Ever hear of feedback loops?  Well, it looks like Kos and Stoller et al are part of one now with Rupert Murdoch.  

One reason FOX's people are gloating on-air is that they know how E-Z it is to push certain ProgBloggers' Drama Buttons.  (Not to mention their Inflated Sense of Self-Importance Buttons.)  Plus, the more screeching there is in the ProgBlog community, the more the divisions between candidate factions are kept open and bleeding, the more incentive for FOX to keep pushing the buttons that make the monkeys dance.  It's a win-win for them!

So, do we indulge FOX by doing the dance every time they hit our buttons, or do we stop whining because Obama -- GASP! -- honored a promise he'd made to do an interview?  [UPDATE:  Just as I feared, the ProgBlog reaction is now the story.  More past the jump.]

Here is a stream of consciousness poem inspired by a Roger Simon article about how Obama's campaign is happy and free of drama.http://www.politico.com/...

Special thanks to Nightprowlkitty, bubbanomics, doinaheckofajob, and ek hornbeck, as I took our comments posted and reworked them.

This of course is not set in stone, so if you feel like it, feel free to suggest a joke where you see an opportunity missed. There are some short play contests I'll enter it into. We'll consider it a new form of political action.

Look, I know we haven't been getting along so great. It's been a rough few months on all of us and it's like we're not even listening to eachother any more. What happened? We used to be friends. I'm not going to patronize you and say "I understand what you're thinking", because there's no way I can relate the things you know with the significance they have on your life. Besides, the whole "I understand..." conversation usually ends with "...but my way's better" and I refuse to talk down to somebody like you that I have so much respect for. Instead, I just want to lay a few of my feelings out there, in hopes that you might let me know how you feel and we can talk about this like adults.

On national TV, no less. On Wednesday night Stephen Colbert revealed the terrible truth about Daily Kos:

And in this interview with GW Blogspot, Matt Stoller calls Kos a pro-Obama environment. Now, it's no secret that there's a lot of pro-Obama sentiment here. I'm an Obama supporter. And I'm just as sick as everyone else of the flamewars I've seen popping up. But this strike isn't going to solve anything. The reason why, after the jump.

This is an open letter to the progressive blogosphere...

I’ve been posting at DailyKos for nearly 4 years now and started writing diaries in support of Hillary Clinton back in June of last year.  Over the past few months I’ve noticed that things have become progressively more abusive toward my candidate and her supporters.

I’ve put up with the abuse and anger because I’ve always believed in what our on-line community has tried to accomplish in this world.  No more.  DailyKos is not the site it once was thanks to the abusive nature of certain members of our community.  

I’ve decided to go on "strike" and will refrain from posting here as long as the administrators allow the more disruptive members of our community to trash Hillary Clinton and distort her record without any fear of consequence or retribution.  I will not be posting at DailyKos effective immediately.  I will not help drive up traffic or page-hits as long as my candidate – a good and fine DEMOCRAT - is attacked in such a horrid and sexist manner not only by other diarists, but by several of those posting to the front page.

There's more

OK, that's enough comments for this diary. Someone go start another one for discussion. -ct

LIVE IN NASHVILLE...
CLINTON GIVES A SPEECH

During CNN's live webcast of tonight's debate, during the commercial breaks between the two parts of the debate, rather than playing the TV ads, CNN cut to a clip of Bill Clinton giving a speech about free trade.  The giant banner at the bottom of the screen read, "CLINTON IN NASHVILLE."

Which one is running for President again?

An extremely foolish diary entry is on the recommended list.

I haven't seen anything this foolish on Daily Kos since front-pager Adam B. went on a rampage accusing Bill Clinton of being a rapist in one of the diaries here ...

John Fletcher, the playwright, sent me a heads up and I listened last night as "The Sicilian Expedition" aired on BBC Radio 3.  He blogged on Huffington Post when it first aired in 2005:

Athens. The most extraordinary, the most beautiful, the most terrifying civilization of all time. The template we all live out.

Effortlessly its drama, its art, its science and philosophy bestrode the world. But despite its superb democracy, all-powerful economy and a "shock-and-awe" military the envy of the world -- out of a clear blue sky came sudden, terrifying and total collapse.

The Athenians had their very own Iraq War -- The Sicilian Expedition.

My play is an examination of how a nation can suddenly, bizarrely, and with great dramatic effect, auto-destruct.

You have just one week to listen to this wonderful 90 minute radio play that will having you rethinking history, philosophy, democracy, love, the war in Iraq and the future of American civilisation.

Crossposted from MY LEFT WING

I always get a chuckle out of it when I remember it, so it cheered me up immensely this morning to go over to Ted Kennedy's site to see the link to My Left Wing.

There's something terribly thrilling about seeing your home site on TEDDY KENNEDY'S BLOGROLL!!! Even if he does list everybody under the sun. (Ahem... not that there's anything WRONG with that...)

But I'll have you know, there WAS a time when I was one of only SIX sites listed there. And no, the day I saw that, there was NO talking to me. Preening Queen Maryscott, indeed... Not that I actually fancied he read us himself. Dude probably shuns everything but newsprint.

Still, considering his instant classic, fire and brimstone schooling, honest-to-god SMACKDOWN of the Republicans re: their indefensible, immoral, grotesque "filibuster by amendment" of the minimum wage increase a couple weeks ago, being on the blogroll of one of my personal AND political heroes goes a long way toward making up for the big, orange shaped hole left in my back yesterday.

   
Spy. Poet. Playwright. Political commentator. Transatlantic traveller. Novelist. Advocate of sexual freedom. Woman of Wit. Sound like someone you'd like to meet? Unfortunately for us, the fabulous Ms. Aphra Behn died in 1689. But in tonight's episode of Supervixens, we'll take a leisurely ramble through her world of witty and wicked 17th century Supervixens: unconventional, unapologetic women, unafraid to speak their minds.

"Feminist Supervixens" of every sex and gender are invited  to participate in this feminists' circle.  Our goal is to build a vibrant community of feminists here on Daily Kos.  The emphasis here is on camaraderie and support, so if you're looking for an argument, we suggest that you go instead to room 12A, just along the corridor.Previous "episodes" in this diary series have been written by hrh, with guest-host diaries from mem from somerville, Elise, righteousbabe, and irishwitch. Some more guest-hosts are waiting in the wings. Feminists who are interested in being a guest-host can email hrh at:  feministsupervixens (AT) yahoo.com

Write to HBO.  Many of you joined me last summer to discuss each episode of Deadwood, and you were big fans.  If you're as irate and disappointed as I, I hope you'll let HBO know. Here's my letter to HBO this morning:

(Cross-posted at My Left Wing)


Let me tell you something about myself; something personal, honest and cosmologic.

I believe in Drama. Drama is God. It is as Shakespeare said; all the world is a stage and we are players upon it. We are intertwining motifs in a grand mosaic of human and natural drama; a universal symphony; an epic poem.

In the beginning was the word; the word was with God; the word was God and the word was: "Action!"

I act; therefore I am.