Complacency Alert

I'm not sure I quite agree with this, though I can see why the diary is getting such a positive reception. Traditionally, the American newsmedia aims for objectivity yet often fails to rise above vapidity. But it's not inherently conservative, if conservatism is understood as a particular socio-political project in America. Indeed, conservative success with media has come about largely as a product of decades of careful work cultivating an alternative to mainstream media, combined with strategies to pressure journalists and take advantage of the objectivity-vapidity paradigm. The legitimacy granted to what is, as the diarist points out, actually a rather fringe ideology, is not primarily the result of a "top-down" media structure, but of a movement that had the audacity to refuse to play by the rules of what was modern American journalism.

It's certainly true that the internet has helped broaden the range of information and opinion available to Americans, and that's undoubtedly a good thing for progressives. Online communications strategies have been critical in the emergence of the new progressive era. But that's because, like the conservatives before us, we're refusing to play by the rules of a media structure from which we've been locked out for the past few decades. We're taking advantage of new technologies, and innovating.

I bring this up in part because I think that if we become too comfortable in our assumption that new communications technologies will bring us "47 consecutive" Democratic presidents, we'll experience some pretty nasty whiplash when the other side innovates right past us again. And it will happen. The only thing we can do is try to stave it off as long as possible, but getting smug pretty much guarantees it'll happen sooner rather than later.

Labels: Daily Kos, internet, movement building, technology

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 9:52 AM 0 comments

  VRWC Nods to VLWC

At the National Review, Byron York pays tribute to YearlyKos, in a surprisingly moderate tone. Of course, he has reason to mention it: he "predicted" the rise of a "Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy" back in 2004. York quotes Markos of Daily Kos, who said at the time that York's analysis was "about 2 - 5 years too early." As he now observes, the progressive netroots -- who never had as far to go as the Goldwater conservative movementeers -- might now properly lay claim to a certain vastness. He also suggests that we've been helped along the way by Republican blunders, the war chief among them, and I don't disagree -- though I happen to think we're more in tune with the American public than are the conservatives on a pretty broad range of issues.

Anyway, to all you Kossacks in Chicago -- have a blast. Wish I could be there, but I guess I'll see you at the barricades.

Labels: Byron York, Daily Kos, movement building, progressives, Yearly Kos

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 2:11 PM 0 comments

  Red State on the Summit

I promise that after tomorrow, it won't just be all Summit all the time. But meanwhile, check out msstaley's comment at Daily Kos, pointing out some reactions to the Conservative Summit from RedState. Interestingly, the ones she cites are opinions with which I quite agree.

Labels: Conservative Summit, Daily Kos, Redstate

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 6:07 PM 0 comments

  The Hillary Syndrome

Am I the only person in America whose opinion of Hillary Clinton is just "meh"? For both left and right, she's the ultimate love-her-or-hate-her polarizing figure, and for the life of me I've never understood why. I mean, she's a competent centrist Senator, somewhat calculating like most successful politicians. I don't support her for president because I don't agree with the direction in which her faction wants to take the Democratic Party, but that hardly makes her the Antichrist. Yet so many progressives seem to see her that way - I've even heard good liberals say they'd vote for McCain over Hillary. That's just fucked up on so many levels.

And speaking of antichrist, the right's hatred of Hillary has long operated at a truly cosmic level. I just don't get it. She made a few missteps as first lady. She represents a kind of successful woman that conservatives like to disdain (even as many conservative women have had very similar career trajectories). Okay, I get that. But how did she become the ultimate transcendent evil?

Anyway, the early reviews - most blogs still yet to comment - on candidate Hillary:

Newsmax: Hillary will save the GOP

The Corner: "Americans, lock your doors."

Free Republic (comment): "I would even vote for McCain against the Princess (or Witch) of Darkness" [See? Now the super-pure leftists and the wingnuts are converging].

Redstate (comment): "Disingenuous from the get-go."

Daily Kos: Senator, we need to talk.

Steve Gilliard: "Yawn."

We'll see the magazines' view next week, though I guess it's all pretty predictable.

If weird.

Labels: 2008, Daily Kos, Democrats, Free Republic, Hillary Clinton, Newsmax, Presidential election, Redstate, Steve Gilliard, The Corner

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 11:39 AM 0 comments

  Edwards Digs In

Ezra Klein has a good post on the Edwards announcement. He's kicking it off as a literally grassroots (shovel in the ground) kind of civic populist effort.

Edwards stopped in at Daily Kos today, which was nice to see.

Geniuses in the American newsmedia have already begun with the "He Says He Cares About Poverty but He's a Multimillionaire" angle (as if it's better to vote for multimillionaires who ignore poverty). Certainly he could be vulnerable to this kind of thing if his campaign is widely seen as a rich guy doing charity for poor people.

I haven't analyzed his rhetoric in the same systematic way as I've done with Obama, so I can't say yet if he seems to be developing a message to transcend that pitfall. Though he did respond to a question about it with an interesting comment at DKos:

You have to talk about our moral responsibility to each other. Second, you can focus on the benefits for all Americans -- a stronger middle class, a stronger economy, etc.

But also -- we all need to be talking about that-- not just candidates -- and work together to create a culture of responsibility.

There's a there, there, I think. But we'll have to watch how he develops it. Klein notes Edwards's relative lack of emphasis on the "Two Americas" theme this time. Clearly - and fortunately - he's not abandoning his economic populism. But perhaps he's searching for a more expansive way of expressing it.

Labels: 2008, Daily Kos, Ezra Klein, John Edwards, Presidential election

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 2:28 PM 0 comments