Seems like a lot of folk have been wondering....WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON with all the fighting at Dkos.
well....after a Tsunami hits...
...there is always a bit of a mess!
Since the election we have had South vs. North, American vs UnAmerican, Impeach vs, Anti-Impeach, Obama vs, Sirota.
As well as the little noticed but critical flame wars between the book chat diaries and of course the ongoing low grade punctuation and spelling wars...... which are NOT a civil war, There is even a rumor that dms and jotter were seen beating each other over the head with rolled up graphs, but I think that the tabloids blew that one WAY out of proportion!
So here is what really is going on.
Identity
Positioning
we are defining our self and the issues we care about.
If we are fighting about something...that means it important.
If there are two sides then those sides represent factions.
Eventually those factions will build into rough alliances.
These alliances will be the players in defining existing policies and debating the merits of different strategies. Hopefully new policies and improvements on existing ones will come out of this discussion.
This is a lull. During lulls you figure out what direction to take. The direction we are deciding on can be expressed in one word.
Change.
How much and which way.
Daily Kos has been a great agent for change. I'll let others claim or dispute how much exactly, but Daily Kos and the Left Wing Blogosphere was at the very least a significant factor in the elections. An agent of change. And we won. In a wave. The Left Wing was given a mandate to change America, to rescue it from George Bush.
We won, and people aren't used to that! We have to learn a whole new skill set and decide who to be and how to act. Before the election, we were a lean mean fighting machine and all united and pointed in the same direction. we were a fist, aimed at Bushcos face. Now that we have won we are back to a collection of fingers. Not as strong. What we need to do now...what we ARE doing now, is determining how to become a fist again and where that fist should aim.
One example, before the election, anyone criticizing a Dem candidate was made Pariah...I myself cast people into the wilderness for this offense. Some people think that this rule should still apply. It shouldn't! Now IS the time to bring substantive arguments against fellow Dems, in a civil manner. As well as, and preferably, doing your best to present POSITIVE arguments FOR the candidates or issues you care about.
And, please, let us all remember We only won the ability to make change happen...The American People spoke for change...but we still have a slight problem!
George. A sane and responsible president would have listened to the People, But not George. George isn't stopping. George isn't listening to anybody. George is staying in Iraq. its so nice to have a delusional sociopath running my country!
Somehow I doubt that corruption stopped on November 8th either. We didn't get any of our rights back. Healthcare didn't get any better, Wiretapping hasn't stopped, neither has planning for the invasion of Iran, etc, etc, etc. But buhdy, you say, you are sounding just like Sean Hannity like always! The dems aren't even in power yet! Relax and lets see what happens! Well fuck that! This is the time to DETERMINE what happens. the time to tell our Representative Democracy what we want it to Represent....And to make sure it does!
We are agents of change remember? The cutting edge! We are the conscience of the Democrats, we are the Spine of the Democrats (c), and....we are the brain of the democrats too!
So.................What is the common thread between all these internecine battles?
Change.
How much and which way.
No I don't have any solutions in this diary, no magic words to make Kumbaya our national blog song...nor should it be right now. It is time for us to fight...well to argue and debate.....but lets do it civilly and let's make it about substance, not personality. Let's focus on what our job is, right now. determining our positions and directions.
If you wish to help determine the direction, form and content of Daily Kos, this is the time to speak up...and if necessary, yell!
This is the time to push, substantively and civilly YOUR issues. This the time to stand up and say what YOUR issue is.
So join the discussion! Ignore the loud and blustery voices, if they make you uncomfortable...publish your own diary discussing the issues that matter to you. Who knows, maybe some one...or a few someones, will come and read what you say and agree! Then you can start to from your own alliance around the issues you care about.
And then you can help choose the direction of Daily Kos. And Daily Kos can then change American politics. And then change our government. And then change the world!