Kos watch … don’t mess with the Kos, you pipsqueak activist

Richard Silverstein of Tikum Olam posted a Kos diary where he raised the old “consulting fees” question again.

Result? (As if I needed to tell you.)

His backside got flamed so hard he probably couldn’t sit down for a week.

And, some of the comments on his own blog are priceless.

Maryscott O’Conner, a definite Kos suck-up:

For the record, I am a longtime member of this site, I considerMarkos a warm acquaintance — but I see absolutely nothing wrong with this diary. It asks questions and posits theories — but the ludicrous extent of the defensive reflexive responses is absolutely embarrassing to me.

I wish I could apologise to you on behalf ofthe entire membership of DKos — but I fear most of them would be repelled by such temerity.

I can’t quite reconcile my vision of this community with this blind spot, this INABILITY to even accept the PRESENCE of questions about their putative leaderl. It freaks me the fuck out.

Maryscott, why don’t you stop handwringing and tell Kos to actually do something?

MikeHickerson:

All I can say is, Markos doen’t endorse this behavior , and might be troubled by his moderator’s actions.

Sure he endorses it; he at least has tolerated it, and even the bannings, over Harry Reid voting in favor of Hayden heading the CIA, over Armando’s shysterism, and more.

It’s his lemonade stand

Exactly. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Thad:

There has really been an attempt at purging anything remotely close to some sort of “conflict” which is conveniently brought up by those on the other side of the fence, who would like nothing more than to see dKos and liberal bloggers go down, all while Malkin, Horowitz, Reynolds, and so many others have their heads right up the asses of Republican officials.

There’s more than one “other side,” Thad. I’m a Green-leaner, and I regularly got flamed over that before getting banned over Armando. Try again.

Mark Spittle gets it right:

Unfortunately, the lure of career and cash pollutes the left (even though it RULES the right.) Your points are dead-on accurate. Between DKos and MyDD, the conflicts of interest are mounting to levels which cannot be ignored. These characters must be held to change course or be derided. We as progressives must always be above suspicion, beyond reproach, and perfect in every way. The least little slip runs through the conservative echo machine and comes out at deafening levels. We have to TRY to be perfect.

And then, he gets it even more right:

Unfortunately, it’s clear to me that Kos and Armstrong and Stoller and Bowers and some others are trying to build a career in politics — and failing that, “journalism” — using buzzwords like “liberal,” “progressive” and “netroots” as building blocks. I’ve been regularly chastised for pointing out the hypocrisy in supporting Murtha and denouncing Lieberman (Murtha’s voting record is far to the right of Lieberman), and for supporting Republican-Lite candidates like Lamont or Warner or even Clinton. (You listenin’, Daou?) I was recently called a “Bolshevik” because I wouldn’t move to the center and support Warner.

Welcome, fellow traveler. (NOTE: As Mark pointed out in another post, Daou has his own Jerome Armstrong problem by planning on working for Hillary while still running his blog, Liberal Oasis.)

An “Anon” coward gets it all wrong:

I sure wonder whether you’re carrying water for your masters in NYT, AIPAC, THE NeoCons (Richard Perle, Wolfowitz et al), NONE of whom tell the US citiznery when they are privately or publicly pushing US policy one way, while being obedient to their M.E. masters the other way.

Fladem needs to open his eyes:

The truth is that there is a ton of dissent on Kos.

Only until you’re booted.

Go to the link and read for yourself, if you dare.