What is the Daily Kos #KHive?
If you are are a Kamala Harris supporter and spend much time at DK, you probably already have an idea. You’ve likely seen our group diaries “Kamala2020” pretty regularly (3 times a week!) for almost six months now. Sometimes these diaries get a lot of traffic, sometimes not as much. They are authored by and commented on by a fairly regular group of folks here, but they are also frequented by a fair amount of people on other forms of social media. Our group is part of something bigger — we are part of a large and swarming #KHive.
Where did the term #KHive come from? 🐝 ⏣ 🐝 ⏣
Vox ran a great article on the informal national movement this past July.
The first documented use of the hashtag was on August 7, 2018, by the account @flywithkamala, which is run by Eric Chavous, a 29-year-old attorney. Chavous said he starting using the hashtag after watching a panel discussion on a television show anchored by Joy Reid on MSNBC. “They were jokingly coming up with a term to call this growing legion of Kamala Harris supporters on social media,” he told Vox.
The term “hive,” as used in #BeyHive and #KHive, refers to a group of people who are committed fans of a particular person. “Beyoncé has the most loyal fan base in entertainment on the globe,” Chavous said. “And the #KHive is made up of dedicated fans of Kamala.”
The Twitter account run by Reecie Colbert, a 36-year-old financial analyst in Washington, DC, @BlackWomenViews, is only one of around 38,000 accounts that have used the #KHive hashtag to comment on Harris’s candidacy.
www.democraticunderground.com/...
The Vox article also notes that the #KHive hashtag came about “organically” and, like the Daily Kos #KHive, is independent of the Harris campaign.
What is the purpose of the #KHive? 🐝 ⏣ 🐝 ⏣ 🐝
The people who make up the #KHive are some of Harris’s most devoted online followers, and they’ve gone out of their way to hype her up and “set the record straight” when others critique the candidate.
- Li Zhou for Vox
I consider the following recent tweet from @TheKHive a great example of “hyping her up...”
And here is one more:
Why the Daily Kos #KHive? 🐝 ⏣ 🐝 ⏣ 🐝
The Kamala2020 Daily Kos group was created on April 23, 2019 to promote news and information about Senator Kamala Harris and inform readers of her historic 2020 campaign's positions and events. *This group is not affiliated with the Kamala Harris Campaign.
Longtime Kossacks Onomastic, Denise Oliver Velez, and newpioneer were the original editors of the new group, with volunteer writers eventually contributing more and more to the thrice-weekly editions. I’m not sure exactly when we started referring to ourselves as the DK #KHive, but it only seemed natural — we had become a focused on-line support group for Kamala Harris ourselves and we were serious about her! (I do know we were a full-fledged #KHive by August, 2019 — because Kamala herself already knew about us by then!)
So what makes us so special?
We follow a specific set of guidelines, which are different, but streamlined with the standard DK Rules of the Road. We do NOT debate or argue about the qualifications of other democratic candidates, we focus on Kamala and what she is doing and saying. We stay constructive.
The rules are for us, they keep us from getting distracted, but they are really important for others to recognize as well, because it makes coming to the Kamala2020 diaries a little different than visiting other threads. We’re not here to fight. We’re not gonna do it. We have work to do. We’re gonna promote, rectify, educate, elucidate, illuminate, and illustrate. We’re not gonna fight. We already know what we are working for.
Our Group Guidelines
The Kamala2020 community group has been created to positively support Senator Kamala Harris, and not to engage in negativity towards other Democrats running in the 2020 primaries.
All should be made to feel welcomed here. What’s not welcomed here is petty bickering over any of our preferred candidates, or personal attacks on fellow Democrats. We’re not responsible for the actions of others who may offend, insult or attempt to sow discord and disunity — that’s on them.
What we are responsible for are our own words and actions — that’s 100% on us.
I’d like to ask all group members, as well as those dropping by who support or are interested in Kamala’s bid for the nomination, that we not respond to negativity from other campaign’s supporters with even more negativity. Let’s do better than our best and respond with respect, humor or try to hold our peace. Recipes and cat pics work, too 😃
Doing no harm costs us nothing... pie-fights will cost us everything.
Sometimes our diaries are heavy with clips and tweets — because no one speaks better for Kamala than Kamala — and we have all learned that by watching and listening to her. If you haven’t taken the time to actually listen to her beyond the 60 second debate bites, you are really missing out.
The Daily Kos #KHive is the core of the Kamala2020 group, and they show up almost every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday to see what is going on with Senator Harris’s campaign. Some members study specific policies intensively and then highlight them carefully, some address concerns with misinformation or outright attacks, some promote specific events, some write sentimental personal stories about Kamala’s influence on their own lives. The site and the group’s archives have become a literal wealth of information about Kamala and her campaign, with source material, links, photos, etc. Many DK #KHivers just show up consistently to read, comment, update and encourage. We all have a job to do.
Onomastic is probably the “boss bee” of our particular cell of the hive, and we are damn lucky to have her. She keeps things humming!
Onomastic joined Daily Kos over eleven years ago. “This country has been through a lot since then. Many of us have, too, but we have never been here. The country is in deep trouble. The damage being done by the cruelty and greed of the illegitimate administration currently holding power is a betrayal of everything we hold dear, putting not only the present at risk, but also our children's and grandchildren's futures.
I support Kamala because she is the only one with the skill set that fits the times. She's not afraid of hard truths or hard work. She has the Executive, Legislative, and Legal experience we need to hold criminals accountable while creating real justice for this country and repairing relationships with our allies. She will inspire a coalition that creates a wave election that will take back the Senate, keep the House, and win the Presidency. We need a fighter for the people in order to save our country and ourselves. We need someone with the caring and creative analytical brilliance that she brings. No one else comes close.”
Denise Oliver Velez joined Daily Kos in 2008. We all know Denise. “I have lived my entire life as what I call a "bridge person" - building bridges between and among people of differing backgrounds - it started in my own multi-cultural family and then spread outward. I laughingly say my kin prepared me to become an anthropologist. This is the lens through which I view politics - I wind up supporting the person who best exemplifies the antithesis of the kind of racism and othering that is the ugly side of our national character and history.
That person - for me - is Kamala Harris.”
progressive2016 joined Daily Kos on Dec. 6, 2015. “I was hoping for progressives to win the 2016 elections, up and down the ballot, hence my username. We all know what happened instead. Now, once again, I really want progressives to win the 2020 elections, up and down the ballot. I believe Kamala Harris is the candidate who is most likely to do that, because she is the most likely to get the largest coalition to vote for Democrats in 2020. I also think she has the best combination of energy, intelligence, toughness, pragmatism, flexibility, progressive ideals, and relative youthfulness to be a fantastic President and accomplish enough to win again in 2024.”
Cecelia S joined Daily Kos April 20, 2017 — when Daily Kos withdrew its endorsement of Heath Mello for his poor reproductive rights record. “My first comment corrected a factual error. I care about inclusion--of people and issues often minimized and marginalized. I also care about facts and evidence. Therefore, I support Kamala Harris. She has a long record of centering the marginalized and protecting the vulnerable. She has extensive real-world experience, with impressive results. She will get it done; she's done it before. Seeing her marginalized, and her record distorted, makes me support her more.”
WYgalinCali joined Daily Kos in 2016. “To me, Kamala is the perfect blend of the last two democratic presidential candidates. The “wonkiness” of Hillary with her well thought out plans and ability to connect the dots combined with the oratory skills of Obama to deliver messages that we need to hear and provide hope for our future. With her in the White House, our nation could sleep again at night and not have to have those 3 AM conversations keeping us awake.”
DigitusImpudicus has been at Daily Kos for two years:
- I am always looking for candidates who put children first.
- In everything Kamala does, she seems to consider the impact on the kids.
- I'm not one to hop on bandwagons, and always take a good look around.
- “It’s time we treat children’s needs with urgency.” — Kamala Harris
- "Every time we enter the voting booth, we’re voting for the kind of future we want for our children. - Kamala Harris"
- She gets it.
- I am with her.
njm5000 has been here for 5 years. “I support Kamala Harris for President because in her years of public service she accomplished so much in service to all of us. Every child, every person, every group, that was helped by the programs and policies that she instituted or championed, helped all of us. We are one. She knows that and speaks to it in a way that resonates.
Because of her past work, her plans for the future, and her ability to connect all the puzzle pieces, I trust her to continue to advocate for us. All of us.”
rflctammt (me) joined Daily Kos in early 2016. I wrote a diary early on about how I knew Kamala Harris was the candidate for me. It came down to two main points that were obvious from my first exposure to her: She is Fearless in her Protection of Me/Us. Absolutely Fearless. And yet, she is consistently a Compassionate and Welcoming Person. Everything I have learned about her — which has included meeting and talking with her — has only reaffirmed my belief that she is the most qualified person for the job of president of the United States. Not just anytime, but most importantly, at this time.
There are lots of other folks that contribute regularly one way or another to our little corner of the Kos World. We are quick to set the record straight if we see misinformation being spread in other diaries. We are frustrated by the frequent “erasure” of Kamala by the media, pundits and, well, the usual suspects when it comes to women, and particularly a woman of color. But we are determined, she is determined, and she is fearless — for the people. All the people.
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Why Does the DK #KHive Matter to All of Us?
It goes without saying that we have a long road ahead of us to get to the end of the primary process. But those nine months will go by one way or another and regardless of who wins the Democratic Nomination, it is absolutely critical that we all arrive together at the General Election a mere three months later. The way the #KHive operates, disseminating information, discouraging negativity, focusing on strengths, and building bridges is fundamentally sound when it comes to holding our party together.
It is my hope that none of us are totally fixated on one particular candidate, even if we greatly prefer one above the rest (as I clearly do!) I think it is important that we all support and learn about the person or people we like the best, and it’s okay if there are some who really turn us off. But let’s remember to be constructive with our efforts. We have a really big fight coming and we will need all of us to win. Let’s not wear out our stingers on each other. Facts matter and we should always be searching for the truth.
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Kamala2020 info and links are below!
Newpioneer has rounded up some highlights of her sponsored legislation here.
snowman3 has rounded up some more legislative highlights here.
Gay CA Democrat lists 21 bills or proposals here.
Want to know more about her positions and plans? Her policy page is Our America
Or go straight to an issue: quality, affordable health care for all, economic justice, raising teacher pay, combating the climate crisis, criminal justice reform, action on gun violence, a fair and just immigration system, LGBTQ+ equality, government for the people, debt-free college and student debt, gender equality, American leadership at home and abroad, and fighting for racial justice.
More plans: The Reproductive Rights Act, Equal Pay, Roadmap to Citizenship for Dreamers, Combating the Racial Homeownership Gap, Reducing the Opportunity Gap, Fair Prescription Drug Prices, Kamala’s 3AM Agenda, Combating Violent Hate, A Climate Plan For the People, Transform the Criminal Justice System and Re-Envision Public Safety.
Please remember to visit our community group page Kamala2020 and give us a follow! That way all our group efforts will appear in your stream; this makes it easy for everyone to keep up with our latest posts. As always, any who would like to join our group please leave us a comment and we’ll get your invitation right out to you!
If you’d like to volunteer to host one of our Kamala 2020 diaries, please leave your comment in the ”Calling all Volunteers” thread.
Even if you can’t commit to a weekly spot due to your busy schedules, guest bloggers are always welcomed.
Please volunteer! Come share your story about why you support Kamala!
Upcoming schedule:
Thursday — October 17th — rflctammt!
Saturday — October 19th — Open for you!
Monday — October 21st — Let your voice be heard!
Thursday — October 22nd — This could be you!
While you’re here, don’t forget to visit Kamala’s Official Campaign Website and her Swag Shop for your favorite campaign gear! 😄