Centerfield

Wow!!!

In November 2002, the Democrats lost seats in the midterm elections. Moulitsas had confidently predicted a big win, but in the aftermath of the disappointment, he became convinced that he understood the key to the party's electoral failure. Republicans, he believed, had a “noise machine,”—a coalition of coordinated advocacy and opinion media outlets that pressured the mainstream media into reporting, and repeating, GOP-friendly spin

But to follow the Republican recipe, shouldn't the Democratic Party FIRST get a majority before it degenerates into pandering to the wing?

"Everybody says I'm an A$$hole..."

Truth in advertising. Now if only Rush and O'Reilly would step up and do the same.

Doesn't Kos wish! What's his W/L record now, on candidates he's supported? 0/7?

don't forget Rice, Cheney, Powell, Rush, Libby, DeLay, Bill ( I can diagnose from 2000 miles away psychic withch docotor Frist........
etc etc etc

as for the substance... Kos is right.. The democrats have acted too statesman like againstthe daily onslaught of the right wing press and their political foes on teh hill. I thought Reid and Dean would at least step up to the plate and be a true loyal opposition but despite only sporadic stabs at backbone nothing has really happened. Most of the damage has ome from Bush himself, acting his real self for all America to see.

Markos Moulitsas Zuniga is most famous for saying "screw them", referring to American veteran contractors who were murdered in Iraq.

Marcus, are you really saying that Howard Dean has behaved in a "statesmanlike" manner? That's a bit much even for you.

...and if he's so right about the direction of the Party, then why do NONE of his favored candidates win?

He is pretty bizarre. He represents what I call therapeutic politics--it's got nothing to do with policy or ideas or even how the country would be better, but simply a way to achieve catharsis.

In some ways, he's no different than Rove or Lee Atwater--focused only on winning at any cost. But at least they had some ideas about substance. Zuniga seems to have no idea at all. And he is typical of this generation of Democrats that care not a whit about ideas or substance, lacks all historical perspective and seems to be nothing but a computer nerd.

But I think it's unfair to call him the new face of the Democratic Party. I think he represents a small segment of the party and not one that the party needs to persuade. I think he and his ilk are the type that the party establishment will pretend to cozy up to but, in the long run, will ignore because he doesn't bring anything to the table. It's like when the conservatives rail at Michael Moore and the left--they have little influence in the party. The Dems that are winning are the moderate centrists.

In the long run, I think Zuniga will just be a silly blip on the radar. There could be a place for him if he was really interested in building the party, but I think he is too self-absorbed to do that.

He represents what I call therapeutic politics--it's got nothing to do with policy or ideas or even how the country would be better, but simply a way to achieve catharsis.

Marc, that's absolutely one of the best capsule descriptions of the worst of vocal wing zealotry I have ever seen, and I'm preserving it in my quote file. As for the rest, I was careful to state "public face" for a reason, and I hope you're right. But those public faces are by definition what is impressed on the public. Just as Operation Rescue became one of the major public faces of the GOP in the early '90s, Kos is one of the major public faces of the Dems in this decade, as are Moore and the anti-war left.

Here's hoping that substance keeps working in the middle.

Marc;
I liked the quote although as a doc I cringe at anything the wings do as being "therapuetic"; how about "laxative politics".
As a doc I would periodically run into a patient who abused the "laxative".. These patients were always concerned about being "full of it".... Hmmm, but these guys ARE full of it... OK maybe it doesn't work.