MyDD :: The Strike Spreads

The Strike Spreads

by dbrown04, Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 03:24:03 PM EST

While the entrenched media try to belittle Alegre's strike, calling us "silly," telling us we don't even know we're on a "boycott" instead of a "strike"; reporters generally are starting to rebel.

Catherine Crier over at Huffington Post: News Room Revolt!

"Anchors have abdicated their role as educated inquisitors; some because, simply, they are unqualified or unprepared, others because they would rather cater to their guests or the corporate bottom line than to the mission to bring truth to the airwaves. And yes, there is objective truth, or at least legitimate facts from which people may divine their own conclusions."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine- crier/newsrooms-revolt_b_92884.html

And then there's Brian Kilmeade at Fox walking off the set in the face of two straight hours of Obama bashing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/21 /mayhem-at-fox-news-ancho_n_92743.html

Alegre's strike isn't just about Clinton-bashing and it isn't just about sexism, its about the creeping intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the news and opinion dissemination apparatus in this country.

Tags: strike, Catherine Crier, Brian Kilmeade, Fox News, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton (all tags)

Permalink :: 28 Comments :: Post a Comment

Commenter is totally ass-backwards. (2.00 / 3)

Alegre withstood intensive abuse, like many of us. Your comment here is grossly out of touch with reality. Frankly, IMHO, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Dkos has reaped what it has sown. Divisiveness rules the day there.

by bobswern on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 03:50:53 PM EST

abuse? (none / 0)

Although words can hurt they are just words. And if she didn't like what what being said, she didn't have to READ them. It was her choice.
Why do you play the victim?

by munodi on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 03:56:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You're grossly distorting reality here... (2.00 / 4)

We all signed-up for a blog based upon a mission statement and a set of rules and ethics.

Over the past two or three months, the folks that run that place ignored those guidelines. The place has evolved into something very different than it was even three months ago. It is no longer "as advertised." Clinton supporters were targeted for gross abuse, and that mentality was and is supported from the top down. There is no leadership there; or, they've abandoned their own integrity with regard to enforcing any modicum of fairness and respect for their own rules of membership and behavior.

As a result, a lot of people split, including myself.

Your comments are devoid of any reality at all here. In the process of doing that, you also come off as extremely trollish, and just generally obnoxious and sanctimonious, too.

Stop picking fights.

by bobswern on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 04:12:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You're grossly distorting reality here... (1.00 / 1)

Clinton supporters were no more abused than Obama supporters. In fact, if you consider how many fewer Clinton supporters there were, they more than held up their end in the abuse contest.

It's good to see they've found a home here, where the IQ level is so much lower, and any pro-Clinton diary makes it to the rec list no matter how devoid of content or how many outright lies it contains.

Writer's strike. What a joke.

John McCain supports privatizing Social Security.

by Travis Stark on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 04:50:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Strike Spreads (none / 0)

by munodi on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 03:57:10 PM EST

So the reality here is different? (1.50 / 2)

How so? And I find your remarks hypocritical. You just said " Clinton supporters were targeted for gross abuse" and now you've just done the same to me.

by munodi on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 04:36:53 PM EST

Some Thoughts On The Media and The Strike (2.00 / 2)

Catherine Crier's piece is excellent, insightful, and highly recommended. I agree with substantially all of it.

As for the notion that Fox News' sports anchor, Brian Kilmeade, walked off the set because of two straight hours of Obama bashing, I wish that were true, but that is NOT what really happened (despite what the HuffPo story suggests). Watch the tape yourself.

That particular "moment" was obviously staged (eg planned ahead of time), and Kilmeade actually "fake walked off the set" to humorously show how "offended" he would be if somebody told him that he was "a typical sports guy."

Look at the context, the shared, jocular laughter between all three, and the Sanka joke. All underscore the fact that this was actually a staged joke. But, again, watch the tape yourself and reach your own conclusion.

On the other hand, Chris Wallace's statements WERE courageous (at least for FOX)...and correct.

Interestingly, and this may surprise you, Wallace's actions were praised (grudgingly) in a front page diary at DailyKOS the other day. (As was McCain...in a front page diary pertaining to his (former?) stance on immigration reform.)

As for the so called "strike" of Clinton supporters againstd DailyKos, IMHO, it was neither all good nor all bad.

Look, if you don't like posting at a particular political blog, then definitely leave, and find another one you DO like. Not everyone SHOULD post at DailyKos. It takes very thick skin to post there sometimes, and there are plenty of other competing political blogs that need, and deserve, your support.

In fact, if I were a Clinton supporter, I would have had a very hard time posting and commenting at DailyKos. Evidence (polls etc.) strongly suggested that Clinton supporters at DailyKos were never more than 13% of the total audience.

What that meant was that you were outnumbered there by at least 8 to 1. It is simply no fun to fight that many people who either dislike, or yes, hate your chosen candidate.

And every tenth one of your opponents likely said something that just seemed "out of bounds" to you. That IS the nature of political blogs: the more people who visit and post, the more people there who will appear to "breaks the rules" of civility...at least as far you are concerned. Smaller, more manageable blogs are more hospitable on this front.

On the other hand...at this moment in time...DailyKos does reach the largest audience of Democrats on the web. If you really support your candidate with all your energy, you wouldn't want to write off all of these people. On this front, it is worth recalling that Obama was NOT NOT NOT (did I say NOT?) supported by a majority of the DailyKOS audience...until Edwards dropped out. So allegiences can, and do change at DailyKOS.

Morevoer, like it or not, DailyKos IS read by more political reporters and columnists in the MSM (who then spoon feed stories to America's lower information voters) than any other political site. (My sense is that HuffPo is also in the top tier.) For any political reporter or columnist, it would almost be professional negligence to not at least check DailyKOS once in awhile.

So, if your goal in blogging happens to be influencing the news, and thereby influencing an election, DailyKos should be on your list of places to post your thoughts.

In addition, the DailyKos audience obviously opens its wallets for candidates, so if your candidate needs financial support, and you think you have a good pitch, then you should seriously consider pitching at DailyKOS.

Don't forget, tens of thousands of people obviously lurk in the shadows at DailyKOS...but never post or even answer a poll. You may think you fully "know" the DailyKOS audience, but, in fact, nobody fully knows it. The only thing you do know is that the audience is large, in the hundreds of thousands. It is simply not smart for any Democratic candidate to fully write off, or fully anger, that audience.

by Demo37 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 04:38:29 PM EST

Re: Some Thoughts On The Media and The Strike (2.00 / 0)

You bring up a good point. A lot of people quietly went away as the situation deteriorated. The "strike" alerted reporters and others to the fact that the tone, sentiment, and opinions on Daily Kos were not representative of anyting; that it had ceased to be a forum for anything but Obama worship and Hillary bashing. Now I have ALWAYS thought most of the people who posted on Kos were wrong-headed, because they did not seriously consider Kucinich (for the most part). But you would have to be blind not to notice the situation went from bad to very ugly.

by hearthmoon on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:24:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The Two Camps (2.00 / 0)

We probably agree on a great deal, but a few points, perhaps, of some disagreement...

I tend to look at DailyKOS in very utilitarian, brass tacks terms, as my comment above I think essentially indicated.

So...for example, a person might want to use DailKOS to have fun (it can be), influence national political events (it does, at the margins, through user diaries and user comments), fundraise for your candidate (it works), get informed on politics, economics, etc (not all diaries are presidential horserace related) and organize progressive political campaigns (hey, a lot of progressive foot soldiers are there who could help your cause).

So, to suggest that the "tone, sentiment, and opinions were not representative of anything" strikes me as mistaken. It suggests an unnecessarily limited view of what DailyKOS actually is.

As I see it, when Edwards dropped out, the bulk of the netroots (I would say 80%) coalesced behind Obama (who had previously generated serious and widespread reservations, particularly with respect to his incessant talk of bipartisanship). That made it much more difficult for Clinton advocates in the netroots, and in particular, at DailyKOS. Once the transition ended, and the dust cleared, the sides were not particularly evenly matched in terms of numbers.

As for the tone of many supporters comments...both here and at DailyKOS...I have stopped counting the number of Clinton and Obama supporters who post essentially "party destroying" diaries and comments. The number is quite high.

I feel like taking away the matches...because you two camps are burning down the Democratic house.

by Demo37 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:36:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Clintonites and Kosiacs (2.00 / 1)

it seemed to me to be very natural that Clinton supporters would not find a happy home at Daily Kos. (not to excuse any ill treatment of anyone on the internet tubes, that's always wrong.) Kos seemed to be formed to do 2 things, yes one was help Dems in general, but the other seemed to be the main reason, to move the party away from the path set by the DLC-led, GOP-Lite, establishment Democrats (that in my opinion had led our party to defeat after defeat between 1994 and 2004). Hillary Clinton is the Establishment Candidate, so obviously she was going to have a hard time finding support on sites like Daily Kos.

while i support anyone's decision to leave anywhere they aren't getting respect, and thus support anyone who wants to "strike" Daily Kos, it seemed to me alot of Clinton supporters were mad not because they weren't getting respect, but because they weren't getting agreement. it's just not realistic to think a netroots site is going to support a DLC candidate.

the time to rise has been engaged.

by catchaz on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 05:31:47 PM EST

Re: Clintonites and Kosiacs (2.00 / 0)

Hillary is not the establishment candidate.

She maybe the old face who has been in the politic for a long time. But her plan offer the most drastic change to the country. She offers universal healthcare, new plan to create job, green industry, wave student loan for public offers, force insurance industry to cover precondition. Her policy represents change for this country.

I'm ok to engage in this kind of discussion with you because you show respect. But the situation at dailyKos has deteriorate to name calling, and insulting not just to Hillary, but to Hillary supporter, and the voters that voted for Hillary. When Obama supporters suggested that they should stalk the pro-Hillary writers and find something to use against us, I think that was way beyond the line.

by JoeySky18 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:02:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

ouch! (none / 0)

"When Obama supporters suggested that they should stalk the pro-Hillary writers and find something to use against us, I think that was way beyond the line."

holy shit! i certainly didn't see that. that's the worst thing i've heard so far from one candidate's supporters.

again, i am very unhappy with Clinton's campaign, but i've also been very unhappy with sexism from some Obama supporters. and this is just WAY beyond the pale.

the time to rise has been engaged.

by catchaz on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:25:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Strike Spreads (2.00 / 1)

The strike is about many things. But most importantly it's about fairness.

As the big man at Kos said it himself, "Hillary doesn't deserve a fair treatment". That my friend is the crux of this strike at dailyKos. And it's now spreading in other places because Hillary doesn't receive fair treatment in the media.

I want Hillary to have fair treatment and coverage by the media.

by JoeySky18 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 05:50:56 PM EST

Yes let's have fair treatment (2.00 / 0)

and demand that the press report on Clinton's LIES that she "landed in Bosnia under "sniper fire," adding: "There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." Her whole Bosnia story is one big lie. So are you now going to write letters and phone the media and demand fair treatment???????????

by munodi on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 06:06:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Fair treatment (none / 0)

TR's for unsubstantied, baseless smear against a progressive Dem candidate.

I'm United Methodist. I already have a Messiah.

by KnowVox on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:45:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Fair treatment (none / 0)

I want the DEM candidate to beat McCain, but her surrogates will see this on the Sunday shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOsGo_HWP -c

. . . so a response needs to be developed.

NO 100 year WAR, NO McConnell run Senate, & NO GOP-led Supreme Court!!!

by Veteran75 on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 08:50:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Strike Spreads (none / 0)

Good examination. Right on!

by Fleaflicker on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 07:55:49 PM EST

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