Gore's "Public Forum"

I want to write a little about Al Gore's book, Assault on Reason, after reading the first few chapters. I want to get a few observations "out there" quickly for people to react to.

Gore seems to use the phrase "the public forum" dozens of times. He seems to have in mind  primarily the meaning given to this phrase by Jurgen Habermas (e.g., p.26). I see the evolution of this extending from the "town square" (remember the "town crier"? No, I'm not THAT old, but I did read about it) to. . .  the Internet!

Gore also writes about the "market-place of ideas", which he links to the "public forum" concept (p. 13). He describes the marketplace of ideas as having 3 components:

1. Open to every individual, with no barriers to entry except the requirement of literacy. "Open" also applies to providing ideas, as well as receiving them.

2. The fate of ideas is determined by a "meritocracy of ideas", implicitly referring to the metaphor of cream rising to the top (a metaphor unfamiliar to anyone who knows only homogenized milk).

3. An unspoken duty to search for general agreement.

Gore focuses on Television, but I want to focus on the Internet in general, and DailyKos in particular. How do we stack up?

First, #1 depends on "net neutrality," which ought to be part of the First Amendment. If you didn't appreciate the importance of net neutrality before, you ought to see it when placed in this context.

Blogs like DailyKos and MyDD are open, in that commenters can set up their own blogspots, if they register, and their diaries receive notice where everyone can see it in a sidebar on the main page after they are written, until enough new diaries have been written to shove your diary off the list. And if lots of commenters like your diary, it can receive further hype as a "recommended" diary. This greatly aids the process of the cream rising to the surface.

Second, I think the concept of "meritocracy of ideas" (Gore's #2) needs more work. Ideas are not autonomous atoms or molecules, obeying blind laws of chemistry like the fat molecules in cream. Whether or not the best ideas rise to the top depends a lot on what the marketplace of ideas looks like-- who owns it, who makes the rules, and who can participate.

In the best marketplaces of ideas, diversity is recognized, and valued. We regularly pillory the wingnuts for being so dependent on scripted GOP talking points, and there is some merit to that. However, we pay no attention to the best right-wing commentaries. We deprive ourselves of engaging their best thoughts. Remember "Fair and balanced"?

For example, in the early days of George Will at the WaPo, I thought he was witty, and thought provoking. Well, either he has changed into an old curmudgeon, or I have changed. I think DailyKos would do well to begin a new feature: Best Right-wing Blog of the Week. I do NOT mean "snark target of the week." Salon offers a feature called "The Blog Report: Your guide to the political blogosphere – left, right and everywhere." This puts them in the forefront on monitoring blog diversity. The "Midday Open Thread" by mcjoan, and "Open Thread and Diary Rescue" by SusanG  offer a few nods in this direction, but seldom includes any salute to a well-reasoned right-wing diary (or am I wrong about this? And please no snark about there not being any such thing as a well-reasoned right-wing diary.)

Gore's #1 & #2 are critical for #3. Without encompassing diversity, there is no assurance that much cream will rise to the top. This, I think, is where we can be challenged. Do we really offer a "fair and balanced" perspective? Do we even search for "general agreement," except among ourselves? Where will the cream rise to the surface? The Salon Blog Report offers some hope for this. DailyKos offers the "Diary Rescue" feature, which could be used more intentionally for this purpose.

I think Gore makes many valuable points, and offers much meat for us to chew on in contemplating the future of DailyKos and other progressive blogs, and how to make them an even better voice for progressive values.

What do you think?

(PS-- this is a revised version of a comment posted at FireDogLake

Bob in HI WI AZ
On vacation on the Mainland

•  Nice diary, but.....

  here is the only place it goes astray:

  a well-reasoned right-wing diary

  Isn't that a bit like "jumbo shrimp"?

  by Scout Finch on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 04:43:46 PM PDT

  •  or...

    Military intelligence?

    "The political system, including elections, is carefully managed to prevent the threat of democracy."  ~Noam Chomsky

    -5.25, -4.87

    by cotasm on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 04:51:49 PM PDT

  •  Ya know all Republicans or Conservatives don't

    buy into the worst of the right wing crapola. In fact some Republicans have had some remarkable ideas, Teddy R and the National Park System, Eisenhower and the interstate hiway system, Lincoln and freeing the slaves and Barry Goldwater and GAys serving openly in the military. To deny any American voice to be heard is just plain unAmerican, to believe good ideas only come from one place is not going to fix what is wrong with this country.
    Of all the things we are, we are Americans FIRST. Our strength has always been in our diversity as a species and as a nation. Gore wants every American who wants will be able to participate, they will be welcomed and with their voice, their ideas and concerns, their solutions too. It is democracy in its simplest most powerful form.

    by ghengismom on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 06:27:07 PM PDT

    •  Every American is welcome to voice their opinion.

      I don't deny that for anyone.  The question is whether we should give them a voice at this particular website.  And I say no.  This is a Democratic website dedicated to electing Democrats.  It's not a warm, fuzzy, let's all get together and get equal time.  This ain't a so-called "fair and balanced" site where people who are blatantly wrong get equal time.

      There are plenty of websites out there where Republican opinions are voiced.  I see no need to let them borrow our microphone.

      And do you notice that the Republicans you name are nearly 50 years ago or more?  I can't really think of any truly Republican ideas of the last 25 years that I am on board with.

      by Scout Finch on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 06:56:04 PM PDT

      •  I am not talking about KOS specifically

        but truthfully a free exchange of ideas and trying to find a common ground is not what it is about here. So in that way we are part of the problem, not the solution. Gore is talking about bringing down those barriers, ratcheting down the partisanship.  There is no synergy if everyone sticks to their own websites, their own little box. It makes fixing this country infinitely more difficult. There will come a time when Gore has his way and I would hope everyone on KOS would be eager to participate. We must start to depolarize this country if we are to survive.

        by ghengismom on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 07:13:31 PM PDT

        •  No, you were talking about dKos specifically.

          Do we really offer a "fair and balanced" perspective? Do we even search for "general agreement," except among ourselves? Where will the cream rise to the surface? The Salon Blog Report offers some hope for this. DailyKos offers the "Diary Rescue" feature, which could be used more intentionally for this purpose.

          We don't just stick to dKos.  It's simply the best one for Democratic issues.

          by Scout Finch on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 07:20:28 PM PDT

          •  Fair enough, I see conservatives treated

            badly on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes with cause and many times with none. Electing Democrats isn't going to save this country or the world in the long run, the problems we face are much bigger and will take the cooperation and ideas of all Americans wishing to participate. We need COMPETENT elected officials who take their oath seriously. BTW, treating independents and fed up Republicans decently WILL elect more Democrats. Understand too, I grew up in a time when Republicans weren't the enemy, they weren't trying to destroy this country. I grew up in a Red state that elected George McGovern and reelected him. At a time when the term liberal and conservative didn't polarize the political process like it does today, a time when partisanship wasn't more important than taking care of the country.

            by ghengismom on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 08:03:19 PM PDT

  •  Stereotyping

    This is just a stereotype, and won't help to develop the Public Forum. Have you actually read much of the right-wing blogs, other than those that have been held up for ridicule?

    Bob

    by BobSchacht on Fri Jul 20, 2007 at 04:53:29 PM PDT

•  You should finish the book

  The hope that the internet holds out to democracy is where he ends up.

  by mswaine on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 04:55:36 PM PDT

  •  Finishing the book

    Thanks-- I plan to finish the book. But I wanted to try to do something that Gore was not trying to do: that is, see how DailyKos measures up to some of his ideals. The Internet is not going to do much to save Democracy unless we embrace some of those principles that Al Gore writes about.

    Bob

    by BobSchacht on Fri Jul 20, 2007 at 04:56:31 PM PDT

•  Sorry. This isn't cream.

  by ormondotvos on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 05:10:37 PM PDT

•  We're not perfect

  1. I think DKos has a way to go before becoming more open to ideas. Obviously, mouth-breathing morons and smear chuckers are not accepted here and should not be. However, things do not improve as one goes further to the left. Anyone who describes themself as a conservative (pre or post Reagan) or a Republican is going to be met with, shall we say, extreme caution regardless the quality of their writing. The same goes for the DLC and Blue Dogs, who have been excoriated repeatedly (with and without cause) and might just skip the site after seeing too many recommended diaries condemning them in the title. Into the public Democratic mainstream, the site has an oft-noted lack of all the Clinton supporters that make up the plurality of the party when considering the 2008 nominees. There even seem to be more Clinton haters than Clinton supporters.

  Instead of openness to ideas, the site seems to be stuck in a Progressive orthodoxy even though the Progressives only make up a fraction of the Democratic Party. There is also a strong mob effect; someone pointing out that a highly recommended diary based on false information or unsupportable conclusions is not actually true is liable to get called a troll unless they are one of the upper class of well-known posters.

  2. Besides the mob effect and the orthodoxy, I'd be rich if I had a nickel for every time I've seen a "me too" or "great post" get a higher number of recommends than a serious and well written response to the topic. So much for the meritocracy of ideas.

  I am the so far singular vote for #3 because I think there is an unspoken collective goal to seek agreement here. It often expresses itself in a mob effect and orthodoxy =)

  As for the idea of a Right-Wing Blog of the Week, I disagree with the notion that there are that many right-wingers worth recommending. On the other hand, there are decent conservative and Republican blogs: The Commissar, Dean Esmay, and several of the Raging Rinos for example tend to express independent thought.

  by Cecrops Tangaroa on Thu Jul 19, 2007 at 09:56:23 PM PDT

  •  We're not perfect

    Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Yours is the kind of response I was hoping to get. And thanks for your recommended "decent conservative and Republican blogs." I appreciate those suggestions.

    Bob

    by BobSchacht on Fri Jul 20, 2007 at 05:01:51 PM PDT