primitives driving the election

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2731549

Oh my.

By the way, isn't it sort of past time for BadCat to do a DUmpDiver, to see how many primitives there actually are?

Anyway; the sequoia primitive:

bigtree  (1000+ posts)       Mon Jan-21-08 08:03 AM
Original message
 
It amazes me how many posters seem to believe they're driving the election from here at DU
 
I think we're mostly just talking to ourselves . . . and a few sick freepers. We do catch the attention of some newbies and some surfers. And, undoubtably, there are journos who look in for inspiration and to catch our drift. But I don't really think that a large part of our advocacy, or our little spats, have all that much impact beyond DU. Certainly the potential is there for a spark of interest which catapults into a movement or some action, but that's got to be just a fraction of the posts here which go that far.

I could be wrong. I do see Time for Change's posts when I search Google news . . .

I come here to get writing ideas and vent. I get pretty animated around elections, and DU has just enough political action to keep me from ranting non-stop. I like reading other's reactions to events and happenings that I and others post. I don't have any serious, official affiliations or assignments (past or present) which compel me to come here. It beats talking to the dog or hollering into the empty air. Just some perspective on my own experience here for those who have questions about some of the advocacy they see here at DU, for what it's worth.

robcon (1000+ posts)     Mon Jan-21-08 08:09 AM
Response to Original message
 
1. I agree. Some DUers seem to think what they write matters.

It's just a fun political site.

tekisui  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jan-21-08 08:10 AM
Response to Reply #1
 
2. A hobby more than anything.

Have fun everybody!

robcon (1000+ posts)     Mon Jan-21-08 08:15 AM
Response to Reply #2
 
4. ...and intellectually stimulating, and getting challenged to defend one's ideas.
That's the importance for me.

bigtree  (1000+ posts)       Mon Jan-21-08 08:19 AM
Response to Reply #4
 
5. It's been an indispensable sounding board for mine

I can't count the times I've been put on my ass or corrected. I'm usually red-faced, but, ultimately, grateful.

bigtree  (1000+ posts)       Mon Jan-21-08 08:14 AM
Response to Reply #1
 
3. I do think that there is an opportunity for some writing here to expand beyond DU but, I've come to believe that, although we're a pretty large community with posters from all around the world, most of the stuff which gets folks here all fired up, stays here. Some of the inspirational stuff (and the investigative stuff) does seem to flow beyond our community's borders . . .

EV_Ares  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jan-21-08 08:30 AM
Response to Original message
 
6. Agreed here; as above posters have said, maybe a hobby for some, makes some people feel important, some are probably sincere in their politics, in some cases, it is apparent, a sense of power the way some talk to others here. It is kind of fun to pass the time as well and read the posts, chime in once in a while.

No, I don't think DU drives the election by any means.

Echo In Light (1000+ posts)      Mon Jan-21-08 08:37 AM
Response to Original message
 
7. The American system works on controlling thought/perceptions

Only repubs and right-leaning dems disagree with this ... for the obvious reasons.

The corporate media has been in a tizzy over loss of readership/viewership due to alternative/indie media online.

So with that level of power on the line, you can bet there are those whose job it is is to keep their finger on the pulse of the people. Do I think that's tantamount to posters determining elections? No. But there have been high profile examples of how the mainline media got it wrong, and it was pointed out by bloggers, and reached higher public awareness than what certain powers like.

Yeah, we on this side discovered that's a handy tool to have, where the news media got it wrong, and needed corrected.  "Dan Rather" ring a bell? 

bigtree  (1000+ posts)       Mon Jan-21-08 08:41 AM
Response to Reply #7
 
8. I've seen that kind of impact from here, from time to time

And, I think it's very important, special and valuable that we're having these conversations. It's a coalition of opposition to Bush and his republicans here which is pretty unique in it's breadth and depth of knowledge and interest.

But, I think some here take the impact of the petty posts (more than a few of my own) a little too seriously . .

EV_Ares  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jan-21-08 08:45 AM
Response to Reply #7
 
9. Good points made there. The MSM I think hated a lot of the bloggers and blogs because they were correcting the media and are kind of a watchdog for them & have been keeping the media on their toes somewhat. You go to a lot of those sites and you get good info of which I am sure you are familiar from your post. I think the OP is seeing here as a lot of us do if you just go down the posts a lot of bickering, juvenile name calling so much fighting, it lessens the credibility of the forum so much. Not as much info but a lot of fighting. But, yes, blogs are a great source of information.

Hmmmm.

If "Dan Rather" doesn't ring a bell, maybe the Bostonian Drunkard and his pal the Leopudlian journalist, and that thing that happened on May 12, 2006?

Echo In Light (1000+ posts)      Mon Jan-21-08 08:48 AM
Response to Reply #9
 
10. Understood. It's up to everyone to BE the media.

It's a new campfire; the above's it so far, but one is anxiously waiting to see if Pedro Picasso, the media analyst to the primitives on Skins's island, comments.

[Lord Undies]

bigtree  (1000+ posts)       Mon Jan-21-08 08:14 AM
Response to Reply #1
 
3. I do think that there is an opportunity for some writing here to expand beyond DU but, I've come to believe that, although we're a pretty large community with posters from all around the world, most of the stuff which gets folks here all fired up, stays here. Some of the inspirational stuff (and the investigative stuff) does seem to flow beyond our community's borders . . .

That line always cracks me up.  Such an international community!  Why, their Cuban section and North Korean section alone dwarfs the membership of FreeRepublic.  :laughinghystericallysmiliehere:

[Splashdown]

Well, looks like somebody actually slipped a little reality into the powdered spray-chees on their Chee-tos this morning.

[TheSarge]

The are like the Ronulans...they hype themselves up into thinking they are the "driving force" behind the winning candidate thanks to their continuous voting on online polls and the echo chamber they live in at the DUmp and then are totally confused when "their guy" doesn't win.

And that confusion allows them to generate all kinds of false outrage and Conspiracy theories about voter fraud and Diebold until the next election cycle.

It's self perpetuating defeat.

[DixieBelle]

Whatever skinner is sprinkling onto the feed is working. Little do they know that the island is merely a distraction. It helps keep them from being underfoot while the real Dems try and get some work done. Silly DUmmies.

[franksolich]

Whatever skinner is sprinkling onto the feed is working. Little do they know that the island is merely a distraction. It helps keep them from being underfoot while the real Dems try and get some work done. Silly DUmmies.

That appears to be it, exactly.

After trying to steal the presidency in 2000, and failing, the regular Democrats and liberals didn't want to lose again, and one major problem they had was that of the "image" of being far-left-wing extremists. 

In this case, the "image" matches reality perfectly, but the general public doesn't care much for far-left-wing extremists, and so the regular Democrats and liberals needed to sugar-coat that "image," to hide what they really were, and are.

The regular Democrats and liberals had among their numbers primitives not sophisticated enough, not savvy enough, to be dishonest about what they are, and something had to be done about those.

So the idea of Skins's island, as a magnet to attract primitives, lasso them in, isolate them from the eyespan of the general public.

And it's worked out very well; imagine the damage the primitives could do to the "image" of Democrats and liberals, if the primitives were running amok all over the internet, shooting off their mouths.

[DixieBelle]

what's even more delicious is that they think they matter and that Pelosi et al, represent their interests 100% of the time. Lucy never had as much fun with Charlie Brown as the Democratic Party does with the primitives.

[Rebel Yell]

Bigtree is the one that got me my own personal cemetary plot, complete with tombstone.

But he is right, this time.