In Support of the Kos Boycott
Diarists at Kos---which I admit I rarely look at---who support Hillary Clinton have decided that enough's enough. Good for them. It's about time Clinton supporters start speaking up against the abuse and insults of the Hillary-hating O-bot contingent of the Obama supporting wing of the Democratic party.
Here's an excerpt from Allegre's last post, taken from where it's cross-posted at No Quarter----I refuse to link to Kos.
DailyKos is not the site it once was thanks to the abusive nature of certain members of our community.
I’ve decided to go on "strike" and will refrain from posting here as long as the administrators allow the more disruptive members of our community to trash Hillary Clinton and distort her record without any fear of consequence or retribution. I will not be posting at DailyKos effective immediately. I will not help drive up traffic or page-hits as long as my candidate – a good and fine DEMOCRAT - is attacked in such a horrid and sexist manner not only by other diarists, but by several of those posting to the front page.
[O]ur community has become little more than an echo chamber with an attitude that harkens back to the early days of Dubbya’s administration - yer either with us or yer a’gin us, heh! The attackers and disrupters are no better than Chris Matthews with their sexism, hate, lies, and obsession with bashing - all – things – Hillary....
Is that the kind of behavior that Obama would be proud of? Do the venomous attacks and lies about fellow Democrats represent him and all he stands for in an accurate and fair manner? Does this spiteful and vindictive behavior reunite our party? Would outing this working mother represent hope? Would it bring about change? Would Obama encourage that sort of anger, bullying, intimidation and hate from his followers toward another Democrat and her supporters? Do those followers of his help his cause at the end of the day?
I have been working for decades to get countless good Democrats elected – going back to the early ‘70s when I stuffed envelopes and walked precincts for George McGovern.... The causes I've worked for are those which Obama’s followers at DailyKos claim to care about. As a Yellow-Dog-Democrat and a progressive, I am deeply saddened to see what’s happened to our community. (No Quarter; emphasis added)
Yes, the rise of the O-bots has certainly made me stop and ask what the hell is going on with my party.
Do you want to know Lord Kos's response? Do you?
His response: "First, these people should read up on the definition of 'strike.' What they're doing is a 'boycott.' But whatever they call it, I think it's great. It's a big Internet, so I hope they find what they're looking for." (ABC News)
Joe Gandelman has commented at The Moderate Voice on the increasingly bitter tone of the dispute between Clinton and Obama supporters and its toxic effects on the party and the campaigns of both candidates.
I'm pretty sure that Clinton supporters didn't start to get bitter---at least I didn't---until they got sick and tired of seeing Hillary's views repeated twisted, distorted, and willfully misrepresented by some of their favorite progressive bloggers. In fact, I am absolutely certain, along with Sean Wilentz at The New Republic, Larry Johnson and Susan UnPC at No Quarter, Taylor Marsh, and others who have helped enable Democratic resistance to the not-at-all hyperbolic 'Obamamania", that the toxicity started with the first accusations that statements in now way reflecting badly on people of color or Barack Obama were labelled 'racist.'
I am SICK of it. I've completely lost faith in a number of people (media figures such as Olbermann---who should change his name to Obamaman---and Bill Maher as well as bloggers such as Josh Marshall) whose opinions I used to trust because of their apparent inability to be objective on any point or ever get anything right.
Their virulent, hateful allegations about the Clintons---and their utter unwillingness to look objectively at ANY of Obama's potential negatives---simply defies credulity. I have seen the hateful, destructive word 'racist'---an allegation of an attitude offensive to God, humanity, theology, and decency---ROUTINELY applied to one of the party's long-time advocate of civil rights. I am heartsick, disgusted, and, finally, FURIOUS.
And, yeah----some of the fury is definitely getting transferred to Obama. As Taylor Marsh has pointed out, the disgusting, exaggerated anti-Hillary language from our own Democratic brothers and sisters is negatively affecting Obama.
At The Democratic Daily, Stuart O'Neill writes:
The 2008 Democratic Presidential campaign primary has become divisive, not from action by the candidates, but by the actions and hate-filled words of Obama supporters in very aggressive attacks against HRC and her supporters. If you want proof of this reality simply post a pro-Clinton diary at Dailykos.
Until all this started I---an Edwards supporter---liked Obama and Clinton about equally and thought they would both about equally do for me. No more.
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