In the current environment, it now seems that – unless you are kos or a Front Pager – diarists with even mild, substantive critiques of Obama on DK will be branded as right-wing trolls of the first order.
I learned that personally today after writing a piece entitled "Obama to Supporters: Don't Get Too Bogged Down in the Details | Me to Obama: I'm Counting to 10."
The diary was a mild (to my mind) and justified critique of a call Obama made to supporters last night, in which he told them to ignore details when canvasing new voters, particularly on the issues of taxes and the wars. Instead, they should generally tell people this: just tell them I'm a fair, balanced and overall good guy. (You can read for yourself in the diary linked above what he actually said.) Not only was his advice, given the context of what went down with the debt deal 48 hours ago, a bit jarring, but it was at times mildly dishonest as well.
And so I wrote about it. And not in a nasty way, mind you. Just in a playfully serious manner. At least, so I thought. (I don't typically write critical diaries of Obama, so what do I know about proper tone in such instances?)
Well, guess who got comments and emails lambasting me as a right-wing troll attributing sinister values to our President?
This guy, that's who.
And so to all those people who came to this site in 2008 because of President Obama's campaign, and have stayed, here to defend Obama at all costs, I say this: you feel like the extremists to me.
See, I live in a complex world in which my support for the President does not preclude me from critiquing those things that I find troubling or problematic.
Conversely, my opposition to many Republican leaders does not preclude me from giving them praise when they do something right, as I did yesterday upon learning of Governor Christie's spirited and passionate defense from bigotry of a Muslim-American judge he appointed.
I mostly despise Christie. And yet, when I called him out for doing something good, some people here responded with comments like, "Yeah, but I bet the judge is a right-wing radical," or, "Yeah, but he was just doing it 'cause his ego is, like, as big as a sombrero filled with Tostitos."
Look, I mostly admire President Obama. And yet, when I called him out for giving what I view as mildly patronizing, slightly dishonest and untimely advice, I received emails claiming that "you're simply spewing right-wing propaganda here at this site," and, "You're here for one reason: to make Obama out to be pure evil."
Really? Maybe I should just stick to my normal fare: I/P.
Since when, Daily Kos, did fair critiques of our own (and fair compliments of our sworn enemies) become traitorous?
Wait, don't answer that. Please.
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Author's Note:
Three things:
First, I want to clarify that this little rant wasn't written so much because I was deeply hurt by the handful of attacks I received. Rather, I wrote it as a bit of community meta. For whatever that's worth.
Second: I've learned that the central difference between myself and front pagers is thicker skin. Putting that in the memory bank.
Third: a really funny comment from Kaili Joy Gray:
The first comment to my first diary here was, "Please understand that you are a fucking idiot."