So how would Hillary ingratiate herself to the netroots if she was so inclined? Here's how, and this applies not to just Hillary, but every single politician seeking netroots love and respect.A keynote speech at YearlyKos doesn't guarantee you anything, nor does a meeting with Markos or Duncan or any other Big Names. Politicians don't understand democratic communities of this sort -- whose loyalty is earned and re-earned, not guaranteed from the top; it appears to me that some bloggers don't fully get the distinction yet either.. . .
- Be a leader
- Get people involved
THIS is how you reach out to the netroots. Not by kissing our butts, but by engaging us in tangible efforts to make this a better country.
(Of course, it's up to readers and commenters to keep the headliners honest. Do some homework, catch the about-faces, judge the evidence for yourself.)
Update: I just love this response from Atrios:
There's really nothing they have to offer me. I'm not much of a star fucker, and whatever minor thrill of meeting politicians there was once has now mostly faded. Some politicians are pretty cool and interesting individuals who might be entertaining to shoot the shit with, but unless the conversation is at that level I'm really just not all that excited by it.I feel the same way about local celebrities. An informative conference call, maybe, but networking and schmoozing mostly offer nothing needed by my ego or my crowded schedule...
3 comments:
I don't think it's fair to say that Booman doesn't understand what internet communities are about. He understands them much better than Markos does -- Markos has repeatedly shown a complete unwillingness to learn from those who've been dealing with large online communities for years. (And I think Booman's making a much subtler point than you give him credit for in his analysis of the Warner-Kos connection.)
I also think it's not accurate to suggest that there isn't any cult of personality at some of these sites. Particularly in the case of dKos some of the comment threads just reek of sycophancy (and Armando, and others, certainly act as enforcers of How Thou Shalt Think).
It's all well and good to say that plenty of people aren't part of the cult, but when you've allowed the community to evolve in such a way that a casual reader feels like there's just a lot KosKoolaid being drunk (something that people have said to me, one using just those words, when i've tried to explain that there are the occasional good writers/diaries there), there's a problem.
DailyKos is not a site I would recommend to any progressives who don't have a lot of time to surf through the crap to get to the occasional nugget. It's a real shame, too. Oh well.
I agree that Booman's general post is broader and more nuanced than this single post. But it does seem to confirm the notion that decisions at the top carry definitive weight "further down," while I'd say that I've seen plenty of discussion and debate at dKos, even if there might be a more crystallized view on many things than one would like. Perhaps those who disagree the most take their megaphones to other sites, but they're still often carrying on part of the same conversation.
uh, "than this single point" intended...
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