There have been numerous rec list postings about Kos’ decision to clean up the website effective March 15th. Most are the aggrieved, embattled, “my first amendment!” cries of bewilderment, or denial of plain facts.
I posted several months ago that something like this was inevitable, and suggested building a mechanism for BSers to maintain a cohesive entity moving forward.
But now, let’s look instead at WHY this decision had to be made now, when the primary battle is essentially over: the continuing viability of the website itself.
First off — dK does not inhabit a minority position. It supports the Democratic Party, and candidates who have the best chance to meet our objectives. You can slice-and-dice future predictions any way you want, but at least work from a reality basis, and use fivethirtyeight.com’s projections to try to make your argument. If you can.
Second — the extended dialogue has already cost dK a lot, in terms of readership, in terms of sponsorship, in terms of working with various groups supporting Democratic candidates. There are political projects that have gone dead, others stillborn, because of the great fracas on our top pages.
Third — is there really anything new that has developed? 99% of the “news” from the minority position is either recycled trash from the RW or feel-good crap, like the sad saga of “little Bernie”, the 4-month old with Sanders wig and glasses. Real news, like abrupt changes in campaign staffing level, cash-on-hand or state media buys, is constantly pushed off the front page with this stuff.
Fourth — Manners! Two things yet to be instituted here, which I hope will come to pass, is a Twit Filter and removal of anonymity for flagging. The first has been around many discussion websites forever: enter a username in your Twit Filter and you’ll never see another post by him or her. (You may still see replies, if your filter is set up that way.) The second issue has probably been very hotly debated at the top, but we’ve all recently seen the abuse caused by being able to flag someone and remain anonymous.
Fifth — what would YOU like this website to look like: now, three and six months from now, and then right before the election? Imagine a week to the November vote, long after the convention, and our front page still being bombed with BS rhetoric about evil “corporatists” and the like. Without a change of trajectory beginning NOW, this could happen. And it’s obvious the people who write this stuff care not one whit about the website, or the Democratic Party.
Sixth — it’s a big Internet, there are a lot of places to go. I’ve personally been finding recent solace in dailynewsbin.com, a small but reliably “pro-Establishment” news source. (Did I mention they’re small?) Bill Palmer, editor and owner of the website, is doing what everyone here wishes they had the chops to do. And it looks real good.
If OTOH you’re a pro-Bernie sort of person, politicususa.com and democraticunderground.com may be more your milieu. I think either/both might be more suitable to becoming a Bernie locus than Facebook or Reddit, but YMMV.
Seventh and final — You’ve had previous warning, and now you have a couple weeks’ lead time. I think people who leave will largely migrate back, especially when this website reverts to being fact-based and developing the down-ticket support we need, too. (If you’re still intent on Revolution, pay attention to how groups organize and build. It’s not all about putting on monster rallies, though that’s fun, too.)
