BlackWaterDog (BWD) was hounded out of DailyKos to her new blog. Bonddad and NewDealDem are here,
Deaniac83 and others are at ThePeoplesView, Dennis G. is at Balloon Juice. Some are at weeseeyou and some at bluewavenews. But BWD is the key to the exodus. This is what Glenn Greenwald said about her new blog.
If Leni Riefenstahl were an Obama fanatic and had a blog, this is exactly what it would look like: http://is.gd/... #CreepyReverence
Hitler's favorite cinematographer! Wow!
You need to take a look at BWD's blog to get a sense of how out of scale the vitriol of Glenn Beck Greenwald's "twit" really is. He is after all, implicitly equating Obama with Adolf Hitler and the blog material with glorification of Nazi rallies. The people who have drifted out of DailyKos that I mention above (not by any means an exhaustive list and, btw, I'm not representing or speaking for any of those people) cover a range of political views, but to me, BWD is the key because the hatred she provokes is so pure and so, well, deranged.
What BWD does is post photo diaries about President Obama and the administration. She's positive and upbeat (almost always) and she doesn't post many comments attacking people. She hardly ever argues and I have not seen her demand unquestioning fealty or reverent silence or anything much. Unlike some of us, she doesn't even seem bad tempered. She just admires the President and his family and posts photos. The photo to the right is from Leni Riefenstahl. Below is a typical BWD offensive picture
Here's another - maybe these guys make Glenn think of the SS Deathshead Group.
Greenwald is a highly visible columnist and many of the people who admire him also hated BWD's postings on DailyKos. Remember, this is a blog that once described its mission as supporting Democrats so comments like the following are illuminating:
News flash. BWD's fan club alienated and bullied anybody who didn't just swoon over her vapid little picture diaries. And in a melodramatic snit she GBCW'd - not for the first time - and picked up her marbles and left. And whaddaya know? DKos is still here. Maybe she really isn't all that important...?
"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." -Ben Franklin
by IndieGuy on Sat Dec 04, 2010 at 08:24:38 AM PST
http://www.dailykos.com/...
This is on a blog where comments like this appear on the front page from the staff.
"President grovelling beaten lump Obama still believes in unicorns:"
Obviously, nobody is prevented from criticizing President Obama on DailyKos, with or without any content beyond sheer anger and contempt. But BWD's diaries at DKOS were perceived as provocation.
Pretty picture diary fans live in a universe where someone is like totally oh my gawd fer sure the greatest president in history or just about because he's a good-looking guy from our team who gives inspiring speeches and smiles a lot and is a marked improvement on his truly awful predecessor and his nearly as awful opponent and has signed a bunch of bills that may improve some things at the margins but are hardly landmark progressive achievements, but he's so god damned cool and good-looking that who cares?
http://www.dailykos.com/...
More interesting, the picture diaries themselves were popular on DailyKos, but always drew a large number of people who wanted to, well "argue" is not the right word.
Screw Obama. He will be the ruin of the Dem Party (0+ / 1-)
by the time he is done with his ignorant corporatist global free trade cat-food commission bullshit.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
The Picture Book format is the insult. (0+ / 0-)
We have pootie and woozle diaries for comic relief but to make the presidency into one big SMOOCH fest on a daily and rec'd basis is so pathetic as to be surreal.
It actually INSULTS your intended object of affections and makes those who recommend this drivel into illiterates in the sense they need to be on some yahoo group or facebook page of likes - take it there for God sake.
If you don't then be prepared for ongoing withering humiliation.
by Aeolos on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 06:30:24 PM PST
http://www.dailykos.com/...
enough...go drink the kool aid by yourself please (1+ / 1-)
alohapolitics.com
by Keone Michaels on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 12:44:33 PM PST
http://www.dailykos.com/...
WOW ANOTHER STFU AND CLAP LOUDER DIARY!!!!!!!!!!! (0+ / 0-)
Big surprise.
by beerh on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 11:03:59 AM PST
[ Parent ]
Meanwhile back in the USA... (77+ / 29-)
Obama caves on tax cuts for the rich without even a fight.
by MediaFreeze on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 09:09:48 AM PST
[ Parent ]
We don't dislike the president... (25+ / 0-)
We HATE his lack of spine and decication to progressive values on a host of issues.
"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society" -Oliver Wendell Holmes
by APA Guy on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 09:42:29 AM PST
[ Parent ]
If Obama was giving us a New Deal, you would... (1+ / 0-)
have some sort of point. But he's giving us turds in a bag, which you are inclined to call "progress".
Therefore, your comparison of progressive criticism in 2010 to that levied at LBJ or FDR is complete and utter bullshit. If Obama was actually instituting progressive reforms, criticism of his policies would be absurd.
He is governing near the Right with his big insurance giveaways, GOP tax policies, and outright refusal to do the right thing on DADT.
Now, is THAT clear enough for you...or should I draw you a picture in crayon?
"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society" -Oliver Wendell Holmes
by APA Guy on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 02:01:46 PM PST
Nice pics while Obama's deficit commission (33+ / 0-)
works overtime to shaft the middle class and the lower-income by cutting Social Security and Medicare.
Yes, look at the shiny object, and ignore what's underneath it.
I work with B2B PAC, and all views and opinions in this account are my own.
by slinkerwink on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 09:14:48 AM PST
We knew what was here when we clicked. (3+ / 0-)
There are those who think that a recycling of White House photos is a valid counterargument to news stories, legislation, elections, and any other figment of true reality you might mention. You aren't going to convince them of anything. Period.
Now, you can see in this very thread that some of the converted are having trouble with their faith. Certainly, the flock has been thinning out for months. But they aren't being convinced by these comments.. they are simply letting reality seep in and making their own decision.
Do what I do.. see the humor in it.
"To pass these defendants a poisoned chalice is to put it to our own lips as well." Justice Robert Jackson, Chief Prosecutor, Nuremberg.
by Wayward Son on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 10:28:22 AM PST
The head in the sand in the crowd... (13+ / 0-)
makes me really sad. What line needs to be crossed for you people? Do you have any princicples you are willing to fight for? Social security, medicare, unending wars?
These diaries have become a farce, and are emblematic of the cancer of cult-worship that pervades the "Democratic" party. Enjoy going down with that right-wing ship...
I am no longer a Democrat. Deal with it.
by Jazzenterprises on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 09:42:35 AM PST
Don't you ever get tired of this. Obama is (6+ / 0-)
Proving to be a failure, all the sweet looking pictures in the world won't change that.
by Voodoo king on Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 10:38:59 AM PST
Yes, clapping louder is just what is needed. (6+ / 0-)
Just ignore all the legitimate criticism from the left.
How'd that work out, by the way?
by primarydoc on Mon Nov 08, 2010 at 07:56:24 PM PST
[ Parent ]
So posting photo diaries of the Democratic President on a supposedly Democratic and even progressive blog made a number of people absurdly angry. One of the themes of this anger is that somehow posting these positive images was an attack, an attempt to silence criticism. This never made much sense to me. I understood, or thought I did, why I would get attacked. For example in this diary, I received, so far 14 "hide rates" which are supposed to be used to suppress material that is slanderous or just insulting or right wing or something. The names of the hide raters are familiar
Ed in Montana, TheMomCat, conchita, Larry Bailey, KathleenM1, Dallasdoc, Big Tex, Philoguy, liberaldemdave, ArthurPoet, Colorado is the Shiznit, sixthestate, ThAnswr, farleftloon
part of a crew that operate just like the Sparticist Youth League and Progressive Labor Party operated back in my college days: shouting down anything that doesn't follow their wacky political view. But something about BWD really gets to these people in ways that other material does not. And I think that Bob Wallace ( who posted as BobTrips on DailyKos )explained it perfectly
BWD's posts put lie to their claims.
They could rant and rant and rant about how Obama is a failure and has accomplished nothing and the BWD would post fact after fact reporting what had just recently been done.
There were pictures of Americans loving on Obama when the DKers were trying to portray a hated president.
She gave us posts that made us feel good when all they wanted to do was to wallow in their self-created misery.
They had to gang up to drive her away. Otherwise they were shown to be wearing the Emperor's finest robes...
.
The great Ray Williams once said "true radicalism is finding reasons for hope, not grounds for despair" and certainly that is not something that anymore finds a happy home on dailykos.com.
Here's a BWD posted photo from the President in Afghanistan. That's the "grovelling beaten lump Obama" guy, now often referred to on DailyKos and on Stormfront as the Hopey-Changey guy and known to be unpopular and weak both on cable news and in the most advanced progressive blogs.
Just like Hitler, no? Except plus FAIL. There's a really fascinating short book by Richard Rorty called "Achieving our Country" in which he writes
The difference between early twentieth century leftist intellectuals and the majority of their contemporary counterparts is the difference between agents and spectators
Rorty goes on to note that "we now have ... a spectatorial, disgusted, mocking Left rather than a Left which dreams of achieving our country."
I think of that often reading today's "progressive" blogs. Sign me up for the naive hopey-changey side though, that's why I'm so glad BWD is still on the internet.
Important Note
I'm not speaking for any of the people I've listed, only myself. I don't know if any of them share my analysis or even care.
Some additional links
This is very smart too http://www.osborneink.com/
and so is this
http://thusandsuch.wordpress.com/...
and so is this
http://www.dailykos.com/...
No comment policy
I'm suspending myself from commenting on DailyKos because I can't figure out a way to respond to the incessant accusations of being a paid shill, a neoliberal, a troll, a splitter, and so on within the approved comment policies.
Update 1 and 1.5: The Thought Police
So far, 8 11 "trusted users" have indicated that they want to shield the delicate eyes of other users from this note by suppressing it. It's been more and more apparent here that the shouters cannot abide any dissent and try to either shout it down or censor it all the while complaining loudly that they are being oppressed for their brave "criticism" of the President. We even see comments gloating about success in getting people banned!
Here's an example from below of the kind of "dialog" we have here
HR'd (10+ / 3-)
for lying about what Glenn Greenwald said in his tweet (he didn't equate Obama with Hitler, you and the rest of the Bloggers With Diarrhea are just looking for a red herring to throw out every time his name is mentioned); for taking a page out of the Lee Atwater playbook and red-baiting the people who deservedly HR'd your last piece of shit diary; and for being too much of a pants-pissing coward to stick around and respond to the comments in this piece of shit diary.
Actually, scatology is a common theme of Presidential Critics here for some reason I don't dare speculate about - although, thankfully, the once popular slogan about eating a sandwich made with excreta has lost favor.
Update 2
Thanks to a reader for catching the mangling of Rorty's book-title. Fixed.
