Stop Me Before I Vote Again

As an independent red-green with a couple thousand better things to do than track the hyperreal follies of US electoral politics, until very recently (until stumbling across MWS' killer reporting on the Kosniks' confab, in fact) I remained studiously ignorant of this phenomenon.

Now that I have been clued in to this bizarre charade, I wanted to offer a few passing observations... nothing earth-shattering really, just "thinking out loud" and probably "playing to the crowd" as well.

1. I find utterly laughable the absolute lack of awareness that the only occasions upon which the Democratic Party has tacked to the “left” (Great Depression, 1960’s-early 1970’s, etc.) is when extra-parliamentary movements (the CIO, civil rights & black power, etc.) have resorted to extra-electoral means (sit-down strikes, civil disobedience, riots, etc.) forcing the Democratic Party to adopt the most milquetoast of reforms (reforms which social democratic sellouts in Western Europe put to shame!).

2. Equally gut-busting is the notion that somehow a mutual admiration society of geeks reading one another’s like-minded blogs translates into a “movement.”

3. Perhaps the most bourgeois of all conceits is to elevate form above content, or in this case to breathlessly assert and reassert the “revolutionary” bona fides of the “netroots” while continuously eschewing ANY substantial debate over the concrete program the said “revolution” is putatively advancing.

4. It is a sad commentary on how taken-for-granted “political technologism” has become that the centerpieces of conversation are focus groups, branding exercises, communications strategies, etc. – precisely among those who style themselves as (and are styled by the MSM as) “rebellious outsiders.”

I had pretty much given up on the postmodern cartoon that is the US prior to stumbling across this site… I’m afraid that my diagnosis has only been darkened.

Daily Kos seems to have hit some kind of critical mass in the last little while - the book, of course, then the outing of Armando, the media coverage of Yearly Kos (it was even in the Onion!) and now, the twin controversies of its Jerome and this e-mail.

Is it a normal left-wing purge? The beautiful caterpillar finally revealing its form as the ugly butterfly?

How ironic, then, that Kos's idea of a list completely off the record, is done in by the simple fact that everything is potentially on the record in such a discussions, thanks to the beauty of internet technology.

have another canape, goes with schadenfreude... (this poster was serious btw):

Not only that (none / 0)
If they're fancy pants elitists, you'd think they would have chosen a name like "mansion" or "maisson" instead of the lowly "townhouse".
by catnip (llamg88 at hotmail.com) on Fri Jun 23rd, 2006 at 12:19:44 AM EST

Marisacat

This is the most depressing development yet.

Oh, not the whole TNR / KO$ brouhaha. That's hilarious on so many levels!

But upon reading the comments following KO$'s lip frothing denial, it's become increadingly clear that it's impossible to parody Kosnikis. The kind of delusional nutbaggery displayed by the average KO$ cultist defies comedic ridicule.

From the Kosniki calls for subscription Jihad to the inevitable comparisons to Hitler - how am I supposed to compete with this kind of mockery-proof insanity?

hey as

you can''t compete with
the beauty
of a slightly
polluted sky's
sunset either

No, no, AS. It's the Nader voters who have a cult !! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go tidy the shrine I set up in the broom closet seven years ago. The cats have been using it to stash their baubles and herb. Again.

[Waves at Marisacat. Everyone should go read her rants in full. They sound like what mine will sound like when I finally learn to write. :D ]

Hi Ms X! I'm already a mondo-big Marisacat fan. And I still want to join your STFU Party!

hey hey... well it is somewhat cathartic.

IMO, they are a rather nasty bunch. And this "movement" slobber is to mask what is simply self-aggrandisement via the political process. Same thing when they trumpeted :community: a couple years ago.

Such blither about saving the nation.

But I just finished off the post for today... it is getting too long.

My take the boyos are weary... they want it to end.

It may slow and quiet but this sort of thing, once it breaks, does not go away.

And RedState now has hold of Jerome's old (well he may still do it, I don't know) astrology projections. Some apparently applied to political events.

oh well.

Bless their hearts