Disturbing Daily Kos Analogy

26 June, 2006. 316 words.

I won’t comment on the so-called Ko$ola scandal, since you can read about it in excruciating detail elsewhere (see background below). Suffice it to say it just reinforces, albeit circumstantially, my existing suspicions about Daily Kos.

Here’s an interesting parallel that occurred to me over the weekend. Clearly, with Daily Kos, Markos is trying to build an influential organization with which he can affect the political future of the nation. He does this by writing commentary and channeling donations to candidates he endorses. He tries to wrap it in a populist, “people-powered” disguise, but he and his circle of elders are definitely shaping the direction of the movement.

Sound familiar? To me, it sounds like the beginnings of the American Family Association. This is an organization I thoroughly despise, and Daily Kos has the exact same business model. The AFA now wields tons of clout, because they have tons of money, and tons of followers. They have substantial influence within the Republican party. They also claim, like Daily Kos, that they merely give a voice to the people they represent. All because one Rev. Don Wildmon didn’t like what he saw on television one night.

A bad omen, if you ask me.

The Ko$ola Saga:

6/16, Trouble In Kosistan? - The New Republic (TNR)
6/20, Jerome Armstrong: Hype for Hire - RedState
6/20, Consulting - Daily Kos
6/21, The Blogosphere’s Smoke-Filled Backroom - TNR
6/21, The Power Of The Purse Strings - TNR
6/22, I Manage The Liberal Blog Advertising Network - MyDD
6/22, Here We Go Again - TNR
6/22, TNR’s defection to the Right is now complete - Daily Kos
6/23, A Message From TNR’s Lieberman-Loving Neocon Owner - TNR
6/24, NY Times columnist Brooks attacks ‘Kingpin’ of Daily Kos - Raw Story
6/24, The War’s Left Front - Newsweek
6/24, Really Quick - Daily Kos
6/25, Insiders Have Blog Obsession Syndrome - MyDD

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