Guess where I heard about this whole "Writers' Strike" being held by some Hillary supporters on Daily Kos? You would think Daily Kos, but you'd be mistaken. I first heard about it through The O'Reilly Factor. That's right. Bill O'Reilly used the "strike" as a big "I told you so" to Hillary Clinton. He also used it to trash everything about Daily Kos -- including his readers. He went so far as to say no "respectable" person would be found posting on this site (I'll take my chances).
Bill O'Reilly chewing out clear-thinking Kos readers and posters is nothing new. What is new is the reason he's chewing us out. The ammunition provided to him this time around has been hand delivered by Daily Kos readers and Daily Kos posters themselves. Once again, we are eating our own.
But it's all about what's "fair" right? And Hillary isn't being given a fair shake. Think again.
I posted a diary titled, "Hillary Clinton and the Smell of Mothballs." It wasn't a pro-Hillary entry, but it did not warrant the comments I received from Clinton supporters, which were unbelievably mean-spirited. Yet, I did not "strike" against Daily Kos. I did not provide the far-right with even more ammunition that they didn't deserve. I didn't eat my own.
But the Clinton campaign -- through surrogates, supporters and Clinton herself -- continue to eat out, dining exclusively on their own. They even ask that Kos host the tables they use to eat us on. They write diary entries on Daily Kos regarding their "strike" of Daily Kos. They pop up on The O'Reilly Factor giddily giggling as Bill-O attacks Democrats on this site, agreeing with him all the way.
I am extremely impressed with all those at Daily Kos for allowing "strike" diaries to continue being posted at the site. This shows Markos to be a tolerant man who practices what he preaches. But it doesn't stop these "strike" entries from doing their damage.
I'm not allowed to post even a slightly pro-Obama comment over at Taylor Marsh's blog. The same goes for Hillary's YouTube videos' comment section, where nothing but praise for Hillary is allowed or tolerated (comments must be pre-approved by her campaign staff/volunteers). Yet, Daily Kos allows protesters to protest not outside of his "building" but directly on the facilities.
And I think that contrast reflects the difference between the Obama and Clinton campaigns. One is tolerant and moving forward, willing to debate and open to discussion. The other, belonging to Hillary, is spiteful, paranoid and running a kitchen sink strategy that is hurting the Democratic Party. A strategy that apparently includes tearing apart valuable blogs like Daily Kos on Daily Kos or The O'Reilly Factor.
That strategy and this "strike" isn't good for the party. It isn't good for Barack. It isn't good for Hillary. It is good for Bill-O and his cronies and sadly they'll get fat on our leftovers as we devour our own.
And that's the memo.