Hi Markos,
I’m writing this to ask you an existential question: What do you want this place to BE?
When I arrived here during the Bush administration, 10 years ago, this site appeared to be a site for Progressive voices and thought. The Democratic Party was, at the time, a means to an end. The end was a Progressive Agenda. The means was one of the only two parties in our Two Party System, through which a Progressive Agenda may possibly be achieved. Therefore, we were attempting not just to elect Democrats, but to elect Progressive Democrats.
Now, it seems to be the reverse. You have turned this place on its head. Before, electing Democrats was the means towards our Progressive Agenda. Today, electing Democrats seems to be the end itself, and you make it appear that our Progressive Agenda is getting in the way.
I heard you interviewed, one Saturday night in March, on the SiriusXM Progressive channel. You mentioned that when Hillary Clinton announced, finally, that she was not supporting the TPP, she got no bounce, because the move was seen to be, in your words, “Politically expedient.” If any two words describe Hillary Clinton, they are “Poliitically expedient.” SNL, that same night, channeled you, by having Hillary morph into Bernie Sanders. You and SNL both nailed it, and I wrote about it back then. “I’m whoever you want me to be,” said, Kate McKinnon as Hillary morphing into Bernie, “and I approve this message.”
Am I going to support whichever Democrat gets the nomination? Of course I am. If Hillary gets the nomination, yes, I will have to hold my nose and vote for her, because the alternative is far worse. Do I trust her? No. Does she have any moral backbone whatsoever? No. Will I vote for her? Yes. Of course I will. But only because the alternative is far worse.
In jumping early on the Hillary bandwagon, you have done everything you can to dismiss those who support the Progressive candidate. You have slandered him, and red-baited him, and, as important, you have done everything you can to dismiss Progressive ideas. And this is a mistake.
I wrote here last week about the January Gallup poll that shows party identification at record lows. Only 29% of the electorate self-identify as Democrats, and only 26% self-identify as Republicans, the lowest numbers on record. I wrote last week that we live in a two party system, but we are not a two party electorate. We ignore this at our peril. Only 20% of the populace feel at home within one of the two parties, which is likely part of the reason why two outsiders running within the two parties have done so well. One has the nomination, and one does not.
Over 13 million voters have voted for Hillary so far, and I read that she has 3 million more voters than Bernie. That means 10 million people have voted for Bernie. Not all of them self-identify as Democrats. You want to remove those among them from this site, dismiss them, and sneer at them, because they lack party purity? You want to antagonize them?
Is Hillary going to win with 29% of the vote? No. According to that same Gallup poll, and other polls, An additional 16% of the electorate tend to vote for Democrats, but do not consider themselves to be Democrats. That’s still only 45%, 5.1% short of a majority.
You get pissed off when people don’t like Hillary, but Hillary has negatives up around Trump territory — 55%+. More people than not, it seems, do not like her, just as more people than not do not like Trump. Yet you and other Hillary supporters act like everyone who not a Republican has an obligation to support Hillary, or a duty, or a requirement, and you act like people must have an allegiance to you and to her.
There are people who support Bernie because they like his ideas, but do not have an allegiance to the Democratic Party. They were attracted to Progressive ideas that you now dismiss with contempt. Then you demand that they support your candidate. And you snarl at them and remove them from this site when they disagree with you. How do you think that will play out?
Bernie supporters, especially those who do not self-identify as Democrats, but were drawn to his ideas, can not be brow-beaten into supporting Hillary. You must show them that it is in their best interest not just to vote against Trump, but to vote for Hillary. Bashing Bernie is not the way to do that.
So, this is your site. I come back to the existential question: What do you want Daily Kos to BE?
Is this a place for Progressives to share ideas, and support progressive candidates, most or all of whom are likely to be Democrats, or is this a just place to support Democrats of all stripes, regardless of ideology, even if it means Blue Dogs and pre-Republican Joe Lieberman?
While you ponder the question, I remember 40 years ago, when I saw Murray Bookchin speak to students at Wesleyan University. It was 1976, A student asked about him working within the system.
“You don’t work within the system,” he replied.
“The system works within you.”
He was correct. And still is. You are a great example.
You have demonstrated, this election cycle, what it looks like when, within you, the system works overtime.
And that’s a shame.
Friday, May 27, 2016 · 10:44:29 PM +00:00 · David B
Update #1: It’s fascinating how people take a question to Kos about the nature of his site, and turn it into a Bernie-bashing. Which, I guess, is at least consistent with the what has turned out to be the nature of the site.
But this post really is not about Hillary v. Bernie. It is a question about what this site truly wants to be. It seems that this site is about people who want to piss off Bernie supporters, and then will castigate them when they decide not to vote for Hillary, as if Bernie supporters owe Hillary and her supporters ANYTHING — especially since many do not self-identify as Democrats, and especially since Hillary supporters treat them like dirt.
What comes around, goes around….
Friday, May 27, 2016 · 10:47:44 PM +00:00 · David B
Update#2: It is telling that in the poll, with over 230 votes so far, less than 50% voted “enthusiastically for Hillary.” 46%, to be precise.
Verrrry telling….