I'm not one to normally rant or write rant diaries but here goes. I haven't liked a lot of what I have seen on Daily Kos lately. See I always preferred the descriptor Progressive as opposed to Liberal. That's because progressives comes both from the root word progress (moving forwards) yet also means "step by step" (progressively better, progression). But lately some people whom based on their writings I will call "documented drama kings" (yes there is a hidden meaning there it's a play on a website's name where several members have posted they intend to create a disruption here. I won't name them because I don't want to drive traffic there) have deluged this progressive sight with their negativity. It's not the first appearance of this anarchistic archetype nor will it be I'm afraid the last, but here they are again, starting flame wars.
These drama anarchist don't believe in the dream nor the goals of the modern progressive coalition they only believe in causing drama. I'm using the word "coalition" not movement because it reflects better whom and what we are. A coalition is a group that's held together because we agree on approximately 80% of what we needs to be accomplished. So when I see diaries that think it's OK to write anti-semetic diary titleS because Lieberman is Jewish (and we all know Rahm is the ever present Jewish puppet master), or during the primaries calling Hillary a CUNT, or disrespecting Obama calling him "bi-facial", I know these are NOT real progressives. Yup I'm going to call you out for being fake. Yes I'm calling YOU out.
YOUR ARGUMENT SOUNDS REASONABLE TO A MAN MADE FROM STRAW!
I'm calling you out because I know your "straw man routine" . I know it well. You play the victim and write things like "I'm not racist but..." always the but. Get into an argument with a black woman who is defending Obama and you assume they are only defending him because he is black. Or that because your conversation gets heated that they are calling you a racist not that they have an opinion as different and as strongly held as yours. So you create the straw man that they are calling you a racist and then fight that argument because it's easier. See the problem with "I'm not a racist" is that even the judge who won't marry inter-racial couples thinks he's not a racist. Racism is a scale, it's not an absolute, same goes with antisemitism, sexism etc. On one side of the scale is a saint, then you have the person who makes a few off color jokes but is deeply committed to unity, the person who inside has fears but works to over come them, the person who gets their heart broken and exclaims all "woman are _", the scale continues up until you get to the Klan and Hitler. You can say a racist/sexist thing and not being a total asshat. But that doesn't mean what you said wasn't wrong. You may not be a complete homophobe, but what you said was homophobic. I'm not a saint, I myself did say all "woman are _" in a rap song when I got my heart broken back in college. Was it sexist? Yes. Do I hate woman? No of course not, but it doesn't take away from what I said being wrong, any more than it takes away from what your doing is wrong. If your a true progressive stop it.
FALSE CHOICE?
I'm also calling you out because of your false choice arguments. This one really gets to me because one of my biggest beefs with George Bush was his "you either with me or against me" mentality, as if there are only two choices. Yup, you will argue that "people are either drones of Obama or think everything he does is wrong". Nope I refuse your false choices. See I think he is completely right in some areas, wrong in others, in the middle in some, haven't made up my mind on others, and don't care about some things. You can keep your two false choices, I live in the land of the free and can have as many as I like. But what I don't except are writers who think my motivation for what I defend of attack aren't as "worthy" as yours. Why assume my reasons my reasons for what I'm writing why not ask? Most bloggers love to write their opinions that's why they blog. Most of the time when people accuse people of doing things they aren't doing it's because they are projecting. If your a true progressive stop it.
IF THE FACT DON'T FIT, MAKE THEM UP!
Furthermore I'm calling you out because or your revisionist history. See you think the civil rights movement all happened fast. There was a few marches in Selma, a Supreme court case, King got shot, and Lyndon Johnson passed the civil rights act. Nope. Elanor Roosevelt was called a racial traitor for her anti-lynching crusade in the 30's, in the 40's Truman heart was broken upon hearing about black soldiers getting beaten returning from WWII changing his thinking on segregation, Jackie Robinson and Brown vs board of education in the 50's, then came Johnson in the 60's, fair housing in the 70's, the great backlash moving backwards in the late 70's and 80's (wealthfare queens, Willy Horton, prop 187), some growth in the 90's, then came Obama. Revisionist don't realize or acknowledge the decades of struggles, set backs, and deaths. You don't realize that progress isn't always (if ever) a straight line, it's two steps forwards, one step back. Free the slaves and have black Governors and Senators, then came Jim Crow. The great migration from the south leads to new jobs, then come race riots in the North. Civil rights then the Nixon/Reagan Southern Strategy, on and one. So when I saw Obama elected I expected a backlash, I would have been surprised if there wasn't one. In fact I predicted it here on Nov 3rd 2008 (What will FOX news look like for the next 4 years?). So when I see "other groups" wanting to "co-opt" the civil rights movement I wonder if they know their history. It was a long fight, do you have that type of patience. There were backlashes after every advance. Do you have the ability to pick yourself up after a defeat and keep marching. What if a fire hose, dogs, and rubber bullets hit you, all while being called a nigger? When King co-opt Gandhi he was ready, are you? Do you have that resolve or will you start with petty name calling because you suffered a defeat? If your a true progressive stop it.
YOUR GRASS IS GREENER!
I'm calling you out for the myth of the greener grass. The one that said that Bush got everything he wanted, so why can't Obama. It's simply not true. Bush first term tax cuts were only 80% as big as he first proposed, and he never got them permanent. Bush never got to privatize social security, he never got immigration reform so his dream of a white-brown GOP died, didn't get most of his free trade bills passed, I could go on. See our modern dysfunctional congress can only pass 1-2 big peaces of legislation a year that's it. Obama is focusing on the ones that the GOP will filibuster no matter, what first while he has "60" (sort of) Democrats. Issues that break down along regional not partisan lines (cap and trade) will get dealt with later. Is that what I personally want? NO! But politics is the art of the possible. Do I want a public option of course, but I know that many of the people now screaming at Obama didn't donate one cent to Ned Lamont in 2006. Do I want DOMA ended, and immigration reform? Yes! But those issues are more likely to motivate presidential year voting demographics. For those with a Lyndon Johnson fetish how many realized he put off the Civil Rights act several months, so he could get other bill past first? Google his presidential records it's there in black and white. This is why conservatives are more likely to push initiatives in off year election (prop eight is the exception that proves the rule), they understand their demographics. Don't like that reality? Then join some voter mobilization groups, register move progressive voters, 'cause if you have the energy to scream at the president you have the energy to hit the streets and do some leg work. Obama said "your the change you have been waiting for". He didn't say he was the change you have been waiting for. How many people were really listening? If your a true progressive stop it.
PROGRESSION? WHAT PROGRESSION?
So I'm also calling you out for not believing in things getting progressively better. Why should I have to wait, why should we have to compromise? We shouldn't but unfortunately we do. I'm speaking as a person who works on campaigns every year. I mean phonebanking, knock and pulls, letters to the editor, cash donations, blogging, demonstrating, marching, yup I've done/do it all. Shouldn't "I" get what I want. But see I also have patience. You get a law then you make it better over time. Social Security didn't cover all workers at first, was FDR's biggest domestic accomplishment a failure? You start a movement then expand it. Labor Unions mostly excluded black and woman at first. Lot's of fights to get them to where they were big mediators between Obama and the white working class. Does that mean I want you, US to sit down and shut up? No I'm an agitator with a plan. Can we get primary challengers up against some of these recalcitrant "Democrats"? Primary challenges are the true secret to the conservative movement. It's not the screaming of their base that matters, but their primary machine. So when I see people here screaming but not out organizing I see paper tigers. The biggest complaint I get from campaigns are "where are the bloggers?" You want to make things better, then join the fight, but realize when to save your ammo for another day. Sorry that doesn't include saying "F@ck you all Democrats". If your a true progressive stop it.
LOOK AT ME, I'M THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE!
Finally I'm calling you out for thinking your issue is the center of the universe. Yes we all have a few issues that are nearest and dearest to our heart. Many people come to politics first by working on environmental, civil rights, human rights, union organizing, etc. Then branching out. Yes it hard to recognize that your priorities aren't everyone else's, But they're not. If your a single issue voter God bless you but this isn't the place for that. When I started the black Kos diaries many thought I (then we) were going single issue. But as I said if I wanted a black only diary I would have stayed on Black Planet. We always try to tie it into the larger progressive universe. Black and gays, blacks and arts, environment racism, etc. Most of our readership isn't black, wrap your head around that single issue drama kings and queens. It's because we welcome all people, as long as they are respectful, welcome discussions and arguments, and try to make connections between community. I'm not patting myself on the back, but were are groups that are trying to do this. I only see only 5 other groups that still aim for comradery here, if you love your single issue so much why aren't you working to create an environment where you WIN other to your side? Daily Kos moved my feeling on LGBT rights because of the great writing on the subject here, would that have happened during the prop 8 "scuffle"? I doubt it, which is why we ALL need to remember and think about what a 1st time reader will think when they read this site. If your a true progressive stop it.
Daily Kos is a great place to organize, to argue, and to learn. But it takes SELF POLICING. 70 diaries on the same subject? Three paragraph diaries? Titles with provocative titles just to gain attention? All these things hurt the quality of this sight. Is that what you want. I've deleted diaries in the past because there were too many on the subject (yeah I thought mine were better O well). I'm far from the greatest writer or spelling, so I make mistakes galore. But when I write I always think does this help or hurt the site? Is what I'm writing further the progressive movement? Would a first time reader be won over to my issue?
GOT HOPE?
Yes I would like to get everything on my progressive wish list fulfilled yesterday, but it ain't going to happen. These things take time. Sometimes you have to take an 80% victory. What you do is get back out there and try and make the current law progressively better.
I was going to write a long letter to the front pagers asking them to start commenting on the quality of diaries. But there is no need for that. All of us, have the power not just the front pagers. Yes I've been here long enough to remember the Pie wars, the Dean/Clark wars, primaries wars, prop 8, yes it can get heated in this place. But I blog here, joined the rescue rangers, and lurk here, because I care deeply about Daily Kos. But it's time for all of us to take a deep breath and clean up our own acts.
This speech sums up why I'm a progressive.
* Note: I used the term drama kings and queens because I thought only using the term queens by itself would be seen as a slight slur towards woman. I thought including the term drama kings would signify that it wasn't directed only at woman, or it seems the GLBT community. I had no prior knowledge that "drama queen" was first directed at gay men, I thought of it as being a spoiled teenage truthfully. If the intent was lost I do apologize for any people I offended. Yes there was a hidden meaning in that term. It's a play on a website's name where several members have posted the intend to create a disruption here. I won't name them because I don't want to drive traffic there.