Accountability For Thee But Not For Me?
That's what it looks like
Kos founder Markos Moulitsas is telling elite liberal bloggers. TNR published an email Kos sent to the bloggers. Here's the content of Kos' email:
What's the reaction from the Kossacks, you ask? Here's a sampling:
It's quite telling that you say that TNR has joined the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy just because they exposed your sleazy tactics. Your ilk demand total loyalty even when you're playing fast and loose with political ethics. Anyone who'll sell their endorsement for a series of payoffs isn't an activist; they're extorsionists.
Only a Kossack dictator could seriously think that TNR is a right wing group. I've said many times that political parties that demand unswerving loyalty to everything they want are minority parties. You've achieved that status with this email. It couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of extorsionists.
Posted Thursday, June 22, 2006 3:41 PM
May 2006 Posts
No comments.
The YearlyKos media people have already forced corrections at Slate and NY Times (Suellentrop's blog). There has been some serious overreach by the few outlets that picked up this story (which as I mentioned before has been shopped around). It was interesting how this one piddly-ass story was used to try and smear Jerome, me, AND YearlyKos.Moulitsas is telling these bloggers to not fuel any investigation into his shady dealings with politicians. After positioning himself as a kingmaker in liberal politics, he & his partner struck behind the scenes 'consulting deals' with the Dean campaign in exchange for their endorsement. That's called quid pro quo and it's a tactic that the Dailey Machine of the 60's thrived on. In today's world, it might be termed an extorsion racket since he wields so much influence on liberal politics.
So the only paper to run this as a news story is the disgraceful NY Post. Others who picked up on it have had to backtrack from their original sensationalistic claims.
I am exploring legal options against some of the wingnut bloggers who are claiming I'm syphoning netroots money into consultants and my own pockets. Note how Glenn Reynolds is fueling it with his typical passive aggressive, "I don't think it's a big deal, but let me provide links to everyone who thinks this is THE BIGGEST STORY EVER!"
And Jerome's case, if it could be aired out, is a non-story (he was a poor grad student at the time so he settled because he had no money). Jerome can't talk about it now since the case is not fully closed. But once it is, he'll go on the offensive. That should be a couple of months off.
This story will percolate in wingnut circles until then, but I haven't gotten a single serious media call about it yet. Not one. So far, this story isn't making the jump to the traditional media, and we shouldn't do anything to help make that happen.If any of us blog on this right now, we fuel the story. Let's starve it of oxygen.Then, once Jerome can speak and defend himself, then I'll go on the offensive (which is when I would file any lawsuits) and anyone can pile on.If any of us blog on this right now, we fuel the story. Let's starve it of oxygen.And without the "he said, she said" element to the story, you know political journalists are paralyzed into inaction.
Thanks, Markos
What's the reaction from the Kossacks, you ask? Here's a sampling:
People talk about the need for the left to work together and have a unified message in the face of a unified conservative noise machine. So a google group was created called "Townhouse", and it included many bloggers and other representatives of the netroots as well as a large number of partisan journalists and grassroots groups. It allowed us to discuss policy, issues, tactics and coordinate as much as you can ever get a bunch of liberals to coordinate.I thought that sunshine was the best disinfectant, Dave. After all the screaming we heard about the secrecy of the NSA's Terrorist Surveillance Program and the Cheney energy task force, you'd think that sunshine in all proceedings would be welcome. Is it only important when it's someone you disagree with? If what you're saying is honest and above board, what's the big deal about making everything public? Besides, isn't it true that that isn't what you're worried about? Isn't it true that you don't want ethical people to know about your quid pro quo deals that essentially buy your endorsement?
There was one big rule for this list, an important cog in the growing Vast Left Wing Conspiracy, everything discussed was off the record.
That was obviously violated today as the New Republic betrayed, once again, that it seeks to destroy the new people-powered movement for the sake of its Lieberman-worshipping neocon owners; that it stands with the National Review and wingnutoshpere in their opposition to grassroots Democrats.
The magazine published, in its website, an email I sent to the list. There is nothing controversial about the email, but Jason Zengerle tried to spin it as evidence that there is a "smoke-filled room" and that I send "dictats" to other bloggers, controlling what they can and cannot write about. In a subsequent post, Zengerle went further, saying that I control the financial fates of much of the progressive blogosphere. My power apparently knows no bounds!
It's quite telling that you say that TNR has joined the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy just because they exposed your sleazy tactics. Your ilk demand total loyalty even when you're playing fast and loose with political ethics. Anyone who'll sell their endorsement for a series of payoffs isn't an activist; they're extorsionists.
Only a Kossack dictator could seriously think that TNR is a right wing group. I've said many times that political parties that demand unswerving loyalty to everything they want are minority parties. You've achieved that status with this email. It couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of extorsionists.
Posted Thursday, June 22, 2006 3:41 PM
May 2006 Posts
No comments.
