So here's what I was gonna do...
I was going to write a broad, thoughtful diary about the use of the word "netroots" vis-a-vis "base" when describing my understanding of modern-day progressives as a group.
I was going to bring in and discuss Thomas Friedman's recent column "Generation Q" where he seems to set up a dichotomy, or a dualism, between online activity and traditional world-changing activism.
I was also going to use Nancy Pelosi's recent "waste of time" comments, already much discussed here at dailykos, and suggest that in actuality we could see that Pelosi has embraced that same dualism, rightly or wrongly, and was merely trying to advocate for the more "traditional" (and, from our perspective, non-crashing-the gates) channels of "activism" from the "base".
well, I either am lacking the talent or energy to put it all together in a coherent way today. The sun is out in my little corner of the world, football's on the TV, and things are good. In other words, I'm feeling too lazy to catastrophically fail at making some sort of "sophisticated" argument. And anyhow, I'm sure someone else has already said some such thing, or perhaps its refutation, in a way that laps anything I can present.
So, instead, I'll tell a little story, with the assistance of some pictures, and perhaps any point I would have made will be made with the help of your imagination and sympathetic reading.
....
A couple months ago, I was heading out the back door of my apartment building to get my morning "roy" latte (rice and soy milks mixed together, don't ya know) from a local coffee shop. My back door looks out to an enclosed little space with trees, bushes, various flowering plants, etc. In other words, a place that offers a nice little respite from the hustle and bustle that surrounds us, and allows for several of my neighbors cats to congregate and sometimes howl at each other.
Anyhow, a row of bushes that I had always enjoyed had literally been mowed down by the property owners to a series of stumps, with roots exposed. Sorry for no "before" picture of the bushes as they stood, but here's what the dozen or so bushes looked like after the deed:
or
I was very saddened, of course, especially as I'm the kind of (typical liberal?) person who gets really upset whenever I see healthy trees trimmed or taken down -- even when it might be necessary for various people-centered reasons. Hard to enjoy my latte when I got it, and I had to be reminded of the loss of these plants whenever I left my apartment.
So, a couple of weeks go by.
And one day I notice that one of the stumps... shows a little growth. And it looked something like this:
And I started pulling for this little guy. I know we all like underdogs. But it was nice to see that even though most of its "body" had been taken away, the bush itself was still alive and had the potential for growth. In other words, it still had potential to come back despite being mowed down by the powers that be -- because its roots were still intact and strong. (Sorry for my metaphorical obviousness... I'm sure you can see where I'm going here.)
Well, the little guy kept growing:
and growing:
and eventually, as of a couple days ago, it's not really a "little guy" anymore:
So, maybe these pictures suggest that...
Regardless of whether the "netroots" are or are not the base of the Democratic party in Friedman's or Pelosi's eyes, or whether our dailykos community gets periodically trimmed or temporarily felled by inane policies and complicities...
I believe the roots are strong and getting stronger, in no small measure due to the incredible avenues for change that the blogs represent. Yeah, it's all been said before and will be said again. But, metaphorically speaking, whether dailykos and the rest of the "netroots" IS the roots of the Democratic party, or merely provides a nutrient-rich soil for the roots, or is the sun and rain that is necessary for survival for growth and prosperity, etc. etc. ... well, I'll leave that for better, more astute minds than mine. But perhaps these pictures of this resilient plant can let us know that in the long run, insults and affronts from the old guard (or embracing self-defeating policies and politics) from those within the party or the media, as irritating as they can be, are actually a subtle hint that we're on the right path.
Oh yeah, observant readers might notice that these pictures don't all look like the same plant. You'd be right... these snapshots all come from the same day not long ago... and were merely used to tell a visual story... so my little guy has some company now.
Anyhow, thanks for reading this weird little diary. Perhaps we should let the Republicans keep the word "base" -- which at least in my mind, perhaps because of the last several years, conjures militaristic connotations -- and let us proudly proclaim ourselves instead the (Net)roots, who, regardless of whether we are or are not the "base" of the Democratic party or some parallel concurrence of it, are soon to give birth to a new flowering of justice and progressive politics. (Seriously, how many commas can be in one sentence??) Hey, at least we can hope. What else are we to do?
And my apologies if this makes no sense (or even worse -- partial, unfulfilled sense). I'm a couple beers in with some more to go.. :) (I have some personal reasons to celebrate.)
Love, peace, and happy growth to all of you.