I've been reading DKos for several years and just started contributing a couple of weeks ago - so I probably haven't earned a rant diary yet. But the "chicken little diary" pissed me off.
Yes some of us are spouting concerns that are little more than rubbing our worry beads. But if you contribute money and work for the campaign than you have a right to question the people at the top. Some of you act as if questioning the decisions of the Obama/Biden campaign is treasonous - listen to yourselves - you sound like the other guys. Maybe you think that if we say something negative we are going to destroy morale - if some of us say than many more are already thinking it.
One of the things that concerns me the most is hearing about how we just need the perfect ground game, and we'll win. Yes, everyone of us needs to work 24/7 for the next two months. But...
if the leadership at the top isn't playing hardball in/with the media we most likely will end up suicidal on November 5th. We need to control the air as will as the ground. It's not going to do any good to be working the ground when all you hear is: "well, I heard on MSNBC that...". People in America are very busy trying to hold their world together right now. When I contact someone and talk to them and ask for their vote for Obama that is worth a lot - but it can't counter the constant noise of the TV - which many households let run constantly.
I'm older than a lot of you - late 40's - and have worked on campaigns since Carter's reelection campaign. We haven't won many. We wouldn't have won '92 without Ross's helping out.
Also, what is implied is that we lost in '80, '84, '88, '00 and '04. because we didn't work hard enough out in the field. We worked hard. We lost partly because of media stories that were allowed to play out and candidates who were perceived as weak.
In this country when people see a guy get slapped and he turns the other cheek they don't think: "Wow, he's just like Jesus!". They think: "What a cowardly wimp." Jesus would have a hard time getting twelve disciples in this country.
We are the ground game - the Obama/Biden campaign is the media game. And if they aren't fighting and winning then we need to let them know that. Morale is a LARGE part of the ground game, and we need to tell the higher ups if we see evidence that things are not going well or, as importantly, things are not perceived to be going well.
And what I hear on the street is worrisome.
The thing I've admired most about the Daily Kos is the fact that it is willing to speak truth to power. Please continue that tradition.