The Problem with Kos, Part I
The Problem with Kos
Introduction
Coming off a pair of high profile, back-to-back media events -- a book tour and a convention in his name -- Markos Moulitsas is now the official poster boy for the "liberal, progressive" blogosphere. Or so he and his supporters would have us believe. The problem is that "Kos" is woefully under informed, amateurish, and not particularly progressive. Instead, he is looking more and more like an opportunistic power-seeker much in the mold of the very "moribund Democratic Party establishment" types he claims to be fighting against. Kos' book may be called Crashing the Gate, but Kos' actions belie someone trying desperately to get an invitation onto the premises, so he doesn't have to actually break a sweat doing any "crashing."
Unfortunately, there has been virtually no criticism -- constructive or otherwise -- of Crashing the Gate from any well-read liberal or Democratic bloggers. This, to me, is surprising, as the book is neck-deep in naïveté, arrogance and overstatement. Kos and his co-author, MyDD's Jerome Armstrong, attempt nothing less than the revitalization of progressive politics through the use of a new tool, "the netroots." But in the end, the book fails to provide a clear roadmap on how this tool can be used to do anything much more than drive more traffic to blog websites and make a few bucks for Democrats.
In the preface to Crashing, the authors admit their own inadequacies in the field: "We didn't have the money, the connections or the pedigree to break into the insular world of traditional politics." They acknowledge that the popularity of their sites, Daily Kos and MyDD, are pretty much the sole reason for their current state. "We somehow tapped into a greater need for strong progressive voices -- voices that had been shut out of the corporate media outlets."
That "somehow" is probably worth investigating. At first blush, one might think Kos' position is due to his savvy political insight. In reality, however, Daily Kos and MyDD are as huge as they are because, simply, they were on the scene first, at a time when the competitive field was much smaller than it is now. Blogs typically build traffic through staying power and sheer determination. Without advertising budgets, blogs rely on word of mouth and the occasional scoop to improve their standing amidst the sea of competitors. Once established, the larger blogs rely on momentum and memes to keep position. So it is not in any way clear that the powers suddenly granted to Markos Moulitsas are due to any superior abilities on his part, but rather due to luck and timing. In any event, he's a Prince of the Left, and we're stuck with him.
(Ironically, his position as Top Blogger is due in part to the same sound bite, talking bobblehead reporting Kos so often criticizes the "MSM" of. The mainstreamers simply cannot be bothered to look outside of the Barnes and Noble bookracks for bloggers worthy of TV guest spots.)
Comments
Thank you thank you thank you. It needed to be said.
Oh can I post the "draft gore" photo on my site and link it to your page?
Posted by: jaye | June 17, 2006 03:19 AM
Umm, Yes, & NO. Getting to be 'top political blogger' is a distinction that can be lost in a day. It's the Community that supports the site, and Kos knows this and encourages it. Most of the time it's a cast of thousands over there. This is what makes for the utility of the 'place'. It's a place for progressives & Dems. to meet and exchange ideas, pass along knowledge, and yes, even volunteer and raise money for campaigns that no one took seriously previously. It has altered the landscape, just as was predicted, by yes, Al Gore and others. Are Kos and his merry band a bit naïve? Hell yes, and most of the time, they're acutely aware of this too. Still they are moving people to actively engage in politics, in an age with now conservative monopolies of almost all of the media. That's a welcome accomplishment, and if for nothing else, they should be thanked for it. They are trying, and much of the time, they are helping. This is what makes the site and a few others invaluable to the larger community of Dems. AND dissenters. I no longer take the 'experts' or the long time political 'advisors' seriously either. It's been a generation since most of these guys have done anything useful or significant, and the landscape has changed remarkably since then. Most of the Poly-Sci types are fighting the last war, only about 4 wars back. They have little understanding of many current issues or how and why they affect Americans and why they vote (or don't) the way they do.
On almost any given day there's more news leads and good solid political commentary & news on Kos than almost anyplace I can name. Without the deadening spin of the NYT/Time/Newsweek/WP 'conventional wisdom'. That's why it's a valuable asset to have around. It can and does motivate people with news that they can get literally no place else. Even if you're reading The Nation, In These Times & Mother Jones etc., you're NOT getting this perspective from across the country. No one else can do it, and it takes a community coming together and a venue to be able to pull it off. So yeah, I'm betting he gets full of himself sometimes. Most of the time he seems to understand his limitations. He's a net positive, and I'd trade his chops over Bob Beckel's any damn day of the week. Bob knows what he knows, but by now, it's mostly history. Some good history to be certain, but ancient history just the same. It's not about Kos, it's about building a network and using that to leverage some success. And it's slowly working too. Cheers, 'VJ', ga.
Posted by: VJ | June 17, 2006 04:17 AM
One the one hand: you are right. The immaturity is likely to blunt the value. On the other hand - it is impossible not to wonder if you are a bit envious.
Posted by: Pwax | June 17, 2006 07:39 AM
I assumed from the instant notoriety and style that Kossaks were another front for the Democratic Party, hitting the ground running with mailing lists and covert funding in order to stage the spectacle from the outset. But whether or not they're just shills or just natural hegemon apologists, you'd probably enjoy the reporting from the Kos love fest over at the Stop Me From Voting Again blog.
Posted by: Spartacus | June 17, 2006 01:11 PM
It seems to me that there is at least another network
of blogs developing. Smaller ones. Maybe it's that I
use dial-up and the longer threads on the larger blogs
are getting too long for my connection or maybe it's
that the web is such a big place that there is room for
a number of leftist blog nets to develop. It will be
interesting to see how it goes.
I read Kos sometimes but it's not my daily blog, though
as more interesting smaller blogs come my way there doesn't
seem to be one of those anymore. I used to do most of my
posting at Eschaton but it's so popular that getting a word
in edgewise isn't easy. And I started my own to get at least
some of what I write identified as such so the namestealers
who haunt there can't put words in my mouth.
One big blog as the Grey Lady of the Blogs? Sort of not
in keeping isn't it?
Posted by: olvlzl | June 17, 2006 02:15 PM
Well, right and wrong. Kos may not be a political genius. He doesn't have to be. He is like a lot of us who seek to voice their concerns, when the media shuts us out and the democratic party doesn't listen. He freely acknowledges he is not the leader of a movement. Moreover, Kos's site is pure genius and that's why it's successful. It gets multiple hits because of its free diary system of front pagers by readership recommendation and by its system of comment rating. I can't see that criticizing Kos or Daily Kos is anything but a waste of time by ealous people who perceive themselves as being more pure. Get over yourself.
Posted by: ron | June 20, 2006 03:28 PM
Criticizing something is healthy. Accepting without question is not.
"Crashing the Gate" helped start a discussion, and Daily Kos & MyDD were in the right place at the right time. They're not perfect, but who is?
This is much, much bigger than two people or two sites. If they disappeared tomorrow, things wouldn't come to a screeching halt. They can be thanked without idolized, and why not discus their history, approach and attitudes? Accusing someone who does of jealousy seems dismissive and lazy.
Posted by: Mart | June 28, 2006 12:28 PM