Yesterday, a diary was posted by M16eib .http://m16eib.dailykos.com/about Single Payer Healthcare:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
This being a topic that (to me anyway) has risen to the top of the heap in importance, I eagerly awaited a hot discussion. I saw the topic posted on the Recent Diaries list, scrolled down through the comments, and looked for a place to join the discussion. I clicked on "Recommend", added a comment and waited for others to join the discussion. I felt certain that the importance and impact of the discussion would push this to the Recommended Diary list.
What happened next?
Over a period of a couple of hours there was some interest in posting to this diary. It steadily moved down the Recent Diaries list.
In the meanwhile, several new diaries appeared on the Recommended Diaries list. One was about the selection of the Obama's new dog. One was a very funny post about the Mormon's practice of converting dead people to the Mormon religion. One was about the GOP's newfound realization that community organizing should be taken seriously as a strategy to get people's attention. I should be clear: I am not criticizing or judging the importance or the entertainment values of these other diaries. I am trying to get some perspective.
The discussion on Single Payer Healthcare dropped off the horizon, having garnered about 90 comments.
Today, as I look at the High Impact Diaries list, the discussion of Single Payer Healthcare Plans was in the mid-thirties. It did not make the diary rescue list. It appears to be dead an buried. And I am frustrated as hell.
So, I have some questions:
Does the Recommended Diaries list do justice to the effort put in by those who might not have made it to the list?
Is there some way to stratify diaries by topic so that the discussions can be a little more prolonged, and have the chance to engage people in meaningful discussion without duplication?
Can diaries that have less "curbside appeal" (note my inclusion of the word "sex" in my title) be given a fair shake in this.
I will await the discussion.
UPDATE: Today a new thread appeared on the importance of overhauling the healthcare system. I highly recommend that you read and contribute to this thread
http://www.dailykos.com/...