I'm on a
private discussion board where almost the entire population is left of center. It's because the original members were refugees from a board, Netslaves, where the right wing troll was literally paying off the sysop (&^%$# you Splat).
We've periodically have discussions about expanding the membership. This involves folks of a similar bent.
I began to wonder why we aren't reaching out to folks of other persuasions on the board, and thought that my thinking applies to Kos
I have no objections to conservatives per se on a board or blog, there are two classes of people that I don't want on the board:
- Actual Trolls.
- Folks who redefine reality routinely (everyone does occasionally) to match their world view.
Most hard core conservatives who post to a board of a center-right or further left persuasion are trolls. They are more interested in tweaking people and scoring points than in discussions.
Most of the hard core conservatives remaining, are of the reality denying persuasion, particularly hard core Randroids.
(more below the fold)
So, despite the fact that he was intelligent, and communicated for a living, I would want, for example,
radio talk show host David Brudnoy in, even though he was an intelligent, erudite, and articulate man who hosted a radio call in show.
Of course, he's been dead for three months, which makes the discussion moot.
On the other hand, the still living Norm Orenstein works for the bloody Heritage Foundation, and I think that he would be a great add.
Unfortunately, people like Orenstein are literally less than one in a hundred.
Conservatives are simply no longer interested in reality.
FWIW, I have conservative friends, but since December 2000, I can't talk politics with them, I talk our other mutual interests.