What should the “Netroots” do with rerard to pressuring candidates and the Democratic Party? Booman endorses a “We Hate Hillary” strategy:
Why We Don’t Have Her Back
by BooManTue Nov 13th, 2007 at 12:36:49 PM EST
For a Democratic presidential campaign to go into the general election without the Netroots is to fight with one hand behind your back. Yet, that is what the Clinton campaign intends to do. Their contempt for the progressive blogosphere is manifest and comes in comments from people as diverse as Al From and Paul Begala.
. . . You think the Netroots is going to go to war for you when you do this shit? After you basically called us all ‘assholes from Vermont’? No way.
But, if we bring up what a dishonest, loathsome campaign the Clintons are running, all of a sudden we are Hillary haters. That’s backwards. Hillary hates us. And she treats us with the same contempt that she treats those audiences to in Iowa. . . .
Um, ok. Nice to see how Booman’s “Netroots” has been getting all that love and respect from the other campaigns. As usual, it is all personality and “personal respect” for some of them. Me I want ISSUE respect. Respect my issues. Thus, on Obama, I wrote:
Now that Senator Barack Obama has regained his footing in the Presidential race, it is time for him to go for the win – by demonstrating leadership on the issues NOW! Obama has shrewdly allowed John Edwards to take the path of self immolating personal attacks on Clinton (now he won’t say he will support Hillary if she is the nominee, he is self destructing), while reaping the political benefits of those attacks. But Obama has a chance to do more now. He has a chance to define the terms of this contest. He can lead now on the issues. Particularly ending the war in Iraq by not funding it.
Unlike Booman, I do not care if he and his buddies get “respect.” I care about the issues I care about. Booman’s is the path to irrelevance, unless you want to be a “player.” Then it is a path to ridicule.
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He seems to think power is given to people….
I won’t deny that the internet is a growing and powerful tool in communicating, but I have to laugh whenever bloggers refer to themselves as “netroots” as if they’re a hidden force that no candidate can survive without. Most Americans get their opinions from the other idiot-box, the television. That’s why candidates like Clinton and Obama have war chests in the 40 million dollar range, and will likely spend another 150 million (each) before the election is over.
Now that the primaries are all being held during the NFL playoffs, we can look forward to commercials during peak network TV times with something besides the Bud Frogs…and that will decide who wins the primaries, sadly enough.
But if it makes the ‘netroots’ kings feel better to say that no candidate can survive without their blessing, then let ’em say it.
and, as often as not, when the egoist path is taken, it leads to punditry.
just as guilty as Edwards in attacking Hillary for silly stuff. Last we he went off about how basically she was an old codger, baby boomer and nobody wants yesterdays news. Maybe this is an issue, but I doubt it. Its just shoring up his youth appeal.
On Edwards turning nasty, why is it nasty? Why should he. The loyalty oath to Hil is a widely used political tactic which is the same thing as Get over it and vote for her. Why should Edwards pledge fealty to his opponent it would just play into her, Crown Me Now I’m The Winner song and dance. The media isn’t asking for loyalty pledges for other candidates.
That’s how I feel. Certain campaigns are counting on voters being so afraid of the consequences of not voting Democratic, that they are counting on people voting for their candidate no matter how damaging or odious the candidate’s positions are.
2008 will truly be the first election of the lesser of two evils for me. None. None of the presidential candidates have impressed me yet. Big deal, I know, but I still feel I’m about to be electorally extorted.
of not realizing it’s all about you. or me. yeah, me.
…speaking of Edwards, did you see the hit piece Newseek did on him this week?
Linky: http://www.newsweek.com/id/69573
Once again, the MSM is hell-bent on annointing HRC. I truly believe they are going to be in for a big surprise in Iowa and New Hampshire (at least I hope so).
I opened my email today only to find a link to Booman’s rebuttal to this. He seems to be getting genuinely a little bit heated about it. I don’t know who is philosophically right and who is wrong on the topic of what we should expect out of pols. I do know though that I spent way too much time in spiritual and emotional tatters about our current political fubar and Iraq until I came upon some of your writing about removing our heartstring attachments to our politicians. Suddenly I slept better at night, suddenly I felt empowered because I can play that game where this is their job and the best pol is a well pressured pol. It is an approach that works for me in the spot I live in right now that otherwise was really horribly overwhelming for me.
This business though about calling you a Hillary defender and something about you being a Markos defender and then getting banned……what is that about ;)? He’s getting chapped, definitely not his usual speed. And now this past Booman defender who was banned from Booman Tribune is signing off ;)?
(who in the hell gets banned from Booman Tribune without having made a full circuit of the intertubes getting banned every other place first? that would be me 😉
link
some guy called betty boop or something
😉