I am not a huge DK writer. I write when i feel like I have something to say worth talking about or have some action that needs to be taken. I come to DK for those actions because I know that the community here is one of the most active in the Democratic Party and the Left in general (contrary to Chris Mathews seems to believe).
I was a field organizer for the Barack Obama Campaign, starting in June of '07, back when DK was still strongly in the Edwards camp and Obama was around 8% in most polls. I stayed on through the primaries and ended up in Indiana for the general election. I put in more work that 99.9% of the people on this site did (not disparaging what you did do). Working 110 hours a week making volunteer calls, setting up meetings, event for the big surrogates like Biden and Sebelius for my entire 22 and 23-year-old years right out of college.
My point of this diary is to show that you don't have to support a president 100% of the time, even if you called for him, got paid by him and worked tirelessly for him. If anything, we should be the loudest critics, the ones who he may listen to in the face of the bubble he has surrounded himself in.
Not that I really wish to prove this, but here's a little bit of pic proof that I'm who I say I am.
UPDATE: The bandwidth got too high from all the people and all my pictures are not showing up, so here is a slideshow with most of them.
This is a few pics from Las Vegas. An Organizing meeting, our office and the nice desert view from our office.
This is the Democratic Caucus in Texas March 2008 and also a student organizing meeting held at the University of North Texas.
And finally a few pics from WINdiana, including myself with Joe Biden, Kathleen Sebelius and speaking at events. (If you can notice my "Emo for Obama" button when I met Biden.)
Now, here's what I've done after the election.
This is me at a protest to stop the escalation of the Afghan War.
THis is me trying to stop my city from building a Gas Well literally across the street from a hospital.
This is me at a teach-in listening to someone who had just come back from Honduras during the coup.
And this is me next to my signed NY Times ad from the PCCC to tell Obama we want a public option along with 400 other former staffers.
This is only a snap shot of my activities over the last few years but I think it gets the point across. I worked for Obama. I chose Obama over Clinton and McCain with no hesitation. I still believe I and the country made the right choice to elect Barack Hussein Obama our president. But I also believe that he needs to be pushed from the Left. The Tea Party Right is pushing and they are getting things that they want. The Left has fallen asleep for fear of "not supporting our president when these Tea Partiers are attacking him constantly." That's exactly WHY WE NEED TO BE LOUDER THAN THE TEABAGGERS.
So as for what I call "the Great DK Purge" with Obama supporters leaving the site because they feel unwelcome. Most of the people on this site voted for Obama. We wanted him to be president. But now we want our issues front and center and that means being loud as hell about it. If we just sit back and let things happen, every issue we care about will turn out exactly like Healthcare, Warrentless Wiretapping, Afghanistan and Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Bailing Out rich bankers with our tax dollars with nothing to show for it, the list goes on....
So I plead to the Obama critics on this site, don't yell down someone that still has faith. Just tell them the facts. If they don't listen well they don't listen. But they deserve to have their say on DK and shouldn't be forced out by cyber-bullies. They will open their eyes soon enough.
UPDATE:
- I have noticed there is a lot of debate of the use of the word "Purge." Yes, it is a huge exaggeration of what is really happening. I used the word to get people to click on the article and read it. Later in the article I explain what i meant by "The Great DK Purge" and said I meant the Obama supporters leaving the site. Call me a cynic, but I wanted people to read this and a sensational title achieved that. Of coarse what's happening here at Daily Kos is nothing like Stalin or Hitler or any dictator did when they killed their own party members to gain more power. Any suggestion otherwise is stupid.
- I am proudly to the Left of the President and I don't pretend otherwise. I maintain the Left needs to organize separately from the DNC, OFA and other official Democratic Party outlets to really gain political capital to pressure the administration.
- I have been disappointed with many Obama supporters who I love, truly love, for all their hard work getting him elected. After I went to Georgia after the Nov 4th election to try and get that 60th Senator we needed at the time I saw first hand that all the momentum the Left had built up was gone. Tired of politics, tired of volunteering, just generally tired. I'll point out that we raised $10,000 from Daily Kos to bring volunteers down to help and it was truly appreciated.
- Thanks to all who wish to keep debate civil.
- Thanks for getting this to the top of the rec list. My 2nd time ever.