Left in the West - Daily Kos

If any y'all are Kossacks ...

Rob Kailey — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:14:57 GMT

Frequent Daily Kos poster, Ojibwa, has put out a call to represent. If you've never been a Kossack, now's your chance to find out what it's all about.

While you're there, be sure to check Ojibwa's photo diaries of Montana. They are somewhat breathtaking.

DailyKos Founder Tester Tweet: "Good luck getting re-elected, a--hole."

Matthew Koehler — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 15:56:45 GMT

The following article appeared today in the Washinton Examiner. - mk

DREAM Act causes ugly breakup on left
By Byron York

Markos Moulitsas, the influential founder of the lefty website DailyKos, used to love Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. Starting back in December 2004, when Moulitsas first praised Tester, then a farmer-turned-state-legislator, as a Democrat who "naturally speaks the language of rural America," the DailyKos has portrayed Tester as the cutting edge of a movement by which once deep-red western states would become swing states and then, perhaps, permanently blue.

In June 2006, Moulitsas was rhapsodic when Tester won the Democratic primary to challenge then-Sen. Conrad Burns. "What a great night," Moulitsas wrote. "Not only did the best Democrat win, but so did Conrad Burns' worst nightmare. Say hello to the next Senator from the great state of Montana." Electing Tester and other favored progressives would create "a whole new ballgame in Washington DC," Moulitsas added. "Let's do everything we can to make it happen."

Moulitsas certainly did his part, promoting the Tester campaign -- "This is the future face of the Democratic Party," he swooned -- and contributing $1,500 to Tester in October 2006. When Tester defeated Burns, part of a Democratic wave that took over the Senate and House that year, Moulitsas was ecstatic.

Now that's all a bitter memory. On Capitol Hill, Democrats are using the lame-duck session to try to ram through some key unfinished parts of their agenda. Among them is the DREAM Act immigration bill, a favorite of Moulitsas'. And on Friday, Jon Tester, once the darling of DailyKos, announced that he will vote against it.

Moulitsas' reaction was swift and furious. "Jon Tester to vote against DREAM," Moulitsas tweeted Friday night. "Good luck getting re-elected, a--hole." Moulitsas began re-tweeting negative comments about Tester -- one said, "Sen. Tester's active misrepresentation of DREAM act isn't just burning his bridges, it's going at them with a blowtorch." And then Moulitsas added his own final remark: "Anyone who votes to punish innocent kids is a de facto a--hole."

The DREAM Act isn't the only cause of the breach; just a couple of days before, Tester voted to extend all the Bush tax cuts. But there's no doubt the love affair is over. When Tester runs for re-election in 2012, he'll have to do it without some of his most passionate supporters from 2006.

Why Markos Has Risen

Matt Singer — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:15:49 GMT

While everyone else polls McCain/Obama and finds a close race, Daily Kos goes the extra mile to find McCain is vulnerable in 2010 to a challenge from Janet Napolitano. By "vulnerable," I mean he'd be lucky to survive.

Honestly, that in a nutshell is why Daily Kos is the site that it is. A lot of smart political writers out there. Markos pulls himself out of the meta and does brilliant crap like this.

I'd be real surprised if that poll doesn't work its way into a narrative of whether -- with an impending loss in the Presidential race and a tough re-elect ahead -- McCain's political career is about to come to an end.

Nothing like a death narrative for the last four days of a campaign.

Update -- This is good news for McCain's team, though. They've got some form of job security. While everyone else in GOP politics will be scrambling for pay soon, they'll have a difficult re-elect campaign to work.

McJoan at Progressive Happy Hour Tomorrow

Matt Singer — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:58:09 GMT

Any Daily Kos fans in Missoula will be interested to know that front-pager (and Idaho native) McJoan will be joining us at Forward Montana's Progressive Happy Hour tomorrow -- Monday, November 5th. 5pm-7pm @ the Badlander.

542-VOTE if you got any questions.

Proof the "Crazy" Left is Saner than the "Moderate" Right

Matt Singer — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 01:56:27 GMT

I've read a lot about the crazy left a lot. I know it exists out there. The way some folks write about it indicates that I'm a member of it, though, and that's something I can't really understand.

Anyways, check out this poll at Daily Kos and this one at MyDD. In the two most powerful bastions of the liberal netroots, the community is strongly rejecting impeachment as a goal.

Now, that's setting the bar pretty low -- which is to say not so low that the Republican Congress could get itself over the bar in the '90s.

In other words, the great unwashed in the comments in Daily Kos have greater restraint than virtually every Republican in Congress.

Yet we're the crazy ones.

What the Hell is wrong with the punditocracy?