This is just a cheap shot by Dodd and he obviously didnt have to think too hard by mentioning O’Reilly and Newscorp { Murdoch } witin a minute of each other.
Anyone using this ploy at KOS sponserd event is sure to get a rise. He played to the choir and they fell for it.
I watched Dodd on O’Reillys show last week and the question was put to him why he did not condemn the undeniable hate speech that is perpetuated by the Daily Kos.
The answer was “its your right and all the websites are full of it”
Dodd accused Bill of having the same kind of rhetoric on his site. Bill simply stated the fact that his moderaters take it down immediatly, whereas the Kos leaves theirs up much , much longer.
Dodd was also asked if he condemned the distasteful photos that the Kos has had up for over a year, he dodged.
The photos aired on T.V. were nothing compared to the ones I’ve seen on my 3 visits to the Kos.
I have run into reps from Move on and the Kos at a couple of blogs and been subjected to some pretty racist, anti- semetic and hateful shit.
I have also complained to the Daily Kos about the nasty postings they allow. And all I get get is ” well its unfortunate” or “we regret it ” but they leave it up.

The thought of participating in anything sponsord or promoted by the Kos makes me want to puke.
I always new this was a left website, but I never thought you would choose to be involved with such a lunatic fringe site as the Kos.
The candidates that showed up are there only there out of fear for the kind of damage they know will be inflicted upon them for not co-operating with mindless bomb throwers.
I have been watching Oreilly for well over 7 years now, and I can say with the utmost confidence that he has made quite a few mistakes in the past, and I only agree with him about half the time. But in those 7 years his mistakes do not amount to 1/100th of the crap I,ve seen in one day at the Kos.
At least when I watch Oreilly I know I wont be subjected to looking at a picture of Pelosi and Hillary preparing for oral sex, which is what was done with pics of Lieberman and Bush. That shot has been up for a year.
If we are looking for clean politics is the kind of website that anyone should be connected with ?
The Kos is actually speaking for a very small part of the democratic party, and is small in itself.If it is larger than I think that still doesnt justify their behaviour. It is being noticed only because of its childish and distasteful methods.
They remind me of a spoiled brat throwing shit around just to get attention.
It was funny to see radical leftists kissing jet blu upfront for sponsoring the yearly Kos, then Oreilly went after them and those kisses turned to venom when jet blu backed off and renounced its sponsorship.
Hatred is wrong, and that includes hatred of republicans, conservatives and George W. Bush. Even though I would enjoy watching the democratic party rip itself to shreds trying to fight their own cannibalistic left wing elements, I would rather that these elements that embrace Moveon and Kos simply become decent human beings.

I’m with you on the Dodd answer. I knew what was coming when I asked the question and though I liked the answer, it wasn’t a surprise. I was more interested to see what Hillary said, as she just took a bunch of money from News Corp. The answer wasn’t nearly as specific as I hoped…a dodge really.

As for Kos, I really think you’ve swallowed the Bill-O kool aid on this one, which you don’t usually do. The Daily Kos is an open forum. That means that people get to say what they want to say without too much censorship. Only the worst comments are downvoted by the community and thus hidden from view. Of course, this means that insulting and crude (and even racist, etc…) language is going to stay up. However, you make a huge mistake by equating that language with approval of it by Markos. And you make an even worse generalization by equating that with all Democrats, or all bloggers, or all users on the Daily Kos. Comments on the Daily Kos, just like comments here, are one person’s opinion. I try very hard never to censor anything that is written here, and so does the Daily Kos. Why is that a bad thing?

J-ro I consider you a friend to me , as I am yours.
I am more than grateful to you for all the help you have given to me as a novice in the field of blogging and for your tolerance of my ignorance at times.
But it concerns me that you participate with a site that is undoubtedly involved in hateful rhetoric.
I pride myself on not drinking koolaide from any side of the political bar, and your flatering statement that you thought I dont do that is implying that some how this time I fell for it.
If the course of politics and our country is going to change we need to eliminate saying things that are unconstructive and hurtful.
I might sound like a hippocrate only because unknowingly I have been at times. Or been a victim to my emotions.
When this happens I correct myself and ask for forgiveness. I do not see the Kos doing this , as I feel it is the high ground and the right thing to do.
There is a conservative website I first came across a few months ago where the author of the blog said that addicts and alcoholics were weak and pathetic people and are the scurge of society.
You know me and a part of my past in this area. So you can imagine what I had to say to this fellow.
I educated him and expressed my concern with his generalization. He felt humbled and apologized and I am now a regular contributor to his site. We e-mail each other daily as friends and he will be here in Hawaii for the next Pro Bowl and will be visiting with me.
This should be an example to all, that uneducated name calling and hateful things said out of ignorance just have no place in a world that has bigger and better problems than our little dislikes for this and that.
Agreed, that you have always been as fair a moderater as possible on your site.
But if I’m correct we have agreement that personal attacks should not be tolerated.
Calling Bush a Nazi is anti -semetic and ignorant and hurtful to the Jewish community behind him, and accomplish’s nothing but hurt.
Posting an altered shot of Lieberman on his knees in front of Bush, fumbling with his zipper is just plain mean. The intention of this photo could be put in another context just by saying something like ” Lieberman is Bush’s little puppet ” or something along those lines. But to show them in a pose suggesting that Lieberman sucks his dick is just wrong. They are not evil men deserving this, no matter what you think of them.
I am just as offended when I see things like ” Hillary has a dick ! ” or the media focusing on her cleavage.
I’ve seen doctored photos of Bill grabbing girls ass’s and think that this is just ridiculous for a forum that is supposed to care about the direction of our country. Is this the conduct we want our kids to see as the status quo for the elections they will be participating in?.
Will this kind of behavior help to bridge the polarization between parties that is getting stronger every day ?

I thank you for your understanding, and I think you kind of answered your own questions in a way. (I certainly know you think about what you write before you write it)

I participate at Daily Kos, and yet I’m not a hateful person. The same goes for other members on the site. There are some there that are hateful, or at the very least crude. But where Bill O’Reilly makes his mistake is about the nature of the site. The Daily Kos is not a hateful site. Nowhere in any founding texts written by the owners of the site is there hate. Read what the people who post on the front page have written. It may be polarizing, it may be left wing, but it isn’t hate. Markos never called anyone a nazi. He’s very careful with his words.

Now, I don’t always agree with him, and that’s my right. I don’t always agree with what some commentors have to say, and that too is my right. I’m asking that you don’t make the mistake of equating what some people say on the site with what the site is about.

Onto your larger question of unity and polarization. You have a point here, and Daily Kos often does little to help unify. I would argue that this is not the site’s goal, which is their right. Now that the Democrats have a majority in Congress, the Daily Kos tries to push them to stand up to some Repubicans and pass legislation they think is important. Whether that helps the Democratic party or hurts it is another discussion, but that’s what they do. They have never claimed to speak for America (though I think they agree with many in the Democratic party). I do happen to think a polarized America is a problem, but I also think that we live in polarizing times. I would say the cause of this polarization has been Bush, and the end result will be a move back towards center. I believe that if a Democrat is elected in 2008, there is no way they will be able to pass huge left wing agendas. Moves like that just don’t happen that quickly. So, the net result is the nation moves left, but not too far left. It moves more back towards the center. I hope I explained that right…make sense?

I understand what you’re saying. The country has always moved in both directions. And that is the beauty of our system, it allows that.
The Kos may not be hateful in direct relation to its owners or authors. But by leaving posts and pictures up like the ones I mentioned leads me to believe that its O.K. as long as its not in direct connection to the management.
Its like me saying that I condemn the KKK, but they can say what they want on my website. If I were the management at Kos I would strike down stupid hurtful posts immediatly.

J-ro said;
“Now, I don’t always agree with him, and that’s my right. I don’t always agree with what some commentors have to say, and that too is my right. I’m asking that you don’t make the mistake of equating what some people say on the site with what the site is about.”

If you allow something in your house or business you stand the risque of showing your preferences, I belive if the site wants to show what its about, it should show what its about.
We should be allowed to think and talk without worrying about being hurt intentionally.
I have no tolerance for any format that allows this.
Left or Right. I will not participate on blogs or websites that allow it.
And not to stroke you or blow smoke up you’re ass , but the Kos and a few others could take a lesson from your site as to what meaningful dialogue is.
We have gotten heated at times, but we have manners and retrieve them if we loose them.
I have yet to see you permit name calling and personal attacks on your site. {I guess I would never really know if you pulled them}
As a matter of fact you have e-mailed me and warned me that I was getting dangerously close to a personal attack on someone. So I know where your head is at. And you backed up the rules you laid down when we met.
Shouldnt we conduct ourselves by the our rules no matter where we go? This is by no means an attack on your judgement. Just a question I cant help but ask.

I’d say there is a fine line. Kos is trying to promote an open forum, and so that means not censoring. They have a community moderation system, and so most times really hateful comments get voted out of existence. Sometimes they don’t, but in my opinion it is better to leave things like that than censor. If you read the site, there is no way that the majority of comments are hateful. Strongly worded, opinionate, passionate, yes. Hateful? Threatening? No. Plus, users of the site understand that these comments don’t speak for everyone, much less the owners of the site. To assume so is a bit silly, quite honestly. On a KKK site, the site is about the KKK. The owners say what the site is about. On DailyKos, that isn’t what the site is about. There is a difference if the rhetoric is coming from the top or from the bottom.

Censorship is one thing, allowing someone to cry fire in a crowded theatre is another thing.
I apply standards of decency when I go to blogs, if I disobey them I get yanked or I apologize. {never been yanked }
I have a small tiny minuscule blog of my own , but I have the power to take down what I find offensive to undeserving people or shit that is hurtful. By leaving it up as long as kos has left stuff up can only mean that its O.K. with them.
I can read and I can tell time. And the kos has left some nasty shit up long after a decent amount of time to react and take it down has passed.
If they want to create a divide then they are doing a good job of it, which I’m sure is their intention.
They have no interest in solving one of the problems our country is suffering from.
As representatives of the left they do not carry the ethics that I try to carry where I go, so I do not go there.
I also apply the same to the sites on the right.
Hillary and the lot in my opinion are political prostitutes. They say that they dont approve of some of the things done at the kos, but its O.K. to use them for a forum.
A lot of politicians are guilty of this to a certain extent. But the kos is beyond the extent of common decency. Which is the way things really get accomplished.
Trust me , its a bad move to side or use these guys.
It reminds me of the hells angels at Altamont. Bad idea.

J-ro said;
“There is a difference if the rhetoric is coming from the top or from the bottom.”

It makes absolutly no difference whatsoever. Especially when the top is “in charge” of the bottom and allows it.
The bottom then is most definatly the portrait and mouthpiece for the top.

Well, see now we’re getting into opinion. You don’t have to visit Daily Kos. If you don’t like the quality of the comments or articles, then don’t go. That’s fine, and I respect that opinion. What I have a problem with is people saying that just because there are some things on a website that are offensive to some, the whole thing must be awful or worthy of hate. If you don’t like it, fine, but please don’t generalize.

I dont go to websites that conflict with my standards of conduct.
No matter what they offer me.
These people and candidates conflict with themselves their own standards and paint two pictures. That is a double standard.
Why is it not O.K. on one site , but O.K. to go where its allowed ?

Well, I mean that’s fine, but I’m not sure I see the double standard. Different sites are different…I’m not sure I completely see the point there.

J-ro said;
” please don’t generalize “

They do it all day long at the kos, and worse, but I’m asked not to do it here.
Its O.K. there but not here ?

No, you’re misunderstanding my point. People on Kos generalize, and they shouldn’t. You generalize, and maybe you shouldn’t. But I would never censor your comment or kick you off this site for generalizing. You’re allowed to do it, and that’s ok by me. I’m asking you, one man to another, not to generalize. I’m not making a statement about this site or that.

then why would you defend kos or go there ?

Because I understand that what is said over at Daily Kos isn’t representative of what that site is. If the leaders of the site, kos and the other front page bloggers, ever generalized in a way I found insulting, I would most definitely leave. But if a commentor says something stupid and hateful, I’d respond to them or downrate them, knowing that they don’t speak for me or the community.

I am represented by what I take with me and keep and allow in my life.
What I am is defined by the morals I take into my mind , soul and house. I dont allow hate in my house, so I dont go to houses that have it. No matter what they offer me.
If the clan said they could take me past the walls of death to shake hands with Martin Luther King I would tell them to go fuck themselves.

I mean, you’re basically saying that if a group has some distasteful elements, you should associate with that group. Maybe I’m reading you wrong, but that’s not useful behavior in my opinion. That’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Daily Kos is not the clan, that’s a bad comparison. Daiily Kos is a community of people, some of which are more rude, radical, and insulting than others. It is impossible (and silly) to insulate yourself totaly in life. I’m sure you yourself belong to groups (churches, clubs, groups of friends, offices, etc…) that have less than savory elements in them. So be it. I get something out of Daily Kos and I don’t see it brimming with hate. If ever I feel that it does, I’ll leave.

“you should associate with that group. Maybe I’m reading you wrong, but that’s not useful behavior in my opinion.”
Depends what your motivation is.And what you determine useful. I dont go to places that I find distasteful. And I certainly wouldnt use them for a platform.
It doesnt matter what comparison I use, or analogy I use.
I just feel that its wrong to associate with a business that wont withdraw offensive material. That material in this case is most definatly slanderous and anti semetic. And mostly childish anger that serves no purpose but to hurt.
Yes they have some well done articles and posts, but they choose to deal in ugly hate filled displays, that the mangement allows and perpetuates by leaving it up.
This shows me the caliber of people and there intent.

“It is impossible (and silly) to insulate yourself totaly in life.”
I come to your site, which I know the majority of your community does not agree with me on most issues.
I do not need shelter or insulation, but if I dont have to put up with it I wont.
Why would I go to Westborough baptist church if I know they allow hate ?
Why would I go to a NAMBLA meeting if knew they were going to approve sex with kids.

This has nothing to do with any other issue than the fact that it is hypocrasiy to associate with a hate filled institution just to get your word out, that is desperation and these candidates will pay for it, I can almost gaurantee it.
The kos has qualified as the most radical ultra left site there is. Dont even try to tell me that this place is ever going to be responsable for any of us meeting in the middle.
If we are going to take politics and campaigning to better level we need to do away with the kos approach, instead of whoring ourselves just for a platform.

Have you seen their latest photo ?
Why on earth would anyone want to be associated with a site that has a doctored shot of Saddam and Osama playing with Hillarys tits while she is spread eagle ?

I’m no idiot, and this is just fucking childish and disgusting. It has nothing to with insulating myself, its called stearing clear of shit.

“I’m sure you yourself belong to groups (churches, clubs, groups of friends, offices, etc…) that have less than savory elements in them.”

Yea but at least these organizations dont promote evil , nasty childish behavior.
AA meetings have very unsavory characters, but they behave while they are there. And go by the rules.
And I dont go to churchs for the same reason I wouldnt go to a kos meeting, I find them both insulting to my intelligence, I have some pride in what I surround myself with.

Here’s where I disagree, cause here’s where you flat out wrong.

That material in this case is most definatly slanderous and anti semetic. And mostly childish anger that serves no purpose but to hurt.

If you are asserting that most of the comments are hateful, then prove it. Comparing Daily Kos to NAMBLA or the Clan is a silly comparison, it is a classic example of Godwin’s law. Such a comparison is so silly and so easy to make that it is meaningless.

Their latest photo? I just checked the site. What photo is this?

Here’s the deal. The site isn’t about hate. That’s not what’s coming from the top. That is the difference between Daily Kos and the Clan. If you can’t see that difference, sorry.

Sorry, I misread that sentence there. Onto the point…

It seems we’re going around in circles. There are hateful things posted on Daily Kos. I’m not going to disagree with that. However, the fact that they are there, and that they are not taken down, you think implies some sort of consent from coming from the top, where I see it as a consequence of an open forum. We have free speech, and as a consequence of that speech we have to take the good with the bad. That’s my view anyway.

(Oh, and a quick note on “responsible” media. That would be the very same responsible media that swallowed Bush’s lies about Iraq hook, line, and sinker. They really looked out for my interests there…)

Including most of the democrats voted into office that voted on the war.
They just reported the same shit that the goverment got ahold of.
It has nothing to do with allowing hate.

The lie thing has been torn down a hundred times.
And I will be more than glad to do it again.

Inaccurate intelligence would be accurate to say, lies have not been proven. Even top Dems gave up using that one.

Well, its another discussion, but I feel the media let us down by not investigating those claims fully.