First, before I talk about what Armando did, a bit about me. Daily Kos was once my favorite website. I would log in multiple times per day, every day, starting in 2004. Daily Kos inspired me to major in politics, to get a post-grad degree in politics, and to work in politics, both as a volunteer and as a professional. I was a leader for my student group for Obama in 2008 and worked full time on his campaign after I graduated.
I stopped going to Daily Kos after 2016. You can probably guess why. I remember reading and loving “Crashing the Gate” and it horrified me when our site’s beloved founder decided to become a gatekeeper and oppose Bernie.
So why am I coming back now? Because of this. Accusing a woman of color of being a prostitute because you don’t like her politics? Sounds like something Trump would do. Markos, I don’t know why you suddenly changed your politics and opposed everything you used to stand for. But if you let this go unanswered, there’s really no difference between you and the GOP. Fire Armando. Do it now.
Oh and the rest of you? If you are OK with Armando because you don’t like Bernie? You are like the spineless GOP in Congress who enable Trump just because he’s a Republican too. Look in the mirror and realize what you’ve become.
I’m not asking you to vote for Bernie. I’m asking you to recognize that there’s a person working here, as an editor, who says that women who disagree with him are prostitutes. Is the bar so low that you are OK with even this, as long as it bashes Bernie?
UPDATE: Here is the Change.org link to tell Markos to fire Armando. I am so grateful that this diary got so many recs and supportive comments. Hopefully, Markos will do the right thing here. And if not, well, I think that speaks for itself.
UPDATE 2:
Hi all, Daily Kos Communications Director here. I wanted to let everyone know that Daily Kos has ended its association with non-staff contributor Armando Lloren, as his behavior is not reflective of the values and priorities of this organization.
Looks like we did it, he’s gone! Thank you, Daily Kos, for doing the right thing here.