A day without Daily Kos

I pledge allegiance to the flag

For more than a decade now, Daily Kos has been a place for Democrats and progressives to congregate and analyze, organize and socialize. It's been a place to find people who care about the same things we do. It's been a place for people dissatisfied with the media, the conventional wisdom, and complacency. For me, it's the place where I first found people who were "crazy" like me, about opposing the Iraq Debacle. Last year, I wrote:

Back in the fall of 2002 and spring of 2003, like many people, I was dumbfounded, astounded, flabbergasted and nonplussed by the unthinking rush to the Iraq Debacle cheered upon the by the Very Serious People of the time. It seemed unreal to me. [...] I found this blog, Daily Kos, to talk about the insanity. It felt necessary then, just to make sure it was not me who was crazy. That someone else felt the same way. It turned out there were a lot of people who felt the same way. And a lot of them congregated at Daily Kos.

Those were important days for me. And I was better for having Daily Kos to go to on those days. And there have been many days like that since.

One day in particular stands out for me personally. In January 2005, Daily Kos changed the conversation about Alberto Gonzales and torture. It culminated with all the writers, past and present, joining together to urge the rejection of Alberto Gonzales and torture in an open letter:

As the prime legal architect for the policy of torture adopted by the Bush Administration, Gonzales's advice led directly to the abandonment of longstanding federal laws, the Geneva Conventions, and the United States Constitution itself. Our country, in following Gonzales's legal opinions, has forsaken its commitment to human rights and the rule of law and shamed itself before the world with our conduct at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. The United States, a nation founded on respect for law and human rights, should not have as its Attorney General the architect of the law's undoing. [..]

We oppose the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States, and we urge the Senate to reject him.

Rush Limbaugh didn't think much of our effort:

"My friends, a bunch of BLOGGERS -- you know those crazy folks who are online all day long saying the sky is falling -- a bunch of bloggers have aligned together. That's right my friends, they've ALIGNED together -- to protest the nomination of Alberto Gonzales. Now, you're probably thinking -- just how many bloggers are out there in lunyville. Well, now, let's take a look, shall we.

 I've got here the list from a site called DailyKos. ... and these guys are against the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to be our next Attorney General.  Ohhhh, I'm quaking in my boots my friends. "DAILY KOS has come out against Alberto Gonzales!" Sound the alarms, call in the Marines... My God President Bush must be burning up the phone lines to Senators, shoring up support. WHY? Because some website called "DAILY KOS" has vowed to gather more of his kind into some band of solidarity to try to prevent the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales... And my friends you wonder why these people lose elections but god bless 'em, give em credit for trying....

 But this is the best part.  DAILY KOS has gotten 100 of the A-LIST Bloggers to join him in this monumental effort to kill the Gonzales confirmation:

 My friends, it says here that "The Big Lowitski" & "Oklahoma Hippie" are against the fine man Alberto Gonzales - hahaha.  Why yes, but that's not all!  We have much to fear, because "4 guys named Pete," "Wiseass" & "The Booze Cabinet" are also voicing their opposition....  My friends, I for one would rathe stand with The President, our brave troops and our next Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, than with the hippies, wiseasses & booze cabinets, but this is a democracy & I think it is just great when the liberal lunatics remind us that although they are fun to keep as pets, we should not let them run the household .  Back in a moment.

While Alberto Gonzales was confirmed, the stirrings of Democrats standing up for Democratic values was beginning. Thirty-six Democratic senators (out of 44) stood up for what was right and voted "no" on Gonzales. Later, Gonzales was forced out of office and to this day remains an infamous figure. First they laugh at you, and so on. And eventually you win. Ask Joe Lieberman.

That was a proud day for me as a kossack. And there have been many many more.  Without Daily Kos, I would never have been able to have been a part of that day and many other days. That day without Daily Kos  would have made me poorer. I'm sure that each of you remember days like that, that mattered as much to you. Days when not having Daily Kos would have made you poorer.

Another series of days that stands out for me is the fight against Joe Lieberman, which ends with his ignominious retirement in 8 days. The stand out for me was the community led  battles'which I highlighted in my August 2006 post The Origins of Blogofacism: Or Why Ctkeith is my hero. Those were days where Daily Kos made a difference.

That's why I am asking you to donate to Daily Kos, either by straight donation or by buying a subscription for yourself or for a friend. I've donated and I will be buying Christmas subscriptions.

You can buy a subscription for yourself or a friend on our subscription page.

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Imagine a day without Daily Kos. Now remember your days at Daily Kos. Would it have been the same without this blog? If the answer is no, then please give your support.