving the site a break from you. Three month time-out." I hadn't had any flags, so I have no idea where this came from. I put out a question about it on the help desk and no one has touched it. I kind of pride myself on being so important over there that the site needs a break from me! ;>) I think they are on meltdown there. The best diary response to Kos was Bob Johnson's. He essentially copied and pasted Kos's own words from his book to illustrate what a hypocrite he is.
I'm surprised Bob is still there. I will be back in August and will continue to hold their feet to the fire when I see the lies and hypocrisies. It's just too much fun. They've lost most the good people anyway. I come here and to the two reddit sites just about every day for balance.
Take care and enjoy your summer- FT
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
Hi FT!
It's good to see you here! That is an honor, indeed, to get a time out because they need a break from you. Haha. Telling them facts they don't like and things they don't want to hear -- how could you?
I do stop in over there occasionally to see your comments, and I still admire your tenacity. With WM on admin however, well... good luck! That's all I'm gonna say.
Kos won't ban Bob Johnson. Bob is a key part of the show. Dueling diaries on the wreck list and days-long fights between factions -- this is the life blood of dKos. Kos needs Bob to play his part. Gotta get those traffic numbers up. Pie fight!
Kos agitation...
Why bother? Because I and others who hang in to post want those on that site to know that we are watching and will "resist" the pictures they are trying to paint about Bernie or the "alt-left" or Hillary or whatever nonsense they are trying to promote.
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
@Fishtroller 02 This was
This was supposed to post under the "why Bother?" question. Anyway, I went through my message files the other day (before the time out) and realized that just about everyone I used to have private conversations with has left the site... you, Sea Turtle, annominous, gsenski.... lots. One thing... there aren't as many religious diaries these days, so we got somewhere with that.
Take care CS!
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
Why bother?
Like the Dem primaries, the game is rigged on GOS. You can't win with the truth.
It's just entertainment value at this point
I have no illusions that the GOS will play any significant role in progressive change, it's a tool of the Corporatists, and always will be.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Why bother?
Why bother? Because I and others who hang in to post want those on that site to know that we are watching and will "resist" the pictures they are trying to paint about Bernie or the "alt-left" or Hillary or whatever nonsense they are trying to promote.
up
"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin
I've been waiting for this,
but it seems like McResistace is doubling down on "you're either with us, or against us." I fully expect more to come, all the while still mainting that we are the unreasonable purists.
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
What about international traffic?
I wish I could remember where I read it but I read something about a spike in hits from foreign countries... countries known for astroturf farms. I'd have to dig into that further but if that's right then the traffic showing is, to some degree, artificial.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Correcting The Ranking?
n/t
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
They'll be back in a minute
Here's a tune while we wait ...
Pencils down, let's see action.
President Kamala Harris? She’s making the first moves (movement sounds)
LOL! Al Gore and John Kerry? You go girl! lol whatever ~shrug~. It's becoming a morbid curiosity to watch, the DNC thingy. P.U. I don't feel a bit sorry for any millionaire at the moment, not a bit.
Peace
What is that you Americans say?
LOL? Ya, that's it, LOL. This makes me LOL. Kos says the "left" agrees on the issues, so why are we fighting? Someone tell him the left is not the democratic party and vice versa. The democratic party is the democratic party and democrats are democrats. The democrats are fighting amongst themselves. Leave the left out of it.
As for Daily Kos being back, it wouldn't surprise me if it had an upswing now with a republican president, congress and senate. It's tailor made for it and people are people, they will keep going back for more and we've seen many do already. The closer the next election gets and the older Bernie gets, things will settle down and they'll unite to defeat the evil republicans. Yay.
I found it very telling
that so many over there reference this site both in a good light and bad.
Have we touched a nerve?
And my absolute favorite was directed at one of our members:
Another exodus is coming.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Non-partisan
Certainly...They all suck...
" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "
Enlightening
It's amazing how well people can get along when your objective isn't to judge and censor heretics.
On the rec'd list now
This is the very first paragraph:
How laughably ironic that a guy calling for a "purge" of heretics is deriding them as "purists".
Did you read it?
It's a direct shot at kos. Seems to be a rash of those lately.
Where there's smoke there's a dumpster fire.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
My bad
I hadn't read it.
Very clever throwing Markos' words back at him.
Bob Johnson, of course
I love how Bob has taken kos's own words and thrown them back in his face. Awesome! I had to rec it and a few of the comments in it.
I wonder if kos will ban Bob Johnson now? Methinks not. For some reason Bob Johnson seems to be bullet proof.
Meanwhile, us crazies over here are doing just fine by having lively discussions and even disagreements without being disagreeable. It is amazing when a site has only one major rule (don't be an asshole), that most people will abide by it. The problem over there is that the biggest asshole is the owner.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
An oldtimer here with a longstanding wish for c99p.
We all got a laugh yesterday when some poor schmuck alleged we had irreparably harmed the Clinton candidacy and the Democratic Party. My, the power we wield in our keyboards!
That said, this attention you indicate we are getting from TOP shows we do have some presence. Let's make the most of that. Let's welcome any exodus with a site that is better.
I am particularly hoping we can move the discussion beyond 2016. Sure, there's still a bit of clean-up-in-aisle-five to do from that debacle, and the occasional update on the progress of that is all to the good. You can't build a good edifice on a littered foundation. But I am hoping that that retrospective side of things will be matched (at a minimum) with more focused attentions toward what we piddly humans can do to improve our chances of survival -- individually and communally -- in the years to come. And I think that a site (this site hopefully) that moves beyond the partisan politics to the crux of the matter, issues and solutions, would leave everyone wondering how a Little Orange Footballs could have stayed afloat this long. You'd get your satisfaction at dK's demise (their amp will go to 0.11!) and your replacement that is more effective, all in one go.
Maybe this isn't the spot to urge this, when we can laugh at the other site's flaws, but I don't know where the better place to put it is. We can be a force at c99p (and the attention we are getting shows others sense that, too). I'd hate to see us miss that.
C99P is a whole lot smaller than TOP
But a whole lot less dysfunctional than TOP.
Maybe, instead of trying to take on a big project, we could succeed at a small one.
For example, pick a single progressive candidate to help.
I'd suggest Stephen Jaffe's challenge to Nancy Pelosi, but that's local for me, so I'm biased.
What states do everyone live in?
Small project, yes.
Even an unabashedly lefty candidate in a tiny local race, especially if there are enough such candidates that a few wins can start building something for a future (if our current nation/Constitution holds).
But it does not have to be only in the current political arena. It could also be a local institution that we build, a co-op or housing or library or exchange, a focal point for community where community did not exist before (and I'd suggest Appalachia as one possibility). It could be a clearinghouse of information. It could be a communication network. It could be many things. But it must be community. That's what the present globalist order would disregard.
And I'm in eastern PA.
Amen. Such "small" projects
should be part of the "mission" here. Especially those where we can help flip seats, but also small community projects we might be able to help manifest.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
Also,
I give a lot of credit JtC, Joe, and dkmich who have put a lot of themselves into making this site run so well.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
All in favor, say Aye.
Dumping Pelosi is a damn fine idea. Too, there is a Berniecrat running in my district running to reclaim the seat from a carpetbagger Repub. But, that's mt self-interest showing. If we can knock off some of the bigger dogs that might be more helpful, but a seat is a seat.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
@gjohnsit I do like the
I do like the prospect of small projects and idea.
I also enjoy the idea of figuring out the long arc or goal. Al, good ol' Big Al often deals with those topics and I find myself agreeing with him. How to actualize that, I don't know.
Gaining results with more feasible, small-time projects is great; figuring out a potential trajectory (whether or not it can manifest I don't know) is also worthwhile in my view.
Speaking of starting at the top
…the Justice Democrats are making good progress and getting good ink.
I don't think all the calories spent on electing people has done much good. The Deep State is too powerful. Control over capitalism is the key to change, and it can't be challenged by the temporary workers we elect into office. Representatives are compromised by the process of getting elected. It's not futile but its time for a better strategy.
@Pluto's Republic Maybe I'm not
Maybe I'm not reading it right but...
You say they are making good progress but then your last paragraph goes on to say we need a better strategy?
@Strife Delivery I'm a little
I'm a little confused too.
"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
Ha! That wasn't very clear, was it?
I was impressed by the article about Justice Democrats. They are using the political strategies that worked for Bernie. Combined with the right message, they seem to be on a very timely track.
I then veered off on a rant, which I cut before I posted, leaving a contradictory message. Sorry about that, Strife.
My rant began with the fact that Democracy in the US hasn't worked as advertised for a very long time. There are now so many pointedly ignored topics in the public sphere that the 2016 election was largely issue-free. Society went from consensus to contentious. We have no national goals to speak of, and people get very little bang for their election bucks. Over the past 50 years, every election has left the people more disenfranchised and uncertain. The Union has always looked rogue to me.
So, it's heartening to see the Left coalescing and challenging the Establishment. Revolution can be embodied in an aggressive hot list of who we plan to eliminate from government — and why. When the people show resolve, they win. The establishment is frantically signaling that Populism = Hitler (or racism, anti-semetism, or sexism), but what Populism really signals is Socialism. And socialism is the sworn enemy of Neoliberals and Neocons, alike.
So, it sounds like a plan. The problem is that the Establishment gets its authority from the the world it bullies, not from the American people or their temporary representatives in DC. It switched into Empire mode a while back.
But there is a perfect storm brewing out there that could tip the odds and shift the power to the American Left, for the benefit of the People. Perhaps I see it that way because I want it to be so. I'm not the only one.
@Strife Delivery
I am not particularly in favor of donating money to politicians, especially not politicians from either of the two "major" parties.
But if people here want to donate to politicians, I imagine it would be pretty easy to do a blogathon, or even have a sort of latter-day "Dean bat"--
though I don't want to make more work for JtC and it just occurs to me a bat would do exactly that!
Also--there are folks here who feel as strongly as I do, or more so, about investing in politicians; if putting a Dean bat or something on the site would drive those people away, it would NOT be worth it.
Guess what I'm saying is that I feel comfortable sharing a webspace with people who want to raise money for Berniecrats, even though I don't want to raise money for them myself--but I'm not sure whether everybody feels that way. And I'd like to take the pulse of the site before we did anything as a site.
"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 Definitely, I
Definitely, I mean this is multi-faceted.
To start, I have never donated to a politician or campaign. Don't particularly have the funds and what not to do so. That said, some people really get into that kind of thing.
Another is what role do we wish to create here. Are we more activist, are we more...discussion based I would call it. What role do we wish to see ourselves as?
I mean, personally, I don't know if having a "C99 endorsed X candidate" kind of thing is the way to go, particularly sense this is more bottom-up than top-down.
At the end of the day, there are times I feel like Al writes haha
(that's a compliment btw Al). Something has to give, something has to happen. Something. In the end I feel that something WILL give. A revolution (peaceful or violent), a major war that engulfs the world, worldwide depression and economic meltdown. I don't know. Now I'm off into a rant-ramble.
A legitamate concern
A possible idea for this:
How about we actually take a poll of REGISTERED users on candidates and if we have a positive/negative/neutral view on them and then list the results of the community?
That way it isn't the site endorsing a candidate, it is more of a community view of the candidate in question
When I was a kid, Republicans used to red scare people, now it's the Democrats. I am getting too damn old for this crap!
I'll donate some to Jaffe when the time comes.
I think that's a worthy cause.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52CEKjqZWP8 width:500 height:300]
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
I'm with you!
Assuming Trump is still in power come 2018, questionable at this point, and Dems take control of congress, even more questionable at this point, and Nancy Pelosi were to once again become speaker...
You can be assured that her first line of business would be to take impeachment of Trump "off the table". We have to look forward, not back you know! It's time for Pelosi to go.
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”
George W. Bush
Local resilience as a small project?
The more self-sufficient and flexible local areas can be - given climate change, given peak oil, given peak almost-everything-else, given our mad warmongers - the better the chances that people, the environment, and some version of civilization and culture will survive.
Political action, too, but
let's have a backup plan as well. We need to build resilience, in any case.
Excellent suggestion, dym. Time to expand the thinking to grow.
Great comment.
You and I (and others) have talked some about this. We should probably move that discussion from the margins to a focal thrust of what we want to do here/are about going ahead.
In my view, there is such a huge void to be filled, for an activist/solution-based website of Left folks (really of the 99%, which includes the Right too), to become a hub for everyday working people of all creeds, colors, social identity to come to and interact with, who are fed up with having been thrown overboard by a dysfunctional system that only works for the top 10%. There are many principles we all share across the political spectrum, without putting the dividing Red/Blue, Right/Left, Dem/Rep labels up, that would bring people together, instead of remaining divided and conquered. Namely, to start with, Healthcare For All & Free college education, and Taxing the Rich/Stopping the wars to pay for it.
From there, we can get into all manner of how to navigate this economic downturn: with tips on how to conserve, share, create cooperative business opportunities, circumvent the debt-centered financial system, identify and avoid the consumer trap, etc.
Also, I think we create a nexus of all progressive websites/journalists/commentators, so that we're all on each other's radar and working together (i.e. all the folks on the Blog Roll, Lee Camp, Jimmy Dore, Tim Black, Humanist Report, Sane Progressive, The Real News, Black Agenda Report, Truthdig, Counterpunch, Jacobin, Greenwald, Hedges, Monbiot, Johnstone, Taibbi, etc).
With a little work this kind of integration could be a powerful, dynamic stepping stone to real power.
And folks, speaking of all this, can we please put into the works some kind of C99 Meetup? Maybe one for each coast. That will make all the difference.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
@Mark from Queens I'm here and up for
I'm here and up for it, as you know!
"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
@Mark from Queens by which I don't mean
by which I don't mean "Do all the work for me, Mark, and then I'll be happy to show up!"
"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
For sure, CStMS.
We should get a message thread going soon, to see what we can came all come up with re: C99 Gathering. Late Spring, early Summer.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
"Justice Democrats"
misses the mark on several points, one of which you mention: there are an awful lot of disaffected Republicans out there too. The only movement that has a prayer is a populist one that unites against the establishment. We will need all the numbers we can get, and labeling your group "Democrat" will alienate large numbers.
But the biggest way they miss the mark is that they actually think the system is still working the way it is supposed to.
I'm finished with donating to candidates. In fact, I want my money back. Is it too late to join the class action against the DNC?
The defining feature that separates us
from the GOS is free speech. We can say what we like here, without the threat of stepping on the wrong toes or the ban-hammer for not conforming to the party line. That's an enormous strength, and sooner or later, should translate into more traction.
The GOS is painting itself into an impossible and unsustainable corner.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
@Pricknick LMAO.
LMAO.
Please proceed, governor.
"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
GOS manufactures consent. Only 2 essays went over 1000+ recs
in the past few years there, as far as I know. And both those authors left that joke of a place, to come here. That being Dallasdoc and myself.
This isn't meant to stroke myself, but merely to point out that our (the C99) point of view in those essays, remains the prevailing bedrock principle of the middle class people who used to occupy the Democratic Party to fight for a better world for the 99%.
Fact is, of the folks who peopled that foul place over the years, the majority were of our values and principles. In the end, we're all run off so they can play in their little Neoliberal sandbox, cheering like jr high school kids do at their friends doing lame things. Remember the early 2015 polls? It was like 70% for Bernie over Hillary.
Fuck them. To reprise my valediction,
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
"manufacturing consent" is the perfect definition of what
Daily Kos appears to be about now in its new iteration as official Democratic Party mockingbird.
Before being so anointed, it functioned admirably as an educational meeting place where the plebes could inform themselves about things like why chained cpi was a stealth tax increase and benefits cut, ISDS (Investor/State Dispute System) in trade pacts and why they are bad, Austerity economics, Modern Monetary Theory, etc., all of which turned out to be very inconvenient truths for our neo-liberal 3rd Way Clintonian Democratic Party.
And so the fix is in to make it the website for Convenient Democratic Truths, like the current one which is so laughable on the face of it - that the struggle for economic and social justice cannot exist side by side and that Democrats will have to decide which one they value more because they can't have both.
It's clear to me that the mainstream Democrats have no desire or wish to enact any economic reforms that will level the playing field on behalf of the 99% and it is their core goal at the moment to label any economic justice warriors or anyone who has an economic plank in their platforms as racist/sexist/xenophobic/misogynists who don't give a shit about civil rights and social injustices. We ALL know that to be untrue and just about all Democrats and liberals can walk and chew gum at the same and be for both complementary agendas.
My question now is, are Democrats and liberals as stupid as the Democratic Party and Daily Kos think they are?*
Daily Kos is the premiere web marketplace of ideas for status quo Democrats who will be satisfied with with the pragmatic, incremental crumbs that are thrown to them on a regular basis by TPTB to keep them in line. Remember, Hillary Clinton herself scolded anyone who thought that single payer healthcare could EVER happen in the USA. And it won't, at least while that ilk of I Got Mine Democrat is in charge.
*No, they're not that stupid.
(Edit: chained cpi- "stealth tax increase and benefits cut" not stealth tax cut as original
" “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 "
The undercover purging strategy is laughably
transparent. They gang up on you a few times and flag comments that are not flagworthy by any honest interpretation of site rules, then after having built a paper trail they time you out citing your "pattern" of being divisive as the reason.
My last time out was for "derailing" the "Bill Maher Nails The Purists" diary. No hidden comments, no flags, just one admin who decided my response to that diary (not the diary) started a pie fight.
They had a perfect forum to bash the "purists" and blame the Trump presidency on Bernie until some divisive asshole (me) fucked it all up.
The admin who timed me out made sure to mention my "pattern" of being divisive in the time out message and threaten a longer time out if I keep it up. What a joke.
@Dopeman So why don't I just leave
So why don't I just leave? Well, I've asked myself that question many times and I have left for months at a time.
As silly as it may sound, part of the reason I find it hard to just walk away is the lifetime subscription someone anonymously gifted me. It was several years ago (they don't have lifetime subscriptions anymore) and I don't remember the cost now by I remember thinking it was a significant amount of money at the time ($200 I think?).
If I'd purchased the subscription myself I wouldn't think twice about it but the fact that someone else appreciated my presence (even though I've never been a prominent writer there, only made the rec list once) makes me feel like I have to hang around and politely push back against all the "BernieBro", "purist", "alt-left" smears as long as they let me.
I'll probably be bojo'd at some point and I'll be sad when it happens, but at least I'll feel like I honored that anonymous gift subscription more than if I were to just walk away.
This is the very reason I have not flamed out
I feel I should honor that gift by not abusing it.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Well, I bought my own.
I methodically went through my stuff and deleted 99% of everything from diaries to private emails. I do not want Kos having my stuff. I don't intend to commit suicide over there, but I dont go there unless directed by someone here. Even then, my presence is limited. I can't stand the place. It is the same old fight today that it was in December 2004 when I joined. Absolutely hate the place and most of the people. I don't understand why some of them stay there. I have a hell of a lot more respect for myself than to let those juveniles harass and censor me. Putting people into a corner....Kos must have daddy issues.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
The person who gifted you
may well have walked away from that site. If they appreciated your words, it seems unlikely they have stayed.
I tried to get Kos to give my lifetime sub to someone
else, didn't work
I wonder if they ever noticed that I left?
I always said that if I got fed up with the site, I wold slip quietly out the door and be long gone before anyone noticed.
I don't care enough to find out if they did.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
I've only made it to the front page twice
..... here on c99p. One, the most recent one (this month), I owe entirely to the creativity of Walter Crane.
The other one, my first essay here, is appropriate here. It was a very short essay. The money passage read as follows:
These words of mine apply yet again; for Pricknick is correct. Another exodus is coming.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
@thanatokephaloides Yeah I've been here a
Yeah I've been here a while and still don't know how people get on the front page ha.
JtC decides.
I decide what I move over to Facebook. I pretty much cross publish everything.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
@dkmich Oh is that it?
Oh is that it?
Here I was wondering in my head if there was an algorithm or some type of system.
OK gotcha.
The More You Know (trademark)
Not just Facebook, but dk
also manages the posts to our Twitter account.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Markos can't seem to stop doing this:
[video:https://youtu.be/XTGmTrQXrwg width:500 height:350]
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
I'm too old, tired, and smart to waste my energy on
Republicans, conservatives, Obama and Hillary bots, and the juveniles at dailykos.
One can only state the obvious a million times before one gets burnt out. If I say one more time that the Clintons and Obama are Wall Street owned war mongers that lied their way into office and deserve to be in jail, it will be on my tomb stone. It is a total waste. DailyKos is a total waste. I cannot believe how much time I spent in that rat hole accommodating those fools.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Think of it this way
it would only be a waste if you'd stayed there and never come here! Without it, I would not have found this wonderful place, so I can't consider it a waste, but in no way will I bother to ever go back there either. THAT would be an utter waste of time and energy, at least for me. But I do admire those who keep fighting the good fight there, the more we cull off of that mess the better.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
It wasn't always like that.
It wasn't always like that. Not so very long ago, it was a genuinely progressive place for meeting of minds.
The process of dumbing-down and conservatizing -- to which I have given the name Ichabod -- really began in full earnest in 2015. I named it "Ichabod" because the glory is gone from what was once one of the great lefty websites out there.
Therefore, I say: Don't bash yourself for the time you spent there, standing for what you believe in. It was most emphatically not a waste of time! And Markos selling his website to the Dark Side doesn't change that one iota.
Moreover, we now have you here, and that's what counts!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
@thanatokephaloides I'd say 2010/11,
I'd say 2010/11, because the downward slide started around Obamacare. Dear Jesus, that was horrible.
"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
And it never stopped.
And it never stopped. It still hasn't. And the local proprietor seems to be bound and determined to soak what little of value remains with gasoline and light it on fire.
The folks who have fled here -- and will soon do so -- recognize this arson when they see it.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
Yep. That's what got me bounced. That and
Probably the argument I got into with a couple of the biggest jackasses on that site was when they kept telling me I was a racist for criticizing the Transformational (ha) Prez.
That place is an intellectual wasteland.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
I followed Dean there in 2004.
It was a fun, progressive, action-oriented community until Clinton took the bloggers to lunch at his Harlem office. They all came back neutered. They admitted to going, described the food, and never went further. They all sold out.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Bloggers+go+to+lunch+at+Bill+Clintons+Ha...
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Kos wasn't at that 2006 lunch. McJoan was.
And the real right turn at the GOS occurred quite a bit later.
I noticed the turnaround after Markos attended another fete:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/daily-download-editor-blasts-white-house-...
That's when it seemed to me he got the talk about his future. Rachel shifted at the same moment. I remember I sensed at that time that the stage was being set for 2016. It was creepy, the turn.
@dance you monster Eew. I remember
Eew. I remember *that* meeting. I mean, I remember it happening (I wasn't there, obviously).
"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 meeting was about why he needed to extend the Bush tax
cuts and apparently he wanted the "progressive left" media to explain why he was going back on another of his promises and extending the tax cuts to the millionaires while people who weren't millionaires were still losing their homes while the banks continued to commit fraud.
Swell guy, that Barack, always shitting on the little guys.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/msnbc-hosts-spotted-visiting-obama-white-house/
Putin isn’t going to make you homeless or kill you or deny you health care.
Your government will allow it to happen though.
@dkmich Actually, that's a
Actually, that's a good point. But the censorship and roving gangs of bullies didn't start till later (at least that's my recollection).
"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 comments got to be a particular chore to slog through
I would constantly groan at the clichés someone would dutifully interject into every diary:
"You're giving (blank) a bad name!"
"There, I fixed that for you!"
"Got a link?" (Ammosexuals)
"This is why we lose..."
"This site is strictly about electing more and better Democrats." (Except when it's not, and "better" is a highly subjective term here.)
"Frist!"
These are the same people who think "But her emails!" is the height of cutting and witty discourse, without realizing that line barely functions above the level of "Do ya still take CASH?!?"
Comment I left on Bob Johnson's diary
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/5/9/1660388/-Agree-with-kos-Let-s-g...
Agree with kos. Let's get started. This a**hole needs to go!
"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott
That was one scathing comment, Steven. Bravo!
You nailed that hypocrite hard, right there.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
Excellent, StevenD!
Thank you for stating it so well.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
One large problem for some may be we have no definition
of the majority view here: Progessive, #demexit, Liberal, Leftist have all been coopted by lesser-thans. In my view. I am not positive that we need a definitive adjective, but lack makes it harder to Google us. For the dimwits still using that. Duck duck go is fine.
We are overall a mellow bunch of somewhat olders, doing our individual cases to recruit youngers. Or not. No monolithic views. Not necessary. To me, a comfortable learning spot. With good company. Thank you, all for that. Enough life education to be useful for willing recipients.
More plants and trees in the mail here. And a disobedient foot. And cold nights. I would be happy to trade cool for a little warmer, but I am not in charge.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
a search for caucus99 takes you to us
Short, clear, distinctive, and encompasses us all -- works for me.
This crap at TOP
Just reinforces my decision to support this site financially(as I suggest you all to do).
15 years at TOP and Kos got none of my money(ecept those ActBlue kickbacks I learned of later). Support projects and candidates? Yes! Count me in.
I want a Pony!
Hard to believe I tried to give disability a voice there.
Perhaps I should have stopped sooner when the professional class there decided to give me shit because I couldn't obtain a drivers' license.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.
DK's "professional class"
You are, of course, correct here.
The "make the able more able and fuck everybody else" anti-ethic puts DK in some nasty company: early 20th Century Fascism, the KKK, etc.
You'd think that "educated professionals" would know better. But obviously, they don't. They're ignoring this aspect of their history, guaranteeing that all of us will have to repeat it.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
@thanatokephaloides The same mentality
The same mentality that produces "Teach the best, forget the rest!" (delivered with a cheery smile that is completely sure it knows what, and who, is "best.")
"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'm a big fan kos' writings.
Not only do his screeds ooze a total lack of self-awareness, but every time he decides to launch one of his racist, sexist, vulgar, name calling diatribes he, his site, and the corrupt establishment Dems he shills for just lose more and more credibility.
Kos' just loooves telling everybody else to shut up, but he would do himself and his site a lot more good if he took his own advice. Thankfully, he's too full of himself to see the damage he does.
Not to mention he's sounding more and more unhinged with each new rant ('the strawberries...the strawberries...').
But hey, never interrupt you opponent when he's making a mistake, so...
Heckuva job Markos! Your party needs you! Keep up the good work!
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?
@Not Henry Kissinger Not that I like Barack
Not that I like Barack Obama, but...
Please proceed, governor.
"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
His contempt for the electorate pegs him perfectly
as part of the Democratic establishment.
I'm sure he's throwing all his weight behind Vox these days so he can leave the rabble of his old site behind forever.
I was a Contributor, an Editor, and an Admin at TOP
I did the usual routine, set up an account, read a lot, started making comments in various diaries and started thinking of publishing some diaries. I went through a process to become an Editor (to streamline the process), and I started publishing stuff without going through a gatekeeper. That was all well and good until one day I logged in to find that I was miraculously an Admin in a totally different group.
I am not sure about that last bit, because I was a bit shocked. I had been at TOP for a very short time, and thought it was bit strange to be given such power in a group for which I had very little experience. I asked a few pointed questions and was told that the other Admins liked the tone of my comments in their groups diaries during the past few weeks.
A few weeks later, when in a completely different segment of TOP, I was rather blunt with someone. The next time I logged on there was a brief message indicating that my "privileges" in that group had been summarily revoked. It took me a few minutes, then: Duh, when interacting with people in crises, I default to crises counselor active listening mode, doesn't everybody? I suppose they thought I was that sort of person all the time. I suspect one or more of these Admins were a bit unsettled by what they read or were told. I bet: Those Admins never hang out with first responders, crises interventionists, or health care providers.
He is such a charmer. It took him a few lines to
warm up before the fuck offing began in earnest but always there is his laughable pretence of actually wanting things to function in the DP.
Pages