It always sort of amuses me when we hear the familiar refrain from the right that the liberal blogosphere doesn’t have any accomplishments under its belt, except maybe the ouster of Joe Lieberman from the Democratic Party. But of course, this is rooted in unreality.
Liberal bloggers were key in helping along public perception of Bush as one of the worst presidents in history. We can’t take a lot of credit for this, because Bush was one of the worst presidents in history.
We wouldn’t have a President Obama without the liberal blogosphere. They – we – provided a way to reach past the mainstream media filter that no Democratic pol has ever had. Conservative bloggers, along with his own sloppy reporting, got Dan Rather fired. I will trade Rather for Obama any day.
But would the election of Obama cause the liberal blogosphere to turn into a mirror of the conservative one, nodding heads along with the party in power then expressing shock years later when the yes man act resulted in a mess?
No.
The public option — to the extent it was saved (and that’s yet to be determined) — was saved by taking a sober look at the legislative playing field, identifying where the cracks in the dam would appear, and building the best bulwark against it that an ad hoc network of advocates could build, working it, grooming it, and maintaining it. Vote pledges were sought early on, lined up and reinforced in advance of the committee markups, with a special emphasis on seeing those pledges through all the way through conference.
We’re not going to win every fight, but we’re having good, serious fights that we need to have.
Liberal bloggers actually win elections for Dems due to fundraising. That might be their most important role. Con blogs talk a big game, but they’d die to have 1/2 of the targetted fundraising that a site like DKos can pull off, not to mention the less tangible GOTV stuff.
IMO the real difference between the liberal blogs and the wing-nuts ones is that lib bloggers tend to have real jobs. A high number of con blogs are recipients of wing-nut welfare (which made it all the funnier when Roger Simon fucked so many of them over). Certainly not all of them, but on the occassions when I decide to enter the sewer it’s amusing to see how many of them rely on Paypal or other forms of hand-outs.
OW still taking lame shots at the former Prez almost a year into the new guy’s failing term? Shocker!
And yeah “con bloggers” had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with exposing the truth on John Corzine and helping to elect a Republican governor in a predominantly blue state just last week. None at all.
OW still taking lame shots at the former Prez almost a year into the new guy’s failing term?
The last prez has thousands of deaths on his hands, I’ll never stop taking shots at him – lame or serious. And Obama is sure failing what with that… um, well…
“con bloggers” had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with exposing the truth on John Corzine and helping to elect a Republican governor in a predominantly blue state just last week
No, they didn’t. Unless you think saying CORZINE SUCKS is any kind of actual uncovering of anything.
OW still taking lame shots at the former Prez almost a year into the new guy’s failing term?
How exactly do you guys define “failing”?
10.2%, for starters.
$1.4 Trillion would have also been accepted.
Unless unemployment was at 0% and Obama was given a 500B surplus at the time he was sworn in your point falls null and void. Try again.
DOW is safely above 10,000. CBO predicts economic growth at 3-4% for 2011. Competent adults in charge of our foreign policies. No 9/11’s for longer than Bush kept them at bay.
No doubt the economy is hurting, but it’s the Bush Recession, not Obama’s. And recessions, even the worst one since the 1930’s, do end. Not sure why the GOP was too dumb to realize this and decided to bet against America in lock-step with Chairman Rush.
So yeah, I’ll take Obama’s chances for 2012 over those of Sarah Palin (a woman who cut and run from her position of leadership)or Mike Huckabee (LOL).
Ghost, I don’t think anyone would say that conservative bloggers never managed any victories. The liberal bloggers have their victories too. And Jaim is right – liberal blogs have been a major contributor to a lot of local politicians. Conservative blogs don’t have that level of contributions typically.
What they do have is a large megaphone for the conservative media, something the liberal blogs have not managed. Which is a shame, because the con bloggers are so often horribly wrong, and yet people pay them to be horribly wrong, because they are precisely wrong in a way that politically aids the Republicans. Not to say liberals can’t be wrong, but you only need to see how fast ‘death panels’ got onto the air to see how a really dumb idea can still be taken seriously, provided it’s yelled loudly enough.
Death panels and most of the conservative nonsense gets in the media stream thanks to rightie radio and Fox News. Con blogs are supplementary to the process but have nothing of the role liberal blogs have in the liberal media food chain. We don’t have much on the radio and our cable outlets are pretty specific (Maddow, Olbermann, and Jon Stewart).
I agree; part of the same organization, but I think they switch. Most blogs just repeat what’s said by the bigger media sources they go to. Sometimes, especially for the larger blogs, they can spout out a lead. And remember, Goldberg and Malkin, among others are also involved with the larger con media package. despite their horrible record at being right about anything, ever. And conservative blogs do have an important function beyond the radio and TV sources, and that’s buzz. Radio and TV have to respond to new developments, but a blogger can keep outrage for Death panels and the like alive forever. Free Republic, Newsmax and WND are good examples.
So, yeah. You are right. They aren’t leaders, but they are preachers.
But would the election of Obama cause the liberal blogosphere to turn into a mirror of the conservative one, nodding heads along with the party in power then expressing shock years later when the yes man act resulted in a mess?
Does this mean that Gitmo is closed?
And that we’re out of Iraq?
And we’ve captured OBL?
And we’ve ended the Patriot Act, FISA, domestic wiretaping, Executive Privelege and signing statements?
Not to mention DOMA and DADT.
Funny how all those were of paramount importance for the last 8 years but are the very definition of inconsequential nowadays.
When your definition of “success” is pushing a weak public option through the House by only 5 votes even though you’ve got an 80 vote advantage with almost no chance of passing the filibuster-proof Senate without watering it down even further if at all, well, I’m glad you’re succeeding.
You know, maybe if you to, I dunno, read liberal blogs you visit instead of cramming the the comments section with mind blowing bullshittery, you’d know that the Obama administration has taken heat on every issue you mentioned from said liberal blogs.
The fuck? You wingnuts love wasting fucking time with absolute nonsense.
Does this mean that Gitmo is closed?
And that we’re out of Iraq?
And we’ve captured OBL?
And we’ve ended the Patriot Act, FISA, domestic wiretaping, Executive Privelege and signing statements?
Not to mention DOMA and DADT.
Funny how all those were of paramount importance for the last 8 years but are the very definition of inconsequential nowadays.
Of course these things still matter. But I’ll lay most of the blame for them at the feet of the dickhead who started the whole mess.
And for certain things that could be easily rectified (e.g., DADT), yes, I am not happy with Obama. The others are a bit stickier, so I’m giving him some time and the benefit of the doubt for now. Although my patience is not infinite.
your definition of “success” is pushing a weak public option through the House by only 5 vote
Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not well-versed in legislative matters. Could you remind me how a bill passed with more votes is somehow “better”? Or how it is “more” of a law than a bill passed by 5 votes? Especially something as far-ranging and progressive as health care reform, which has never gotten this far before in the Congress?
with almost no chance of passing the filibuster-proof Senate without watering it down even further if at all
We’ll see. What kind of odds do you want to give me on a bet?
I’m glad you’re succeeding.
Thanks, Farris. I’m glad too.
But I’ll lay most of the blame for them at the feet of the dickhead who started the whole mess.
No kidding.
But who will you blame, and when – if ever – when they don’t get resolved? Sooner or later, that “I blame Bush” window of opportunity has to close.
And don’t try to belittle the significance of having only a 5 vote margin when you have an 80 vote majority. You know what it means. And, if you don’t, that’s OK because Speaker Pelosi and Pres Obama know EXACTLY what it means.
And for certain things that could be easily rectified (e.g., DADT), yes, I am not happy with Obama. The others are a bit stickier, so I’m giving him some time and the benefit of the doubt for now. Although my patience is not infinite.
Tell you what. I’ll close the “blame Bush” window exactly 1 day after conservatives close the “blame Clinton” window. Hell, the “blame Carter” window is still open after almost 30 years.
It means they got elected in Republican districts during the landslide Democratic ass-whipping of the GOP in 2006 and 2008.
Dems should NEVER stop blaming Bush or risk having another (JEB) Bush in the WH…George WORST PREZ EVER Bush should be the constant refrain. Bush is THEIR Carter and never let them forget it.
1) Scooter Libby/Marcy Wheeler
2) DOJ prosecutors/Josh Marshall
3) Trent Lott vs Marshall/Drum/Atrios
4) Several Congressional races the Dem Party wasn’t funding/ that the blogosphere located, marshaled resources and helped win (even though some turned around as Blue Dogs to bite the hands that fed them). Still, winning the Congressional majorities clearly took the bloggers.
5) Chris Bowers getting unused Senate warchests opened to aid competitive races.
6) Changing the perceptions of the war zones. Chris Allbritton’s unimbedded work is a standout, but others have helped here, including Iraqi bloggers.
7) Provoking the critical examination of MSM outlets from the earlies days when Bob Somerby led the way to others, like Media Matters, now.
Bloggers on the left have had a vast impact. Pressure on sponsors about certain broadcasts. Getting the MSM to look at things that they previously shunned. Helping the rise of Air America and Jones Radio that spawned Maddow and Big Ed and Senator Franken to their more prominent and influential roles. Getting people like Kos, Hamsher, Wheeler, Sirota and many others into positions that get them invited to MSM news programs.
How many bloggers have been hired to work on winning campaigns? How many have run for offices themselves?
The rightists can point to a few accomplishments, a tiny percentage of what the Left has achieved. And the rightists were best at providing cover for ever law violation, war crime, betrayal of troops and intel agents, slanders of whistleblowers and other foul deeds of the Bush/Cheney organized crime gang.
The Left has made a few mistakes, as occurs in any profession, but none come close to the defense of crooks, kooks and mass murderers that has typified the rightists.
Oliver: Speaking of “doing stuff”, are you going to comment about Sean Hannity using Glenn Beck’s 9-12 protest footage to lie about the number of people at the recent anti-health care reform rally? Because that is RIDICULOUS. Check out the Daily Show website video clips (it was aired last night).
Sorry for the OT comment, but this is effing absurd.
I’d love to see the resident trolls defend it.
Dude, the resident trolls defend Racist Asshole Rush Limbaugh, Racist Asshole Robert Stacy McCain, and Dumbass Attention-Seeker Sarah Palin. A little faked video is nothing for those dipshits.
Oh, I know. That’s what I was saying – I can’t wait to see how they defend it. It will be teh funny. And sad.