The Word According to Kos
Put forth on April 17, 2007 by XicanoPwr
Posted in Blogging, Democrats, Fear
We all know the meaning when someone mentions liquid courage – those who consume it “gain” confidence and lose discretion. Well, I prefer to think Internet courage is where an individual who enjoys the benefit of hiding behind the Internet and because like liquid courage, a person tends to “gain” confidence and lose discretion whenever they are on the Internet and will oftentimes take advantage of it by using it as a bully pulpit. Once they muster up their “Internet courage” the answer for them is just a few taps of the keyboard and suddenly the fantasy world is set right. Make no mistake, it is a fantasy world because rarely do they ever accept any responsibility for what they promote. That is exactly what Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, better known as Kos of Daily Kos, has done again.
This time around, Markos thinks that if a blogger were to get a death threat, we should suck it up because “most of the time” they “don’t even exist.” Or, as Kalifornia’s Govnator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, would say, “Don’t be a girlie man.” For Kos, courage is used to taunt people into doing something stupid. Sure it is easy to say suck it up if your only threat is that someone tells you “I hope you catch AIDS” but it is another, when you get comments or emails that say “we’re moving to send your sorry asses back over the border” or “hope you enjoy your stay in Gitmo” for speaking truth to power. It is not that easy to “suck it up.” Especially for many people across the country who have already been assaulted and even killed by some psychopath cyber-stalker they did not take seriously.
However, Kos’ behavior isn’t really new really. Sadly, this Berkeley faux liberal whose ideology better matches that of Reich wingers has duped a large majority over at the Big Orange Mothership Daily Kos and the Democratic Party into thinking he is a true Dem. Kos has and will always be a pompous asshole beyond compare, a fraud, a phony and a seasoned snake oil salesman. All anybody has to do is just go over to Marisacat’s blog. She has been warning people long before this consequence. The irony, she has been harassed and is considered to be a pariah among some of the B-listers who are now complaining about King Koz.
Very interesting, as wilfred and I had been banned the last weekend of August (Madman was personally banned by Kos, October 2005, for complaining about tired Red State Dems run as effing heroes before they do anything, yes that is Tester, Webb and Casey and others)… we were banned as individuals, not as part of a purge. I still to this day have never read the Hunter FP piece on the banning..
The Boyz, or whatever they are, have been slamming me and a lot of other people for years now.
People saying what they think that does not conform to what they want said, well, it really pisses them off. And their Box Car Site Minions and others on the Treats and Sweets Rez….
Who FP intellectually dishonest, numbers grabbing bullshit (Outing Bloggers, “Marisacat”, Paparazzi at the Box Car Site, BMT), lectures and drooling “erotica” attended by Maryscott with her tongue hanging out… Voyeurs, original and Maryscott’s reconstruction among other FP slams at MLW. In a sad, public loss of any grip on reality, METAmorphosis at MLW. Not to forget this gem. Eugene and Armando with others, did stand up routines at MLW thru 2005/06, parsing my banning over and over for the little hordes. In case you think there is something new in BlahgTown.
(Oh and as a chocolate on the pillow or extra vodka in your OJ: don’t miss the BMT proprietaire being cute with his hints.)
I won’t be stopping. And I am so amused at the lately landed stress and anger, sturm and drang, directed at Kos. Sure did ramp up after the BlogRoll trim…
However, if your inner-kindergarten self still insist she has cooties and anybody else who associates with her has cooties, then all one has to do is do a simple Google search on “banned by Kos” to see what Kos is all about. I genuinely understand when people have an agenda of trying to find a common ground among the more conservative wing (AKA centrist) of the Democratic Party. However, the deal with Markos, there are those who continue believing he is Dem. The reality is, he started off as Republican and changed sides roughly around the same time when other Republicans switched sides because they realized the Religious Right successfully infiltrated their Republican Party and were able to exert considerable influence on policy and lawmaking. Instead of fight them off; they have opted to take over the Democratic Party. That is why we are the big tent party. The central problem is this: there are those in the progressive blogosphere who believe it is wrong to criticize. Nevertheless, if the progressive blogosphere is NOT the place to criticize and rail against Markos and DailyKos, then what is the proper arena? By keeping things inside it will only fester for so long before it finally explodes.
However, there is a double standard. Markos consistently criticizes whomever he elects to criticize, including Democratic politicians and other progressives. For him to try to use his muscle and personal connections to squelch criticism of himself and his opinions is very Orwellian – “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” It is not surprising that the chickens came, home to roost. The more Markos and his followers stopped others from challenging his opinions throughout the blogosphere, it was inevitable that revolt against the authoritarian and totalitarian impulses are taking place. Just look below this post on the number of people who are speaking out (courtesy of Wampum).
Regardless of whether it is coming from the left or right, totalitarianism is just as brutal and will repeatedly have to have a need to justify its so-called “goodness” to the world. Even worse is when mindless followers are complied to remain mindless in the face of over whelming evidence. Terror is used to keep the faithful from straying and indoctrination to imprison the mind. Fear of change, the outside world, of not having a strong ruler are amplified to increase their need on the totalitarian regime.
Given the state that we are in, we have voluntarily surrendered our freedoms that we once held to be essential. Do we even care that homes are being bugged, our emails being read, our letters being opened? Where we have feared the ominous presence of Big Brother constantly gazing through the multiple security cameras around us, we are have now become oblivious to them and worse, we have become a voyeuristic society while our constant need to check a person’s background has become second nature. As we continue to be force-fed shadows on the wall of Plato’s Cave, people are disappearing right before our very eyes, vanished without a trace in the name of the “border security.” Is all this just an Orwellian dress rehearsal in preparation for the larger scale version?
Instead of running away from living in the world Orwell feared, the modern world celebrates it. When we hear Bush and our war hawk Democrats begging people to give war a chance, are these signs we are embracing the language of doublespeak and newspeak, “War is Peace?” If so, then it should not come as a shock that Markos Moulitsas Zúniga is the poster boy for “progressive is conservatism.”
People who have spoken out
brownfemipower at Woman of Color Blog
Zuzu at Feministe
Jessica at Feministing
Belledame at Fetch Me My Axe
Echnide of the Snakes
Mark at Norwegienty
Jill at Brilliant at Breakfast
Bitch PhD
Chris at Creek Running North and Pandagon
Kip at Long Story, Short Pier
Bruce at Crablaw
Melissa at Shakesville
Jeff at Blog of the Moderate Left
Interrobang
Stephen at The Thinkery
Amp at Alas, A Blog
Amanda at Pandagon
Lindsey at Majikthise
Dan at Fitness for the Occasion
Nezua at The Unapologetic Mexican
Natasha, at Pacific Views
Kevin at Slant Truth
Aaron at Faithfully Liberal
Ntodd at Dohiyi Mir
Trifecta at New PairODimes
Steven D at Booman Tribune
Sheelzebub at Pinko Feminist Hellcat
Myra at Reno and Its Discontents
twoluvcats at a wealth of semi-useless information!
Scott at Lawyers, Guns and Money
PZ at Pharyngula
skippy the bush kangaroo
Mickle at The True Confessions of an Hourly Bookseller
WebWeaver’s World
Renee at the Independent Bloggers’ Alliance
Terrance at The Republic of T
Vox Aemeliae
Technorati Tags: Kos, Markos, Marisacat, Republican, Democratic Party, progressive blogosphere
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This is the blog of Edmundo "XicanoPwr" Rocha, a social worker, an activist, freelance writer and founder and editor of The Sanctuary. My interests include: immigration reform, critical race theory and it's interaction with equality/inequality and freedom/oppression as they relate to the experiences of people of color in the Americas.
Para Justicia y Libertad is a Latino-centered political blog focusing on the humanistic perspective of politics, history, and society as they relate to the Latina/o community throughout Texas and the United States.
23 Responses to “The Word According to Kos”
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kickass, bro. way to call things.
It is great to have someone who switched sides! Especially if they are able to bring over more people. Kos played a role helping Jim Webb. Now Senator Webb was once a Republican, and is now a Democrat. A loud eloquent anti-war Democrat. He replaced (and potentially sunk the political career of George Allen). I am definitely biased, and that in my own small way I helped out with a little volunteering for the Webb campaign. That being said, his election is a significant event in a larger movement turning Virginia blue.
So while I realize Kos is not purely progressive on a number of issues (and worry about his being represented as the “voice of the left blogosphere” in the media), I still think Kos and his blog community add a great deal to the web of progressive politics. He has consistently stood against the very spying you point out, for example.
It is because of this I lament his clear failure with regards to women’s issues. Kos points out the fallacy of snuggling up to the right wing for politicians who sell themselves as progressive. You alienate your core constituency. This is the mistake Kos is making. Not apologizing just compounds the insult by bringing a Bush-lite approach to blogging.
We should loudly call out Kos’s ignorant and misogynist post, but we hardly need to lay the crimes of the Bush administration and a complacent Congress at his feet.
I see your point, but it sounds like you’re more flustered about being banned from Kos than anything else. Seriously, of all the shit going down, of all the battle lines being drawn, this is what you think is the most important? I don’t.
Kos is Kos. Yes he is not THE voice of the liberal blogosphere, but there is no doubt he is one of the largest. I don’t agree with him on everything, but I’ve met the man at a book signing and his intentions are sincere. You were right about one thing: we are the “big tent” party, so lets make some room please.
Thanks Nezua! I think yours did a great job. King Koz is such a catchy phrase. jejeje
Dan – I don’t mind people switching sides, they can switch for all they want. The problem is when we hand them the role of leadership. I have seen it here in Texas, where our former State Party chair was was a former member of the Republican Party. The results, the Texas Democratic Party turned into a bunch of Republicrats causing the death of the Texas Democratic Party. The Texas Democratic Party is in total disarray and devoid of even the pretense of leadership.
It is really hard to stay silent when patterns that Kos is doing that is so similar to what went on here in Texas. Molly Ivins was right when she described Texas as being the National Laboratory for Bad Government. This may not be bad government, but what happened in Texas, it was not just a dress rehearsal for bad government, but also on how to make sure the Dem party remain limited in power.
Kos doesn’t allow liberals/progressives/leftists on his blog unless they are willing to accommodate themselves to the Procrustean bed provided by the right wing of the Democratic Party. If you’re not a fan of so-called ‘moderate’ Democrats, it won’t be long before you’re driven off his site…or just leave in frustration.
So these moderate Repugnants change sides to make the Democratic Party the Republican-Lite Party? And so this big tent is to provide cover to the misogynists?
Women put Democrats in office. You piss them off and they stay home on Election Day, then what will the Repugnant-Lites and Kos do?
Kos is insecure around women….is he short?
…You piss them off and they stay home on Election Day,..
May it be from your mouth to the feminist movement’s ear, slade. As an Indy, I’ve had it up to here with feminists who cling doggedly to the DP no matter how many times it kicks them in the teeth. If Kos and his ilk think they don’t need women –or really, all of the other so -called “special interests” that he rails against, maybe those “interests” should grow some spines, stay home, and make him prove it.
you go,
xicano
(week “the paine” imitation)
the banned have gone the way of Viper Affinity Groups (VAGs), leaving the Orange Spermsicle where it dropped on the pavement.
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep on saying it.
People like Kos have more in common with Fred Phelps than regular, working class Americans.
The commonality is in their action, not their stated ideology. Sure, one proclaims progressive buzz words and the other biblical phrases. But they both so passionately want to enforce their isms (and force adherence to them) that they end up as Fascists/Stalinists separated by the color of the text in their brochures.
Show me a true freedom lover and I’ll point out he lives next to someone he disagrees with but is still friends with.
From a long-time conservative to you, liberals I proudly say I enjoy living in a country where we both can exist. You’re still wrong on too many issues, but we can discuss that over a beer sometime.
Staying home brings us close elections and more GWs. That’s not good for anyone.
Xicano, I see your point, and it is very well appreciated. We do place Kos in a leadership position (yearlykos for example), and the media certainly does. You are right, he does dig moderates. I suppose some moderates are principled and cool while others aren’t, but perhaps I am blinded by the few who take stands on issues that are important to me.
slade and ms xeno do bring this home though. In the end it is about kossacks and feminists. We do need to work together, and misogyny is surely not helping that. We also need to ensure that our big tent doesn’t let just anyone grab the Democratic mantle and jump into the center of the ring.
LiberalJ, if we can make room for Kos, can’t Kos make room for us?
“is kos short?”
what does height have to do with this? are we really gonna travel back to fifth grade? i’m “short!” so please. don’t make me hunt down your picture.
seriously. we can talk about what kos did and it is quite enough to use his words. we don’t have to start getting all…heightist or wtf ya wanna call it. body parts.
Kos is a shill for AI PAC. AI PAC is a NeoCon organization bent on having the US conquer the middle east so Isreal can shit on whomever it wants. One quick way to get banned on DailyKos is mention the existence of Russian/Israeli organized crime, or decry Zionism as fascism and a racist ideology. You will get called an Anti-Semite and get banned for life. Works every time.v They are just as bad as the republicans about free speech as Kos is. Kos can kiss my lifelong Democratic ass.
Daily Kos is a business, nothing else. Certainly NOT a movement, and most assuredly not a politcal movement.
Exactly, MC. KO$’s “people powered politics” is powered by money. Everything else is PR and bullshit.
>>>>>
If Kos and his ilk think they don’t need women –or really, all of the other so -called “special interests” that he rails against, maybe those “interests” should grow some spines, stay home, and make him prove it.
>>>>>>>
Instead of “stay[ing] home”, we should go to the polls and vote FOR our honest FIRST choice for the office. We can’t sit idly by at home to prove a point…not when there are plenty of candidates out there who deserve our votes EVEN if the media tell us those candidates “CAN’T WIN”.
I think many people are waking up to the fascism of dailykos and migrating to more progressive based systems. Kos’ time in the sun is fast fading.
Fitness:
…That’s not good for anyone.
Shilling for Quislings is not good for anyone, either. The current opposition party is not interested in opposing;Only in walling off the good life for itself and its golf buddies in the GOP while it picks the faithful’s pockets one more time. Screw them. They don’t deserve my vote and they can’t fucking have it.
Joe, I will happily vote for a decent candidate if I see one. Otherwise, I will concentrate on whatever local actions I can to have some small benefit to the community. Withholding a vote and action are not mutually exclusive concepts.
ms_xeno,
It is not my intention to shill for anyone. I agree that most of the current opposition party is not interested in opposing (you have the rare Feingolds and Kucinich’s cropping up, sometimes directly in opposition to party leadership as with Kucinich on Cheney’s impeachment).
They do not deserve your vote. However, by not voting at all, we end up making things worse. We should participate in every way possible. We should fucking raise hell at party conventions when it is clear our interests aren’t even being mentioned by any of the candidates. We should make our criticism known, and and also why we are choosing to vote anyway. Because this country cannot avoid a full fledged descent into full tyranny if we have another Bush in office. If McCain of Giuliani get in office, we are through. That is why I am saying we all lose if we choose to stay home.
If you can’t stand Markos Moulitsas, you should definitely read the new research about him: The Secret “Family Business” of Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga is Uncovered.
If you never knew that Markos’ family received millions from the US Government and is connected to international environmental polluters, then you might want to post a diary about this at your blog.
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