After a long time of staring at the compose essay blank screen and trying to write something cogent, I realize that this isn’t the right community for me.
This is my fond farewell.
I dipped my toes in the water here, and I really enjoy the excitement that people bring to it.
But what I came in search of doesn’t seem to be here. I am seeking a community of progressive policy wonks. People who want to write about and discuss policy over campaigns; programs over partisan politics; common good over political sway.
While there are occasional essays touching on policy, and I appreciate them, overall, that doesn’t seem to be the overarching focus of the “serious” content component of the site.
And that’s what I crave.
I’d like to thank buhdy and the admins for creating such a neat site. And buhdy’s “Be excellent to each other” dictum is one I hope is honored. Thanks, too, for the folks who provided commentary and feedback for my essays. That helps me, and I appreciate it.
So bon voyage, safe trip, and have a great time!
I wish you all the best here, and I hope you all enjoy your ponies, pooties and other precious creatures.
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on the user page, and I’ll continue to blog about policy on my own wee bloggie. But if anyone has a link to a group policy blog, please share.
…and we are not even a week old.
I enjoyed making your acquaintance, aek all over.
Robyn
I enjoyed your diaries but it takes a while to get some consistent back and forth on wonkery. I think you might be making a hasty decision.
a non-wonk, but it’d seem that a relative tabula rasa such as this is shaped into what it can be by participants, such as you, with a vision.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for, may I suggest you come on back and help shape this’un here into something like what you was looking for?
otherwise, may excellence abound for you.
is something that is important and can inform many of us here.
I’m not much of a participant in health care diaries mainly because I rarely go to a doctor and treat most of my routine health issues with alternative medicines.
The initial week here has been more of a “Hi, great to see you”, fun kind of week. It’s my impression that this will become more wonky as time goes on. Stick around and write a bit more…it will probably surprise you!
Peace be with you, whatever path you choose to take!
… I entirely understand what you are saying here. As I said above, there’s a lot of past baggage that needs to be decisively obliterated. In some ways that is difficult because folks from other sites who are part of that history make tempting targets for old grudges, etc. And I have done my share in that as well.
I hope you will reconsider, but I understand if you do not — as I said above, right now you have more to offer us than the other way around, at least in terms of the “in crowd” folks.
I have valued your participation here and hope to see you again.
I’m shocked, really. You seemed like you were enjoying your short stay here. I, for one, will miss you. I hear and understand you when you say:
“If a history essayist wanted me to get fully engaged, I probably wouldn’t be an ideal participant. I prefer to read and learn, but I usually don’t have anything to contribute to the discussion other than a thank you.”
Sometimes it can be intimidating to participate, for me anyway, in a lot of different diaries about subjects I don’t fully know or understand the background of. Especially with someone like Armando around whom knows the A-Z’s on many of the subjects being discussed around certain blogs such as this one, ready to lunge given the chance.
I hope you find your ideal fit out there, but please come around every so often and drop a “hello”, it was short but sweet-take care.
[[[[HUG]]]]
Don’t leave.
This is not Dkos, we are right at the beginning. Stick it out and build with us. This blog is what we make it and if you stay and add your take and your voice and your concerns YOU will help turn it into what you want it to be.
We are still Waaaaaaay in shake down mode…all still learning…..figuring out what the hell we are doing and flailing around.
If you are judging this place by what has happened so far….that is just plain unfair.
Stick around and make it INTO what you want….instead of going looking for something else.
Please.
Three? And now this . . . . au revoir.
Inevitable settling I guess
so I do hope you’ll check back. Best wishes!
when I adopted a dog, it took a while for us to get to know each others’ characteristics. After some time, that dog became my favorite of the three i had (I know, we’re not supposed to have favorites, but…).
When I started grad school, I was seriously tempted to quit early on, because I was so disappointed by the program. I didn’t (although at times I still wish I had… even though my current employment as an instructor depended on that education).
Looking at the situation in terms of variables and cases, there are only a few cases so far, so some variables may appear to be more important. As the sample grows, the dynamic might change (or almost certainly will).
So… all decisions or discussion of decisions aside, it might be to your benefit ( I know it would be to mine, in terms of learning) for you to stay based on your stated goals.
I knoiw I’d prefer it, but this isn’t my decision.
Cheers, aek, and if I don’t see you again, hail and farewell.
i do hope that you’ll reconsider.
that meets your needs, and crosspost here. Seems like a simple solution to me.
that to you means waste people’s time by having them research programs, explain graphics issues and set up charts and graphs just for you, then you leave.
Thanks for wasting my time.
More meat and less meta?
Works for me.
I go away for one weekend, and…
First: hey, everybody! Glad to be back from D.C., although …phew, what a ride that was.
Second: aek, you may not get the scope of commentary and discussion that you want just yet, but it’s not a matter of the admins setting it: it’s a matter of the community getting larger and having more people with the knowledge and interest to engage you in that discussion.
I write 2 series on this site, and I’m happy if either gets a dozen comments. This may not be a site for healthcare discussion, but it’s certainly not a site for literature or LGBT news. The reason I keep plugging away is that it actually is a site for all these things, and I appreciate the hodgepodge, messy as though it may be. It hasn’t quite congealed yet, but the site’s not exactly old (it was years before dkos became what dkos is today).
Besides, I’m not sure why you have to have “a” site. If you find a place more geared towards direct-contact policy discussions, nothing is stopping you from crossposting those essays and seeing if anyone here has anything to offer. Sometimes they may, sometimes they may not – depends on who’s around and who’s got the interest.
So yeah: I guess I don’t see what the hubbub is all about. If it’s the past days’ meta, I missed it all so I can’t really comment. If it’s the content issue, I’m not sure why you have to have it one way.
All the meta was getting to me too. I think the blaze of it is about over (at least I hope so). Everyones giddiness over the new site should be settling down too, and then we can get to work.
If you go, I guess I’ll be sending all those emails by myself.
Author
it was only one factor, and not the major one.
I appreciate your appreication, melvin, but again, I’m just trying to find a niche where I can be an active learner. Probably much too earnest to be much of the life of the party (as if I ever was).
I will probably be here from time to time to read and enjoy the history and arts-related essays (such as yours, Robyn’s, and – shoot – I forget the persona’s handle – who has been writing about indigenous peoples).
My decisions is not a judgment about the worth and quality of this site. it’s simply me decision to keep on searching for a home which better fits my own personal needs (your mileage WILL vary *g*).
I’m good at sticking my fingers in my ears, though.
that is exactly how you want it to be the instant you get there, check your pulse.
then you need to let people find you
we think your essays are important.
but this… is kinda making it seem like making it all about a FPer or admin
you want better? stick around. make it better… it’s generally hard work. you put a lot of work into what you write… give it light and air. or just cross-post and give it time. any number of ways to do this.
and refer to 73rd’s comment
i hope you will reconsider
Concrete engagement on _anything_ is fairly rare. In blogland it’s the complete exception I think, a gift when it comes along.
There’s no telling what this will be yet, ’cause there’s hardly anyone here. You may be right about policy; certainly policy discussion is a specific thing. Since I haven’t taken the same time to engage that you have, and my attention is pretty scattered at the moment, all I can honestly say is — very sorry to see yah go, and hope you stop in back this way. I’ve consistently appreciated the engagement we’ve had.
Author
My ‘net access is quite limited and not at all predictable. Last week was a real aberrant situation in that I was able to be on almost round the clock. But now I’m back to the very abnormal unpredictability, so am trying to address the comments made in my last couple of hours absence.
To notlightnessofbeing – I so appreciate your offer of making graphs, but I didn’t realize the research, work, etc. that you were/are doing behind the scenes, so my apologies. I didn’t intend to use and abuse you, and I’m very sorry that I did.
To buhdy and admins: I will try to visit and read from time to time, but I have neither the resources, energy or desire to serve as a “talking head” healthcare expert. I just want to discuss it as an agenda time in progressive policy, learn a whole lot more and if I have anything to offer, to do so.
I’m sorry I mentioned Armando – that kerfuffle wasn’t a main consideration in my decision to look elsewhere for policy discussion community. Speaking just for me, when I get ambushed like I did, I learn to avoid it in future, and I move on. No harm, no foul (except for the taste it left in my mouth and my disappointment that the level of discourse was what it was. But – it is what it is.)
My sole intent was to let folks know not to expect essays from me. I didn’t intend for the message to be perceived as a judgment of the site. I like the site. Very much.
Whatever else I forgot to address, please forgive me. As I wrote, you are welcome to stay in touch and let me know if I can be of assistance via my email address on the user page, and via my wee bloggie, where I just place links and ramble to suit me – they are typically dyslexic, rough around the edges and painted in the colors of my own choosing. I don’t write for any readership there, so be warned that it is often not pretty.
There are things beyond my control in my personal life that are driving the bus on this, as well. So please don’t read anything of my decision as to be aimed at criticizing anyone or anything that’s happening here.
Thanks and best to you all-
“every exit is an entrance someplace else”
~tom stoppard
rosencratz and guildenstern are dead
great comment, sallycat
Author
but being very selfish, I don’t want to be participating as an expert. I want to be here as an engaged learner. And I want to be doing that in policy.
Just as I enjoy being a tourist in the history essays. If a history essayist wanted me to get fully engaged, I probably wouldn’t be an ideal participant. I prefer to read and learn, but I usually don’t have anything to contribute to the discussion other than a thank you.
I’m seeking other hands on folks with interests in the policy arena. This blog site isn’t focusing on that. I’m simply seeking a different type of community blog.
Selfish. I know. *g*
… I think “in crowd” is a polite euphemism for folks who get in fights that last a long time — or conversely, find themselves on one side in a group fight and form a strange kind of camaraderie as a result, which isn’t always that healthy.
It can also apply to more positive experiences as well.
But there’s always the pitfall of “exclusivity” when that happens.
I hope that we can avoid that here as much as possible. It’s not possible, imo, to completely obliterate that, I think it’s human nature that when you go through experiences together, it bonds you in some way — but I think we should also work on how not to make that kind of bonding separate us from the larger group.
and I’m not a very active participant. I came here because I always enjoy budhy’s contributions on dkos, so I felt it would be worth taking a look at his new blog venture–that doesn’t make me an insider by any stretch, but a fellow traveler of sorts. It’s not a big deal. I’d like to partipate more, but I’m always being drawn off into other things–work, family, life. I guess I’m looking for a blog where there are lots of people writing and thinking about what is going on in this world. Trying to help each other make sense of it. Humor would be nice. I’m certainly not looking for a lot of homework, and I would not be looking to contribute in some formal way on “policy” formulation. No, I’m looking for something more profound and meaningful than that. I am looking for people who think, and whose thinking is not far from deep wells of feeling and experience. I would imagine that the blog community of my dreams would have a few people like that, maybe different people on different days.
give us a chance to work out the kinks.
Author
I can’t remember who was writing about filibusters, but I had one wee thought about it. Suggest to the Dems that instead of reading phone books and dictionaries, that instead, they read the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, each and every Constitutional Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation, The biographies of Geo Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Lafayette, the works and letters of Phyllis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, and the letters of the founders.
Instead of talking out of their rears, they could self-educate. NCLB – no congressperson left behind. Test at the conclusion.
OK – see you around the toobz.
HA HA HA HA HA !
But I think maybe your expectations were unrealistic. I did not come here expecting a blog with in depth discussions of shiphandling, or how to catch salmon, Or even the ins and outs of the Merchant Marine and maritime policy, but rather to bring a different perspective to discussions of broader policy issues and politics that affect my way of life. Health care policy is but one of those issues.
No one in their right mind would take my advice on health care policy, Just as there’s no way I want you, or, just for sake of example Armando, running any ship I might be aboard. I do find it valuable to read the thoughts of someone with your experiences, as well as many others here on a variety of topics.
I think of it as a buffet that includes many, even exotic, main dishes and desserts along with the meat, potatoes, and pie.
Hope you find what you like. I’ll miss your cooking.
The closest thing I know of to what you’re looking for is Open Left. Although you’ll have to suffer through discussions of the direction of the Netroots movement to get to it.
I also happen to think TalkLeft, with Armando and Jeralyn, is an excellent site for policy discussions, though it tends to focus on Constitutional issues.
Finally, if you’re looking for a bunch of smart academics who take on policy issues, you couldn’t do much better than Crooked Timber.