Straighten Up And Fly Left

A post by Shakespeare's Sister set us to wondering here at Agitprop:  What in the wide wide world of sports can the left blogosphere do to get some respect?  ShakesSis quotes a couple people who should be on our side, like Mike McCurry and that fun-loving Joe Klein - this from the latter:

The Stephanopoulos moment came and went ephemerally, as TV moments do, leaving a slight, queasy residue — I knew that I hadn't explained myself adequately, but that happens a lot on television. So thanks, frothing bloggers, for calling me on my mistake. You can, at times, be a valuable corrective. At other times, though, your vitriol just seems uninformed, malicious and disproportionate. You seem to believe that since I'm not a lock-step liberal — and we can talk about what a liberal actually is some other time — I'm some sort of creepy, covert conservative.

Creepy?  Perhaps.  Covert?  Hardly.  But that's not the point.  The point is rejiggering the progressive side to counter this sort of thing:

But what really makes conservatives effective is their pre-existing media infrastructure, composed of local and national talk-radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, the Fox News Channel and sensationalist say-anything outlets like the Drudge Report - all of which are quick to pass on the latest tidbit from the blogosphere. "One blogger on the Republican side can have a real impact on a race because he can just plug right into the right-wing infrastructure that the Republicans have built," [the NYT's Matt] Stoller says.

Do we have a Drudge?  Don't think so.  Do we have a Fox?  Feh - imagine PBS's Jim Lehrer discussing a Kos post - ain't gonna' happen.  Do our blogs, even the biggies, get 622 comments per post like the fascisti at LGF? Nope. (OK, so they're lucky if a third of them aren't death threats).

So Shakes and me are going to set it before you (her post is here), the home readers (or before you immature foul-mouthed jerks, if you believe Joe Klein).  What do we do?  Beg George Soros for the money to start Not Fox News?  Trackback, comment, and blogwhore more?  Do the Technorati?  Figure out a party line and stick to it?  (Ha!)

So what's it to be sports fans?  Two or more years of continued Rethuglican control?  Another nutcase in the White House in 2008?  Your actions might just have something to do with the results.

read more: mike mccurry joe klein matt drudge george bush fox news impeach bush jim lehrer george soros

Comments

[Comandante Agi]

You raise some important questions.

It seems that the lefty blogosphere is more about satirical skewering of politics than it is about direct political action. I don’t see the lefty blogosphere ever becoming a force powerful enough to counter the Republican machine, Fox News, right-wing talk radio, etc. The blogosphere is fun, but it’s not the solution to the right-wing monopoly on power in this country.

The conservative movement created a strategy 40 years ago to literally take over this country. They started locally with the school boards, then took the media, and now the entire federal government. Liberals, or the left in general, need to plan and be pro-active, instead of reactive. The problem is that lefties, by their nature, are less willing to walk in lock step like conservatives. Thus their harder to organize. It’s easier for conservatives to create and proliferate an organized authoritarian movement. It will probably take 40 years for the left to catch up.

I don’t have any answers. My personal response to all this madness has been to withdraw from politics for the most part. But this dialogue is a good start.

[spiiderweb]

You bring up a very good point, George Soros. Open invitation to George. Why don't you funnel a few million into a new 24/7 news channel? With the right people you could attract millions who would hear/see the progressive side of all issues.

Just by tapping into Hollywood you would attract fans of Susan Sarandon, George Clooney, Tim Robbins and such.

I'm waiting...

[M A F]

I can't ascribe to the principles set forth by the talking heads of right wing redundancy radio, and the mirrored actions of right wing redundancy blogging.

Does the left really want or need a liberal version of Drudge? Limbaugh? Savage? I'd certainly hope not. As for a 'not Fox News' channel, that only gives credence to the rights divisive practices. When candidates allow their opposition to define them, (Kerry is a perfect example) a 'not Fox News' channel will not make a damned bit of difference.

[denisdekat]

Nothing good will happen unless we totally trust bust big media. Also, we need to not fall asleep at the wheel again. Net nuetrality, and such issues are popping up right now. We could loose a lot of freedoms we are accustomed to in regards to the net...

Voices like yours could disappear...

[blogenfreude]

As for a 'not Fox News' channel, that only gives credence to the rights divisive practices.

I mean for Not-Fox to tell the truth - a real No-Spin zone.

[HelenWheels]

The closest thing blogwise on the left is probably HuffPo - that gets a ton of comments, and attention, doesn't it? But I dont' feel that HuffPo speaks for many liberals. It seems more like a hangout for famous folks.

Yeah, we have weak representation in our party and if that doesn't change, we're screwed, unless there's a revolution. And people have to get pretty desperate before that happens.

[actor212]

Hey, um, Joe?

You know, car crashes come and go and are ephemeral moments in time, but you know, ummmmm, sometimes...people die because one of the drivers is drunk or was distracted by his cellphone or he was getting a blow job.

That's sure as hell not "ephemeral," that's eternal. So shut the fuck up and take your spnaking like a man.

Whoops. Forgot who I was talking about here...carry on whining.

[actor212]

We have two, very good progressive news outlets, but I bet you've never heard of them.

I posted about them here. By coincidence, they are both in the midst of fundraising drives. Wanna do something? Go dig out the change from your couch and send it to these two networks.

[Kathy]

As much as I love blogging, I'm not sure that blogs on either end of the political spectrum have that much influence on the mainstream consciousness. We're getting there, but I still have otherwise intelligent, well-informed people ask me to explain blogs to them.

Before I started blogging, I used to write lots of letters to the editor of my local paper and was fortunate enough to have most of them published. Way more people read those than read my blog posts on the same subjects. Maybe we need to send letters and opinion pieces to newspapers as well as publishing them online. It seems so low-tech, but there are still millions of people who read newspapers every day.

We also need to step out from behind the keyboard and get involved in local politics, and I'm talking to myself here. I live in a district that has no Democratic candidate running for US House, state house, or state senate -- likely because potential candidates didn't think they could get the money or support they need to run a decent campaign.

And as fun as it is to snark at stupid conservative tricks, we need to show that progressives offer positive ideas that will help all of us.

[joseph]

The left distinguishes itself not necessarily with political alignment but with its capacity for critical thinking. The tendency if you're a conservative is to fall in line; for a liberal it's to question. So we not only question the right, we question each other.

The right, being conservative, has a natural tendency to question the way things are---that's what makes them conservative. It makes for more goosestepping but less generation of ideas. Ideas which end up on the left or the right almost always originate from the left---and that's the strength of the progressive side, critical thinking and idea generation.

[joseph]

The right, being conservative, has a natural tendency to question the way things are---that's what makes them conservative.

Of course, that should say "tendency NOT to question..." My regrets.

[blogenfreude]

The left distinguishes itself not necessarily with political alignment but with its capacity for critical thinking. The tendency if you're a conservative is to fall in line; for a liberal it's to question. So we not only question the right, we question each other.

Well said. This time (2006) in my opinion, we have to mimic the right to the extent that we take back the House, and maybe the Senate. No circular firing squads.

[Thesaurus Rex]

We have to bear in mind that the LAST thing the traditional media wants is for us to gain steam and momentum. It's a problem that's most clearly illustrated by the press corps(e)'s response to Colbert on Saturday. For them to admit that there's any truth or validity in their detractors is to stop clapping their hands and believing in fairies for the administration. And they can't have that! Their whole mutualistic relationship with the power structure would be disrupted and possibly destroyed.

It behooves them to keep us marginalized, and they're going to do everything they can to keep us pushed out to the sides.

[Fred]

I prefer the Herculean task of corrupting one person at a time. This is especially satisfying at work, but also is amusing among friends and acquaintances. You get to realize how 90% of people you interact with day to day are politically unconscious, and it is in this ripe soil I plant my seed.

[litbrit]

Blogenfreude nails it with the "no circular firing squads" recommendation. We need to organize far more efficiently and unify our voices.

What does that mean? Well, here in Florida there's already a group of progressive bloggers that have a wiki and a website; they've been meeting already (though not near enough my town, yet, for me to get a babysitter and drive to a gathering). They--we--are going to address whatever angles we can in terms of getting some serious results this November.

Many liberal bloggers are self-described hermits, shy people, introverts. We need the big-mouthed sorts who can clean up, put on a pretty dress and heels (not you, BF!), and speak their intelligent minds to the electorate on the medium--other than the Internets--that seems to sway an awful lot of people on an immediate, visceral level: TV. The 'Nets are wonderful, but let's face it: most "sheeple" tend to go to the sites where they feel comfortable. One effective way to penetrate the fog in their heads is through TV, methinks.

In short, go commercial. Go middle-of-the-road-white-cotton-undergarments on 'em. Not with our message(s), mind you: with our approach, with our venue.

I'm in. I'm not scared of cameras or mikes, and I don't fit what I'm sure is their (the wingnuts and the fog-headed sheeple) prevailing image of a liberal/progressive, which is to say, a hippie type in Jesus sandals, a college student, or a tree-hugger. I'm a soccer mom, if you will (gag). I look like the upstanding citizen who goes to church (gag) and loves her some Bush/Cheney bumperstickers for her SUV. But I am none of those things. I am, however, a well-spoken Mama who can get attention when necessary. They will be fooled into listening, then they'll have no choice but to at least consider what they've heard. Some might even learn something.

Who's with me?

[enigma4ever]

"who's with me??? "Litbrit asked above and all the above spoke eloquently- we need to DO SOMETHING other than sitting on the couch and shaking our heads in disbelief, or bang them on the coffee tables saying 'WTF????"....At this point I would do anything to Make Change Happen....anything.... ( and hi Dear BF...back from the nurse sabattical....still need chicken reciepes ;-)

[Graeme]

didn't Gore try to start up a TV channel? what the hell happened to that?

[M A F]

I mean for Not-Fox to tell the truth - a real No-Spin zone.

I appreciate the clarification.

Sadly the circular firing squad that you mentioned is still in effect on a couple of levels Blogenfreude. The first is the split that exits in the DNC with the Republican leaning DLC. The Republicans benefit and exploit these differences by calling out individuals like Lieberman and Miller who point their fingers and decry that they haven't left the party, the party has left them.

Then there is the politically correct term of "progressive." Progressives look and sound a lot like "liberals" but have ceded the argument that a liberal is something bad, and by calling themselves "progressives" they have wiped the slate clean.

Of course, the Republicans/conservatives have a well established political machine that spreads its propaganda from the top down,spreading their talking point messages on redundancy radio, on television, on blogs (is it possible that there are 5 conservative blogs to every one liberal blog?). Is another machine the only way to combat them? Or is it time to stop questioning each other and become more maluable, more accepting of the group think paradigm and to those leaders that might help right the ship?

I would have to agree with litbrit's comments. The best way to combat the political machine is head on. Use your own language, don't allow the"right" to control the debate with mind-numbing rhetoric.

[Kathy]

I'm with you, litbrit. I'm also a soccer mom who cleans up okay (although not as well as you) and doesn't mind speaking in front of the cameras. By doing that, I've discovered that there are a lot more liberals (and more not-right-wingers) in suburbia than most people think -- just not that many who speak up about it. We need to find a way to get them on board publicly.

[litbrit]

I am already formulating an ad campaign in my head, something similar to the t-shirt I saw Ashley Judd wearing once: This is What a Feminist Looks Like.

Off the top of my head: Meet The Progressives, with photographs of people in all professions, of all ages, wearing all sorts of clothing.

i.e., an apple-pie kind of mama standing next to her hybrid (or small) car with a kid or two, holding a baby and a soccer ball (hey, nothing succeeds in this country like a potent image). Text can read something like:

I'm a progressive. I hug my kids and my trees. I care about their future, so I support candidates who stand for protecting their world as opposed to protecting the profits of mutli-billion-dollar corporations. Etc.

For starters, anyway.

[Cr]

Well I have been trying to combine Politics with Beach Volleyball atheletes...

Seems to be working out okay.

[Blue Gal]

litbrit you are so right on.

One thing we lefty bloggers do not have is patience. The blogosphere is so new. We've got so much still to work out. We'll get there, folks. Yeah, yeah, the polar ice caps are melting while I type this. There is a sense of urgency...

Yet everyday I see another blogger give up, delete the blog, stop posting. It takes a huge time committment not only to keep up your own blog but MORE IMPORTANTLY (sorry for the caps) to visit other blogs regularly and comment, to continue to support the community that is so vital. We can have it all, the respect, the audience, a place at the table, if only find within ourselves the commitment and sorry to say, the maturity to keep going.

(No, I am not running for mayor of Blogospheria.)

[Rob Pastorio-Newman]

You're all absolutely right that we have to find microphones and cameras - provided we can put words in order and articulate our points. This takes practice; most people cannot do it naturally. I can't speak for where you live, but I live near a college radio station. I am a little old lady. On Tuesdays, I spend an hour talking as fast and as funny as I can on a friend's political music and talk show. I'd last about a minute before I punched Limbaugh in the kisser but whatever. Point being: if I can do this, you can probably do it. So look into it. Look at your local college for a radio station. Most college radio stations have more empty space than they can fill with college students and they fill the gaps with community programming.

This is important part: we are the community.

Get on the air with someone who knows what they're doing and learn. If we do this in numbers - as they have been doing now for decades - we will be fully capable of fighting them on their turf.

That, and debate club is totally worth the after school beatings, kids.

It's no good to say "if only..." when you CAN. We CAN. It takes some nerve and some practice. Do it!

[OnShakedown]

as far as a left-leaning version of Drudge, i'd point out that we have The Raw Story -www.rawstory.com

which in my view is similar to drudge in the sense that they link to a LOT of stories, but without the lying drudge is so infamous for. AND they do some killer original reporting.

Soros would be well-served to invest in some of the pre-existing sites (alternet, rawstory, thnkprogress) as well as FSTV.

[blogenfreude]

as far as a left-leaning version of Drudge, i'd point out that we have The Raw Story -www.rawstory.com

Excellent point - but not as widely read or relied on ... that clearly needs to change.

[David Wilson]

Can we be as vitriolic as the far-rightists?... as the neo-con hate-mongers... as the apoca-christians (they love hyphenated monikers)?... i think, hell yeah we can, but there must be a sense of true anger at the present situation and a sense of urgency relative to what must be done....

[litbrit]

there must be a sense of true anger at the present situation and a sense of urgency relative to what must be done....

Al Gore enters, stage left....

[blogenfreude]

Al Gore enters, stage left....

NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (a la Colbert) ...
Gore would blow it again - he'd fail to grab the brass ring. Time for something new - we'll need an FDR to clean up the Repug mess.

[Rob Pastorio-Newman]

You're still missing the point.

We can't wait for other people to turn up and fix this for us. Al Gore can't fix widespread local conservative TV and radio talk show availablity. We have to do it ourselves. We have to start now, develop the skills and get on the air.The faux conservatives have been doing it for two decades. What are you waiting for?

[litbrit]

No, Al Gore can't fix the widespread wingnut-control of the media. That wasn't what I meant. I mentioned him in reference to the prior comment "there must be a sense of true anger at the present situation and a sense of urgency relative to what must be done", because since "losing" 2000 and being freed from the consultants, focus groups, and so forth, he has spoken out with unusual candor, urgency, and yes, anger. Spoken out about the lies that BushCo have told the country, about the torture it has permitted and even sponsored, about global warming, and more. Read any one of the impressive speeches he's given in the past couple of years and tell me who else is speaking out like that.

But yes, I agree: we most certainly do need to unify our voices and take to the airwaves. Toute de suite.

[blogenfreude]

... because since "losing" 2000 and being freed from the consultants, focus groups, and so forth, he has spoken out with unusual candor, urgency, and yes, anger.

But would he claim up again once he became a candidate? My money would be on yes, but who knows?

[litbrit]

I don't think you can un-explode, blogenfreude. There are pages and pages and pages of Al's speeches flying around the 'Nets every day.

Nor can you recall every copy of Vanity Fair's Green Issue with your mug on the cover and your no-holds-barred words inside.

Plus, Al has that Sundance-wowing movie, An Inconvenient Truth coming out soon.

If he does run, and I truly hope he does, there can't really be any turning back from the powerful pro-environment rhetoric, to say the least.

[Blue Gal]

As I said over at Shake's place:

Gee, we could have a cross-blog conversation on this great topic if I could get off my ass and post about it.

Finally did.

Sorry.

[DBK]

The answers to all of your questions are in the Daou Triangle, grasshopper.

Do not fear the Triangle; embrace it. Also, find a stick and you can play it. I used to play the Triangle and I was pretty good at it, actually. I almost got a Triangle scholarship to Julliard. I also played sticks, but I wasn't so good at that and kept hitting myself on the wrist. That made the music come out a little funny. Instead of *Clack* *Clack-clack* *Clack* I would get something like *Clack* Clack-clack* *OW!* So that didn't really work out for me. I lost the scholarship because they took it away to give it to some athlete. That's the way it is. The big schools, they're always taking academic scholarships away to give them to athletes. I could have been big in Triangle. I could have been the Yo-yo Yo of Triangle.

[Kevin Hayden]

Help create Real News as it has some pretty interesting backers.