Can you give me an example of a DUer popularity?
And I am not a member of DU, I lurk yes. They banned me last year after 8 years of blood, sweat and tears, and yes, you're right, I'm not a conservative, I'm a socialist.
I help run Old Elm Tree though.
It isn't much, but it's home.
The first is a DUer we don't name here - but I will say that he produces a comic strip containing Victorian images with added word bubbles. He was a pretty big thing at DU, and then he ran for a small political office, and his campaign collapsed. Ever since, he has fallen off the radar.
The second is a DU Wunderkind, who has now been banned multiple times. He was loved as a prodigy, ran, lost, got banned, ran for at least another office and got banned multiple times thereafter for 'Spamming'.
There was another who ran for mayor for a small town, he lost, and I am pretty sure he simply left DU. Of course it was all love and bubblegum while he was a contender, but not anymore.
DU member Alan Grayson - they loved him almost universally - now only the DU 'fringe' pay him any mind.