I have only met kos once, at a signing for his first book, and it’s certain he wouldn’t remember me, as clear as my image of him is. After that event (at Malaprops, in Asheville NC), I got the idea that ‘there’s really something there,’ and I joined Daily Kos, happily so. I like and respect the man, not least because we share a love of cycling, though we never discussed that.
We don’t agree on everything. He is a much younger fellow than I, spicier, more openly combative. I was probably more that way when younger, myself.
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However, that we don't agree on everything is true, for me, with every person I’ve ever met. I am very much at peace that we don’t agree on everything. How boring would the world be if we all DID agree about it all! If we never had to fight for our beliefs and our policies, for our liberty and our success. I am on Daily Kos because I know without reservation that I am with the right group for me in just about all of the really important fights. My friends here are friends for a reason, it’s because we share a common, compassionate morality. We care about the disenfranchised, about those most discriminated against in our society.
Tonight’s diary is about a choice kos made for this website, one I appreciate much more this week than I have before (though I agreed with it before). kos does not like (and does not tolerate) conspiracy theories on Daily Kos. Here is some of what he has said about it.
I have a high tolerance level for material I deem appropriate for this site, but one thing I REFUSE to allow is bullshit conspiracy theories. You know the ones -- Bush and Blair conspired to bomb London in order to take the heat off their respective political problems. I can't imagine what fucking world these people live in, but it sure ain't the Reality Based Community.
Reality - what a basis for politics! Isn't that fine?! And isn’t that at the heart of our dispute with Republicans?
Again, kos ...
This is a reality-based community. Those who wish to live outside it should find a new home. This isn't it.
Lately we have been seeing a lot of stories in election news about suspected conspiracies, with the polls, for example, showing Obama leads in critical swing states. This week, after the release of the new jobs numbers, which have boosted Obama, there has been a rash of new conservative conspiracy theories about the numbers.
Of course, publicity about conspiracy theories is like a gold mine for Democrats. It is yet another LOUD piece of evidence that conservatives are outside the mainstream, and paddling furiously in the wrong direction.
Conservatives have a love for conspiracy theories, of course. They are very divisive, they feed paranoias, they feed and reinforce fears and competitive tensions ... they undermine general credibility within society. They undermine trust. Lowered trust quotients benefit conservatives in just about every arena, as do fears, as does paranoia ... they’re tailor made for conservatives.
In this case, however, their claims are transparently weak and self-serving. There MUST be a conspiracy because they NEED for there to be. They need different numbers, and the reality does not support the numbers they desperately need. Worst of all, those numbers came out after the biggest debate night they could have hoped for, with the momentum reversal further accelerated by Romney’s spineless backpedaling on the 47%.
kos does not approve of or tolerate conspiracy theories here. It is wise, it is appropriate, it is a nod toward reality for us all. This is my thanks to him tonight.
On to tonight’s comments! Graciously formatted and compiled and made presentable and palatable and juicy and nice by ... brillig! (My personal and private thanks to you, brillig, in this parenthetically public forum.)
I <3 your diaries, Ben. Hopefully I left the comments nicely rare and juicy, like a beautiful tender steak... :-)
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From hungrycoyote:
This response by Mike RinRI to a discussion about who won the debate three days after the fact explains why so many observers thought that President Obama lost the debate.
From Steveningen:
In NedSparks' diary Jack Welch Pleads to Anderson Cooper: Job Numbers Must Not Reelect Barack Obama, azureblue drives a home run with this comment.
From noweasels:
In an incredible diary that got me fired up for canvassing this afternoon, author LeftHandedMan also had this great comment.
From tonight's host:
Yo, Big Bird! Kevvboy (and the Godfather!) to the rescue!
I am nominating KnotIookin's letter to George Will.
marylandcraft writes an insightful comment, in tune with tonight's TC diary, on Welch's promotion of the jobs numbers conspiracy theory.
Top Mojo for yesterday, October 5th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic!
1) Wait, I thought Democrats by coquiero — 330
2) Can you imagine how much by PittsburghPete — 237
3) Yeah, the MSM needs this to be by stunzeed — 226
4) Indeed! by JekyllnHyde — 195
5) Don't Roofrack Me Bro . . . by aoeu — 187
6) And it may have been the shortest by itskevin — 183
7) She has. by irishwitch — 179
8) Nate Told Me That Big Bird is Very Unhappy by JekyllnHyde — 172
9) Posted this in another thread by Swampfoot — 159
10) President Obama mentioning Big Bird by marigold — 154
11) OMG there's a palm tree right over there! by Fordmandalay — 149
12) Thomas Jefferson was basically an atheist by kovie — 134
13) Just posted these in another diary: by second gen — 134
14) What a heart-breaking story by texasmom — 129
15) That's what I thought by coquiero — 121
16) Photophopped. Definitely photoshopped. by hannah — 120
17) Loved the Al Sharpton by jfromga — 112
18) Hope Romney enjoyed his one day by greblos — 108
19) Or his car: by Hohenzollern — 106
20) not to mention by elmo — 106
21) The President is having a lot of fun with this! by cany — 104
22) They HAVE to attack the statistic. by polecat — 102
23) So misleading! by revbludge — 101
24) How much better since OBAMA did by Wary — 98
25) Yup by ontheleftcoast — 97
26) Oh, but all those people were forced by mofembot — 94
27) I had a sleepless night but I am BACK by merrywidow — 93
28) This one is from George Takei; BRILLIANT!! by Brainwrap — 92
29) Tom Paine was explicitly an atheist, and... by Ralphdog — 89
30) well said, sir ! n/t by sayitaintso — 86
Top Pictures for yesterday, October 5th. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!