Kos Starts a Fight with Me

In a shameless act of self-promotion [isn't that what having a blog is all about?], let me share a few comments on how the biggest blogger in the world has just picked a fight with me over at MyDD in this thread on the creation of a Netroots Act Blue page.

Matt Stoller, one of the people who run MyDD posted on this new Netroots Act Blue page. He wrote

Anyway, if you have thoughts on this page, let me know in the comments. In your comment, indicate whether you've given through an Actblue page in the past few years. Or send me an email at stoller at gmail.com if you don't feel comfortable commenting publicly.

So I spoke up.

I wrote [this is the beginning of the full thread]: How about adding Chuck Pennacchio to the list? He's a Progressive in a primary in PA up against a huuuuuuge DINO. Pennacchio's got an Act Blue page up already for linking. I thought I had contributed via Act Blue in the past, but I don't seem to have a login so I guess not. Stoller responded:

He's not viable.

How quaint.

So I had to shoot back:

You can help make him 'viable' monetarily. I already think he is. I know I won't be giving money to an anti-choice, pro-Alito, pro-Roberts, anti-embryonic stem cell research, anti-child safety lock, anti-living wage, anti-universal healthcare candidate.

And then kos quipped:

in what world could we help someone who has barely raised a few grand become competitive with a candidate with universal name recognition and millions of dollars?

What, if we magically raised $80K for him?

You don't have to give to Casey. There are plenty of other good Dems and organizations desperate for money.

Pennachio doesn't even have the potential for viability.

To which another commenter commented:

With respect. Well, some, anyway.

I haven't checked through here since November, 2004, shortly after realizing how completely wrong you were about that election, and how much time I'd wasted believing you were right.

For you to brush off someone like Yee, and someone like Pennachio for that matter, who's way more on your side than Pennachio's opponent is not very impressive.

Let's say Pennachio is a long shot. But so is the whole project of reversing 10 years and more of triangulation, playing it safe, running out the clock, and still losing by a field goal every single time.

It ought to be important to the kind of people reading this site and the kind of people running this site to prefer Pennachio over the kind of Vichy Democrat you just absolutely know Casey is going to be. If you guys are worried that that wrecks your "in" with the big boys, then you've graduated to being part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Show some guts. Show some vision. Show you're not angling for the position of Shrum the Second. And put Pennacchio on that bleeping list.

You, too, kos.

And I added:

so kos, you're saying we, the people who live in pa like chris, should all get behind mr. DINO Bob Casey who would do all he could to overturn Roe v. Wade, more than bend over backwards for the gun lobby [even the NRA wants child safety locks]. a guy who came out in favor of two of the most radical right wing SCOTUS justices we've ever seen. a guy just as in line with the current administration's stance on embryonic stem cell research as is Sen. Man on Dog. just a dispicable candidate. that's what you're suggesting?

maybe you should go read an advance copy of your book.

if you don't think $80K will make a difference, why bother trying to get your readers to chip in to any race.

who the fuck am i supposed to support in my state then? tell me, mr. CA. piss off.

And also added this newly learned tidbit that Mr. DINO [Democrat in Name Only] Bob Casey came out in favor of the disgusting Patriot Act:

oh yeah, and also, Mr. DINO's statement yesterday on the Patriot Act:

CASEY STATEMENT SUPPORTING THE PATRIOT ACT - 2/10/2006

For Immediate Release: February 10, 2006

Contact: Larry Smar 215-567-4190

Casey Statement Supporting the PATRIOT Act

PHILADELPHIA-U.S. Sen. candidate Bob Casey today issued the following statement in response to the announcement of a bipartisan agreement on a PATRIOT Act compromise:

"The agreement on the PATRIOT Act reauthorization is a victory in the war on terror and a triumph of bipartisanship. This agreement should clear the way for the renewal of this vital law and will continue to give law enforcement the tools that they need to target terrorists and prevent another terrorist attack. We cannot let the PATRIOT Act expire and we cannot give the terrorists an opening to plan another attack. I am pleased that the reauthorization addressed some of the issues regarding the protection of the rights of Americans.

"I hope that the Congress will now turn to other pressing homeland security issues like increasing the security of our rail system, ports, chemical plants, nuclear power plants, and other potential targets. This is especially important for Pennsylvania since the Commonwealth has a number of these sites. We must also make sure our first responders are properly equipped to react to another attack or natural disaster.

"Protecting the U.S. and our interests against another terrorist attack and neutralizing terrorist threats will be one of my top priorities."

So he's thrown the gauntlet and I picked it up. Should be interesting to see how this pans out.

Comments

[Karl]

You did good Albert. I asked a few questions there of Kos and Matt. I don't get what "viability" means.

Because that sure did us great in the Presidential election didn't it?

[Ellen]

Good job defending Pennacchio. It's hypocritical to call something "NetRoots", which to me suggests "grassroots across the net" in a context clues type of way, and yet declare yourself arbiter of who's viable and nonviable. I have issues with how both Matt and Kos treated you

[Nell]

Back when it could have made a difference, shortly after the 2004 election debacle, Kos (and perhaps Stoller, I wasn't reading him then) declared in favor of Casey. Everything that's happened since has given me the same sick deja vu feeling as I had in early 2004 when the party poo-bahs cemented around Kerry -- only worse, because there's nothing as admirable in Casey's political past as Kerry's finer moments.

Had Kos and Stoller and some others challenged the DSCC conventional wisdom then, a real battle might have been possible. But a battle against the party powers is the last thing those guys wanted then, and it really is too late now, I'm afraid.

That still doesn't excuse the way they're papering over the same kind of crap they wouldn't accept from another Democrat (Lieberman, for example).

The sarcasm about raising $80K is remarkable considering blogs have raised more than $30K in a week for Ciro Rodriguez.

Ellen's comment about the tension between the 'netroots' pretense and the reality of power broker mentality is right on.

[Matt]

The sarcasm about raising $80K is remarkable considering blogs have raised more than $30K in a week for Ciro Rodriguez.

To me, it's indicative of something pretty important -- these bloggers see netroots $ as something to supplement PAC money, not to replace it. I'm sure that they would say that that's just reality -- that a candidate, like Pennachio, who doesn't accept PAC funds, is not "viable." But it also discloses a self-imposed limitation on the influence that netroots money can have on politics. Instead of working to revolutionize the system, they're trying to work within it.

One can describe that strategy in many ways, but "crashing the gate" is not one of them.

[joe the unreal blogger]

Isn't dKos where you find all the talk about "taking back the Democratic party?" That is, the left taking back the party. It's funny that we rarely see actual support for the left coming from the supposed liberal Kos & friends. There's lots of talk about how honestly liberal candidates aren't viable, however.

[shinypenny]

Don't forget Kos is the same man who derided NARAL for standing up to Democratic strategists who wanted to run an anti-choice candidate in Rhode Island. He doesn't care about issues, he cares about winning. Sad, really.