I’ve been scratching my head wondering about the thought process of our Party Leaders. What a disaster! But, they are not the only problem either. We’ve been a failure too. We, who had the inside track, have failed to engage our own Leaders.
Let us not be blind to the big picture. Yes, we’ve had some victories, but they’ve been far and wide. We’ve had more major loses than victories. We’ve utterly failed to become a big factor, a leading light, or an influential voice. Oh, our Party Leaders hear us alright, but they just blow us off now. They have withdrawn from this community.
[Note: I don’t, by any stretch of imagination, think that I have all the questions or know the answers. I just hope that this diary becomes a catalyst for discussions and ideas.]
I know some will take exception to this, but let us be real. Just go through all the major issues: Iraq, AG appointment, S-CHIP, FISA, ... we lost on all of them. Hell, we even have our Leaders sponsoring some of this crap. If you lose so often, then you can’t only blame others. If what we believe in or champion is so self-evidently right, then why don’t they see it? Why have our leaders withdrawn from our community? Why are we being treated as gadflies and not a serious voice? Where did things go wrong? How do we right this ship?
The one thing that stands out for me is how we are represented or talked about. We are seen as the fringe. The Right has, successfully, created a fringe narrative about us. It doesn’t matter whether they are accurate or right, what matters is that it appears to have taken hold out there. And, the Right isn’t alone in this. Just listen to our own Party Leaders. Mr. Reid doesn’t even talk to us and Ms. Pelosi just dismisses us because she is a "leader" and we are... the riffraff.
Unfortunately, they may be right. Just look at what we offer. Our front page articles are mostly hit pieces. The "Recommended Dairies" section is dominated by election campaign folks flaming each other. If I, who wakes up and sleeps with this site, am getting turned off, then imagine what kind of effect it has on others. Flame me as much as you want, but I bet that this site’s numbers will bear me out.
I don’t want the "fringe" narrative to become a self fulfilling prophecy. I love this community. I am a believer in many of the causes that we have championed. I want us to move to the next level and become a direct participant in this nation’s dialogue. But, that wont happen unless and until we are respected as a rational community that speaks authoritatively regarding matters of substance. That is why I have written this diary. This is an appeal to the community to do a little soul searching and deep thinking to come up with solutions that would raise our level of discourse with the outside world.
Here are is a suggestion to get us started:
Why don’t we create a section devoted to special topics, e.g. FISA, S-CHIP, etc. Then, assign a moderator who’s role will be to organize, not formulate, the subject matter. Each section can be organized like a wiki. We can add FAQ that lists issues, provides analysis, and offers solutions. It would showcase the diversity of the opinions in this community.
This could become a great resource for our community and elected representatives. It can help shape legislation and policy. It could be used as a great advocacy tool. And, it would be better than any policy formulated by a Think Thank, because it would be vetted and shaped by a larger community.
Let us give them a good reason to come to this site and pay attention to what we say. Let them quote this site as their source. Let us stop yelling and have a meaningful dialogue with the rest of the world. Let us become successfully help shape the Party’s agenda.
What are your suggestions? How about it you Kos?