Thanks a lot to everybody for helping fund our trip to Netroots Nation. We had a great time, made a lot of new friends, and came up with a lot of ideas about future directions for the blog. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to do any trolling but there just weren’t many opportunities.
Earlier I said that the conference seemed a bit sad, but maybe that’s not the best way of putting it. The panels were great, people seemed happy to be there, and everything ran smoothly. But hardly any bigwigs were there to “kiss the ring”. In 2008 2007, for example, all the Democratic presidential candidates came and met with conference-goers for an hour or so, in addition to having a debate. This time, the Obama campaign presence was fairly minimal and the only real marquee names were Warren and Kthug.
I like Daily Kos a lot better than most of you, but I think many of you are right when you say “so what, do we really want these rings kissed?” The real value of nearly all conferences is networking anyway, and there seemed to be a lot of that going on. There were tons of 20 and 30 somethings who had the appearance of working in progressive politics. But at the same time, it was fun and informative for people like me too.
If I have one big criticism, along with mistermix’s about the lack of engagement with Waterfire, it’s that there is a bit too much of a cool kids vibe with the Kos higher-ups. There should be more glad-handing and making people feel welcome. That’s part of why mistermix and I spent so much time doing meet-ups. Then, of course, the meet-ups were a blast and we learned more from them than from anything else — about waterfire from reader P and about the Republican debates from a debate expert who stopped by (I may post some of his commentary but he’s already signed on to do debate analysis at Wonkette and I don’t want to poach).
I don’t know how the logistics would work out, but maybe some day we could do something like this for BJ, maybe in combination with a few other blogs. That would be a lot of fun. I’m always amazed by how much I like BJ readers when I meet them in person.
Corner Stone
This isn’t news. All conferences, etc, are about the face to face. This is why I despise TED so much. Just a VC snake pit.
Other places people can put a face to a name and know who’s calling them for questions, help, or just to BS. That’s the only benefit of these vendor sponsored cool kids’ fests.
ETA, to clarify just a little. I once went to a conference and after a presentation sat and talked with a C-level guy for about 20 minutes in a kind of one on one situation. Completely engaged and didn’t ADHD off when we were talking.
That’s pretty rare, and it’s a kind of metric I go by on how to value my time and if I should attend.
NRN sounds like it isn’t worth it.
Metrosexual Black AbeJ
@Corner Stone:
I totally agree. I don’t think most people know that though, so I said it.
Odie Hugh Manatee
Your point about Waterfire is an important one. You can talk about things that you consider important but isolating yourselves to do so is shortsighted. IMO, they missed an opportunity to engage and make their presence felt at a local level and they let it pass.
What a waste. They should have got out of the rarefied atmosphere they created there and engage others while they had the chance.
Politics may local but locals spread the word, especially if it’s good.
cat48
Frankly, most of Netroots have spent over 3 yrs. ensuring everyone within ear shot that Obama is indeed the Devil & certainly worse than Bush/Cheney ever were. Netroots tried to rip the WH aide’s face off last year when he came to represent the Admin at Netroots. Most speeches this year were #ObamaFail & yet Obama did not kiss Netroots Ring this year. Go figure.
Metrosexual Black AbeJ
@cat48:
Yeah, I kind of agree. As I’ve said before, I started out doing local blogs with people who are now hard-core firebaggers, and the whole Kos stuff was important to me. So I have some fondness for it.
You guys wore me down on my other post about this…I think you guys are probably right.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@cat48:
I still laugh about the ‘welcome’ that Obama got when he first posted at Daily Kos (way before he ran for Prez). I think he made one more post before abandoning the place. I bet Markos is still kicking himself in the ass over that debacle.
Smart guy, that Obama.
NobodySpecial
@Odie Hugh Manatee: There’s two parts to it – One, you have to have a place large enough for all the attendees, and that kind of self-selects out of residential and small business areas. Two, a lot of people aren’t going to make Rhode Island more blue than it is – they’re there to learn. When I went to the first one, the biggest thing I took away from it was how many of these people were just getting their feet wet in activism. The difference between that first one and 2008 was incredible.
Baud
On one hand, there are a lot of folks here I would be interested in meeting IRL. On the other hand, I have a do-you-really-want-to-ruin-a-good-friendship-by-asking-her-out type of fear about the idea.
Corner Stone
@cat48: Yeah. Fucking shocker. How many people attending NRN made it to the Clooney fundraiser.
cat48
I like a lot of the front pagers at Daily Kos & think they do good work, but I just feel there has to compromise & a bit of respect for each other WITHIN A PARTY. Otherwise, nothing works. That doesn’t mean you can’t disagree with the prez or Congress; I just think it’s counterproductive to go full Jihad against them, using the same tactics as GOP. Just makes me sad.
Baud
@Metrosexual Black AbeJ:
I spent the good part of 2005-2010 hanging out there. I liked it a lot, but IMHO GOS was a different place before Obama was elected. I don’t know if a whole lot of new people showed up, or Obama’s election affected the regulars. Either way, after the 2010 election, I realized that wasn’t the place for me.
But I learned about BJ from a commenter at GOS, so there’s that.
Hunter Gathers
It doesn’t help when Kos himself comes off as one of the most self-aggrandizing prigs around and that the rest of the higher ups would rather discuss the Pony Gap.
Gwangung
@cat48: Yeah. I thought that was basic politics, Getting What You Want 101.
Ben Franklin
But hardly any bigwigs were there to kiss the ring
It’s not like anyone is paying attention now, or ever; like 2008
As has been evident for some time now, Obama is only loosely affected by progressive pressure. While he has moved left on some important issues, overall he has bigger constituencies to please, and he will do what he wants.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/89761/
satanicpanic
BJ conference sounds like a blast!
I mean, Balloon Juice Conference
eemom
Yeah, when you’ve got a blog owner whose standard travel post reads: “I’m gonna be visiting your town, so tell me about the cool places, but for fuck’s sake DON’T ask me to get together for a drink because I never hobnob with the vermin who read my blog,” I can see how logistics might be a bit of a problem.
Gwangung
I’m not sure a lot of progressives realize that. That’s part of Politics 101, even when your bloc is bigger….Not sure they realize that there are other constituencies….
NobodySpecial
@Odie Hugh Manatee: That first diary was about why filibustering John Roberts could never never happen, and how liberals should stop treating national Democrats mean. Not sure what reaction he expected from that…
Litlebritdifrnt
@cat48: Van Jones speech was amazing. He really pointed out that while we can disagree with our side because they haven’t done enough, the alternative is a fucking nightmare. A fucking nightmare. All of those emoprogs who are going to stay home come November because they didn’t get their pony deserve everything they get. Period.
Oh and ETA, I can move home to England, the socialist utopia, you guys have no where to go. Good luck with that purity shit.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@NobodySpecial:
What I’m talking about is not converting more voters to the Blue Team, I’m talking about just making a positive presence in big local activities that would fit in.
The Waterfire event is one such thing. It was ‘after hours’ and there was nothing to lose by making a positive impression locally.
David Koch
I used to like GOS, years ago, but it got boring, and it has been supplanted by new software.
The better diarist started their own blogs. Others were outright banned, some moved other existing sites, some disappeared into the ether, and sadly, some died.
The news aggregation feature has been exceeded in quality by other sites (ie Steve Benen’s) and breaking news feature has been taken over by twitter feeds and text alerts.
The only thing left is community. But even then, you have to like the people to want to hang out, which in the end is a matter of taste.
cat48
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Now see the WashPo presented it more like “We are SO disappointed in Obummer & we will hurt him!”
I had a feeling that it was more like you describe b/c I’ve seen him on TV recently & your description is more like he sounded on TV. I agree with him that it’s ok to disagree & want more. I’m glad he gave an encouraging speech b/c he’s really good at it.
TheMightyTrowel
@Litlebritdifrnt: I moved to Yurp in the Shrub years, now Australia to flee AUSTERITY-IS-THE-ONLY-ANSWER. We can get passports, visas and flights out if we want.
Also, if you want to hold the BJ convention in Australia I’ll host. ;-)
Metrosexual Black AbeJ
@eemom:
I meet up with people all the time, though. It’s not just not John’s thing.
David Koch
@NobodySpecial:
/fixed.
That’s the hilarious part. He was sticking up for the sainted liberal icon Russ Feingold who decided to vote for Roberts, and he got the shit, even though Obama voted against Roberts.
The unreliable, self centered Russ Feingold infamously voted for John Roberts, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, and an assorted bunch of Bush fascists, refused to back the public options (the unicorn of all unicorns), voted against Dodd-Frank, and yet he always gets a free pass, while it’s others who face the Khmer Rouge purity purge.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@NobodySpecial:
Yeah, he stated the reality of D.C. and got bit for doing so. Roberts was going to pass through and that is that. But of course, it’s always Obama’s fault so there’s that.
He got a dose of Kos early on and decided that they weren’t into serious engagement, just flaming and purity.
Thymezone
Reposting due to the main reason I avoid this place these days, the incomprehensibly stupid mod filter. So here we go, reposting until we find the problem.
Nail, head, hit. The people running the Orange S*tan machine are in love with their smartness and have no talent for getting people fired up and ready to …. do whatever it takes to win elections. That’s the core of grassroots politics, but they think that that nifty internet thing is a tool for them to shortcut the hard parts and go straight for the cool parts. Ergo, 42 percent voter turnout and “kill the bill” messages from the book-grifter Netroots leader after 75 years of trying to get a bill.
Which is why we’d much rather have you guys running the thing than the coneheads who are running it now. Please organize a coup and take it over. Thanks.
MikeJ
You haven’t been to one of our Seattle meetups.
geg6
@cat48:
THIS. I really like him and would vote for him in a nanosecond. Which makes it doubly sad that those motherfuckers have made him so poisonous that he could never run for anything but the safest of Dem seats at any level of politics.
Thymezone
Nail, head, hit. The people running the Orange S*tan machine are in love with their smartness and have no talent for getting people fired up and ready to …. do whatever it takes to win elections. That’s the core of grassroots politics, but they think that that nifty internet thing is a tool for them to shortcut the hard parts and go straight for the cool parts. Ergo, 42 percent voter turnout and “kill the bill” messages from the book-grifter Netroots leader after 75 years of trying to get a bill.
Which is why we’d much rather have you guys running the thing than the coneheads who are running it now. Please organize a coup and take it over. Thanks.
Thymezone
@eemom:
Heh. Stop being so rational.
kideni
@eemom:
Seriously. I think we should have a meet-up in Madison whenever it is that John Cole’s in town and just make sure we have it at one of the cool places he doesn’t know about so that there’s no way we’ll run into him.
(edited to clarify quoting)
Gwangung
@MikeJ: I’m a prime example…
gogol's wife
@eemom:
OT, have you noticed the pigs are gone?
Gwangung
@kideni: That sounds like a plan….
Tiny Tim
I really don’t care one way or another, but don’t think Markos (or GOS frontpagers) was saying that HCR should be killed.
Hate the blog, just know why you hate it.
geg6
@Thymezone:
Heh. That would be awesome. I vote Pittsburgh for the first one. Doug and mistermix could easily travel here. Tim F. lives here. kay is close and has a daughter living in Pittsburgh. Cole could easily troll us all by showing up in disguise and not letting us know it’s him until it’s over.
I’d totally show up for that. What say, other Pittsburghers, Pennsylvanians, and residents of the tri-state area?
cat48
@geg6:
I’m not sure he’s too poisonous anymore when you look at the degenerate TParty House. Van looks extraordinary compared to them. Do you know where he lives? Their party leader is palling around with a Birther. heh
Yutsano
@MikeJ: He was at the last one. You should know, you sat next to him!
amk
Good. That should have given these nuts more time for their navel gazing instead of childish snapping at the heels of the bigwigs.
This cesspool is draining the circles.
lacp
So the actual scheduled stuff was mostly Obama sux? Why go to RI for that? If I want to hear people tell me how much they hate the President, I can do that at home for free.
Though the social networking stuff sounds pretty cool
David Koch
You know why, doncha?
Last year’s 3-ring circus turned everyone off.
Who wants to show up just to have rotten fruit thrown at you.
amk
The thugs are better off in pulling the poutrage act than the libtards. And they fucking vote.
Clime Acts
@cat48:
So yeah…? You’re thinking people should shut the fuck up about what they believe so that Obama will attend NN? Fuck that.
Gwangung
@amk: Sigh. Sme folks are confusing “necessary” with “sufficient”.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@lacp:
Who said that?
Jack Canuck
Awesome, a Magazine reference in the thread title. Nicely done – now I’ve got to go listen to that album.
eemom
@gogol’s wife:
Yes, thank God. And now we can only hope they don’t reappear.
rikyrah
@David Koch:
AND, refused to step up to the plate and run against Scott Walker.
geg6
OT, but Michelle Obama + Robert Irvine’s guns = awesome Restaurant: Impossible.
amk
@David Koch: That’s the cluelessness of nutroots in a nutshell.
eemom
@Metrosexual Black AbeJ:
Certainly. And I would love to do a meetup anytime here in the deecee/NoVa area.
Would also consider traveling to PA or NYC for one if the timing was right. There are lots of the reg’lars here that I would enjoy meeting.
Cain
@MikeJ:
Oh yeah? Do tell! Did DougJ troll in person and piss someone off?
Schlemizel
pretty impressive that you got the line exactly the way Sly printed it on the liner notes – nice job!
geg6
@eemom:
Come on. Vote Pittsburgh. You know you’re dying to meet me. ;-)
Cain
How come nobody is doing a meet up in Portland, OR?
Cain
For god sakes though, please don’t use ‘BJ Nation” or something.. people would just get the wrong idea
eemom
Believe it or not, I once attended an FDL meet up, back in its pre-batshit days.
It was 2007 at Old Ebbitt Grill. Ended up being just 3 of us, me and Redshift and some guy from Minnesota who went by the name of Balrog.
Redshift and I are also college classmates, but we met on FDL. It’s a small world after all.
Corner Stone
@Cain: If that’s wrong, I don’t wanna be right.
John Cole
@eemom:
A.) that is not what I said
B.) I would rather shower in prison than spend 8 seconds talking to you in person, given your performance in the comments here.
C.) I am just uncomfortable meeting new people, and would rather be straightforward about it than mince words
D.) When I travel, I like to be free from commitments
E.) Why do you read this website when you so clearly hate everyone with a burning passion?
F.) Are you this miserable all day every day?
Corner Stone
Paging https://twitter.com/#!/killlistintern
David Koch
@Baud:
Well, Kos would be the first one to say the blog has a lot of turnover.
I would say things changed in 2007. The primary brought in a lot of populists because of Edwards. Populists are different than liberals. This is not to say one is better or worse, rather that they’re different flavors. Some people love the Red Sox, some live and die with Phillies.
Corner Stone
Damn. An alphabetical breakdown and shit.
eemom
@geg6:
I am sure we would get along famously.
Pittsburgh is a bit of a hike, though.
Alison
@John Cole:
Seriously, this. I won’t claim to speak for your emotional state, but for me, I am incredibly shy and uncomfortable around new people and in unfamiliar situations, and I fucking hate people who either mock that or make it into some nasty character flaw. We can’t all be social butterflies, and there’s nothing wrong with being honest and not forcing yourself into something you know won’t be suitable for you.
Really, eemom, I don’t get you. I’d love to see you provide honest answers to John’s questions.
eemom
@John Cole:
oh piss off, you disagreeable individual.
As I’ve said before, it’s we commenters who make this place what it is. Who needs you?
David Koch
Watching Mad Men, and boy Alexis Bledel has one hot body.
amk
@John Cole:
Oh boy, talk about thin skin. Watch it, you are gonna break it boy.
David Koch
@eemom: She has a point, John. The quality of your writing has really stunk this year. Also too, ABL isn’t bringing it anymore.
Valdivia
A classic on the snake pit of conferences: Small World (though the first book in the Trilogy, Changing Places is better)
JR
I don’t see NN as a “kiss the ring” event (though it sure was in 2007 before the name change). I see it as Liberal Summer Camp, only in a big city with good food and booze. For a lot of people, Liberal Summer Camp would be a nightmare, but for people whose lives revolve around progressive politics, it’s fun and profitable. I didn’t get the same vibe DougJ got from the front pagers – I actually got to spend a lot of time hanging out with them, and they were friendly and seemingly appreciative that we keep going to this little shindig.
And yes, I networked my little 20-something ass off while I was there. Write-off city!
eemom
@Alison:
Yes, honest answers to questions that are so clearly asked in good faith. I’ll get right on it.
I’m glad you’ve found a soulmate in Cole, though. You could do worse.
Alison
@eemom: You calling someone disagreeable is probably the most amusing thing you’ve ever said.
I will never ever understand the varying forms of trolls. You really have nothing better to spend your time doing than being some kind of jerkoff on a blog? Get a hobby, jeez.
As to your snide-ass soulmate comment, I can certainly say that, going off of what I read here, I’d rather spend eternity with John than two minutes with you. And I don’t even know you! Maybe people in your real-world life think you’re great. But you seem *determined* to be a complete jerk here, and then you get pissy when people point it out or ask you why. You won’t engage honestly, you won’t ever back off from the asshole attitude, and then you act like the FPers and the rest of us should be bowing down and licking your boots for gracing us with your presence. God, what the fuck…
TOP123
@Litlebritdifrnt: Wait: I love the UK, and was just in England again a couple of weeks ago for a great holiday, but you’re saying you’ll move there to escape? I guess England’s much lighter on the Christian Taliban bit, but as far as fiscal austerity and a national security state?!?
eemom
@amk:
Seems like he’s fixing to outdo Greenwald and Hamsher this year in the “dish it out but can’t take it” category. The price of success, I suppose.
Violet
@eemom:
It is his blog and he owns the domain name. I think we need him for that, at least. He could shut the place down pretty quickly if he so desired.
Odie Hugh Manatee
One comment in a diary at Kos about NN caught my eye:
It sounds like some people were having a private meeting in a stall.
It’s sad to read that bullshit.
eemom
dayum, but that is original.
What happened here? Did fuckie and Cornered Stone get together and adopt a baby girl? If someone had told me I’d’ve sent a gift. Jeez.
eemom
@Violet:
Sure, but then what would he do when he needs (1) prompt and plentiful responses to his every whimsical question about everything from tech to gardening to cooking to why the fuck old guys run after young women, and (2) an audience for his middle of the night stream-of-consciousness ramblings?
Everybody here is getting something out of this deal.
David Koch
@Odie Hugh Manatee: sounds like Krugman was getting it on with a groupie.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Alison:
Well said. I think she has made it her mission here to convince everyone she can that she’s an asshole. Mission accomplished, a long fucking time ago. There are a lot of people here that I would love to meet with in RL, but she sure as hell isn’t one of them. As John said, a shower in prison would be better.
Now she will try to insult me and I’ll either toss her the insult that she desires in return or better yet, just ignore the asshole.
Alison
@eemom: Um, I wasn’t trying to be “original”. I really do wonder what people like you get out of this schtick.
And FFS, you just lump everyone who doesn’t like you into one pile? Do you really think people have no logical reason to have a negative opinion of you? It seems like you go out of your way to MAKE people have those negative opinions…
Cassidy
@John Cole: I dunno… I get the impression someone really wants you to meet her in person.
jayackroyd
The presidential primary forum was YK2007, the event where the new Netroots Nation name was announced. Here’s Hilary’s breakout session: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV-lRdzL6Bc
Anne Laurie
@Cassidy: And to think, Cole once said something like “fat middle-aged guys don’t have stalkers”….
eemom
um, fwiw, he’s just trying to one-up me with that particular water metaphor.
Sorry to disappoint you. Am glad you have a new playmate, though.
magurakurin
@eemom: except what you seem to be getting appears to be rather dysfunctional.
Life is short. Better to spend it with people you actually like(even in the virtual sense.) You don’t seem to like anyone here, so it’s hard to see what you get from this in a positive sense.
Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves.
Cassidy
Just tell him you want to end his drought already. Sounds like you both could use it.
Valdivia
@geg6: Id totally go there from DC. :)
eemom
@magurakurin:
I like lots of people here, as I’ve already said repeatedly.
Interesting to see that you’ve joined the ranks of Cole star-fuckers though.
FlipYrWhig
If we’re keeping lists of commenters who can be abrasive when they disagree with other commenters, it’s going to be a long-ass list. Also, fuck all y’all.
eemom
@Cassidy:
eeyew
Metrosexual Black AbeJ
@jayackroyd:
Thanks, I corrected it.
magurakurin
@eemom: well, cool then, I suppose. But you do tend to carry things too far. It’s a free Internet and I’m not the Posting Police, but in my opinion you would be better off to say you piece, defend it for a bit and then let it go. I’ve read one too many threads where you just go on and on beyond the point where anyone is really listening or caring anymore. Everyone does it, especially when something hits close to home(I get riled up when someone tells me that the reactor leaking near my home is safe and Ce137 really isn’t that big a deal, for example) but it is somewhat endemic in your case. And I basically like most of what you say a lot of the time, but you end up turning off even the people who agree with you after a while.
And there really is no need to pick on the host the way you do. That’s just rude.
Corner Stone
@FlipYrWhig: [faints]
Metrosexual Black AbeJ
@eemom:
That does seem like something teh google could answer.
eemom
@eemom:
Come to mention it, “uncomfortable meeting new people” IS pretty much the first thought that comes to mind hearing something like this:
David Koch
Tunch has tons of groupies.
FlipYrWhig
@Corner Stone: Ouch, I’m being abraded by another commenter, just like I described! Oh, the irony!
Corner Stone
@FlipYrWhig: I think you mean upbraided. Although it would be delicious if you really meant abraded.
And no one’s keeping a list tough guy. They’re bead blasting one douche.
Cassidy
@eemom: A little grudge wrestling never hurt anyone.
David Koch
@jayackroyd: I didn’t know you were a Hillbot, Jay. I figured you for Dodd.
FlipYrWhig
@Corner Stone: Abrasive derives from abrade. I.e., rubbin’ up on all jaggedy-like.
FlipYrWhig
@Corner Stone: A bunch of commenters saying how they feel about another commenter who participates a lot and tends to get nasty… That’s a particularly savage and unsettling brand of censorship, I think it was settled on one of those blogs where people mostly talk about dogs and vegetables.
YellowJournalism
None of us need to meet John, but we demand that his furry counterparts show up sometime. Although, if Tunch is eating, I would suggest going Dutch.
eemom
@magurakurin:
I went out of my way to ask how you and your family were doing after the earthquake/tsunami last year. Evidently you have returned the kindness by investing a great amount of time and thought to the assessment of my character. It is therefore with regret that I must inform you that I find you and your analysis full of shit.
The good news, however, is that the way forward to a mutually agreeable and prosperous future lies easily within our grasp: you fuck off and ignore my comments, and I’ll do the same for yours. kthxbai.
John Cole
My favorite thing about eemom is the complete lack of internal consistency in any of her public flameouts.
At 9:01 pm we have @eemom:
Then, lo and behold, things done changed @eemom:
So which is it? Can there be a BJ meet-up without me? Or is it unpossible because I think everyone is vermin? The answer, of course, is it FUCKING DEPENDS ON WHAT EEMOM IS PISSED OFF ABOUT RIGHT FUCKING NOW. But whatever has her pissed off, it is me, Greenwald, or Hamsher. You can bet on that.
I also love that if I don’t respond to her constant angst, it is “OMG JOHN COLE NEVER READS THE COMMENTS!” If I respond, it’s “OMG JOHN COLE IS THIN SKINNED!”
Crazy fucking people. Always a source of entertainment and angst.
Yutsano
@YellowJournalism: Indeed. That’s a lotta rare ahi.
John Cole
@eemom:
ALL ABOUT ME. ALL ABOUT ME. ALL ABOUT ME.
You’re a sociopath, eemom.
FlipYrWhig
So, we’re all still getting together sometime soon, right?
eemom
@John Cole:
[shaking proverbial head] There is not a shred of logical consistency in that post, Cole. Not a shred.
I said you being the blog-owner and an asshole about not wanting to meet people — whatever the actual reason for that is — could be an impediment to Metrosexy’s desire for a “BJ Nation.”
He said HE is open to meeting people — and I said, yes, that would be lovely, there are many people here I’d like to meet.
I’ve said: (1) You, John Cole, are an asshole; and (2) There are many people OTHER than YOU, John Cole, that I’d like to meet. What is inconsistent about that?
eemom
@FlipYrWhig:
OMFG — have I missed yet another side show where Cornered Stone, of all people, is calling me an asshole?
I’d quote that old line “Pot? Kettle. How ya doin?” but somehow that doesn’t seem to do it justice.
David Koch
Wow, this is like watchin one those horrible romantic comedies where Gerald Butler and Katherine Heigl fight all through the movie, until Butler gets in a cab at the last moment and speeds across town to stop Heigl’s marriage, only Heigl runs away from the marriage just as she’s about to say “I do” and is simultaneously racing across town to tell him she loves him and they get into a head on collision and everyone mercifully dies, precluding a sequel.
FlipYrWhig
@eemom: I tried to explain that we all have our asshole moments, but CS basically maintained that some people deserve to be singled out for making it a habit.
FlipYrWhig
@David Koch: I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t enjoy watching that.
Thor Heyerdahl
Ah, to sit back and feel the love between everyone :)
At GOS, there are lots of firebagging heathers that consistently get their knickers in a twist over the smallest things. Here, we tell each other that we’re full of shit and move on.
It’s what brings me back every day…:) Credit where it’s deserved though, it was Kos himself who pointed out John Cole’s blog to me in a few of his posts.
FlipYrWhig
@Thor Heyerdahl: I think we’re mostly opposed to the existence of knickers in the first place.
David Koch
This would make a great stage production. Fuck Felix and Oscar.
FlipYrWhig
@FlipYrWhig: Speaking of which, laundry calls. Hugs and kisses to all.
Thor Heyerdahl
@FlipYrWhig: American or British definition of knickers?
A Humble Lurker
@eemom: That’s real rich coming from you.
amk
@David Koch: LOL. Nailed it.
Congrats cole on successfully trolling dougj’s thread. That’ll teach him.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
random
Steeplejack
@Jack Canuck:
I think DougJ was actually referencing this song.
Corner Stone
@FlipYrWhig: I’m lovin’ it, you sensitive little monkey.
Any time anyone wants to come after me they should feel the spirit of the Lord as their co-pilot.
Ain’t anytime you’ve ever heard me cry uncle.
You and eegeg6 can enjoy lounge chairs by the pool, it’s got nothing to do with me.
FlipYrWhig
@Corner Stone: Dude, it’s funny, is all. There are plenty of asshole comments made every day here. Earnest pleas about eemom’s tone seem about as likely to be successful as earnest pleas about anyone else’s tone. We get used to it. I’m saying what you’re saying, you just can’t pass up the chance to have an argument about nothing based on nothing.
RibletsOnThePan (@ribletsonthepan)
@Tiny Tim: You better believe Kos wanted to kill the bill…. he screamed it from the roof tops …he called it a monstrosity. I know exactly why I loathe Kos ‘n company.
The prophet Nostradumbass
Here is Kos saying “Kill this Bill”. Or, to be more precise, “Get rid of the mandate, or Kill this Bill”, which amounts to the same thing, because without the mandate, the rest of it is useless. Kos was an idiot on that issue.
Jewish Steel
Whoawhoawhoa. Hang on. Those cocksuckers cool-kidded you? And by proxy us?
Oh, no. That ain’t gonna fly. Tomorrow. Someone’s gonna get tripped in the cafeteria. Tears. Snickering. Tray fulla cream corn flying everywhere.
Watch yo back, Kos.
amk
/fixt.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@amk: That “fixt” thing is one of the lamest Internet tropes I have ever seen.
Brachiator
Sly Stone would approve this message. Or at least, the thread title.
The prophet Nostradumbass
Scrolling up through the comments, I see that someone is mad that they hadn’t had enough attention paid to them, and thus threw a fit.
amk
@The prophet Nostradumbass: So that qualifies yours for the lamest reply ?
The prophet Nostradumbass
@amk: Not really, no.
Amir Khalid
When I see other people have running fights in the comments here (with the blog host, even) I think of the one commenter who used to try and pick fights with me. She even had this very special epithet that she applied to me, and me alone. ::sigh:: I miss her.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Amir Khalid: matoko_loko_chan? haha.
gogol's wife
I’m sorry I went to bed last night before this pile-on happened, but I just want to say, I like eemom. There is a bit too much hero worship of the host here (I’m guilty of it myself), and she provides a nice note of dissonance to that. And I think the general tenor of her comments has been misrepresented by some of the people on this thread.
No one may ever see this comment, but I had to make it. So there.
Corner Stone
@FlipYrWhig: Nah. It’s just I’ve been watching a lot of Supernatural lately and I’m feeling righteous.
handsmile
@gogol’s wife:
Well, I saw it and, sharing your opinion of eemom, appreciate that you took the time to write it.
Having read through the comments only this morning, I was taken aback by the intensity of the vitriol on all sides, even on a blog not always distinguished by its good fellowship and light-hearted banter.
A question for anyone who might be checking back here regarding another commenter, who many had vehement opinions about also, and who last went by the nym “Sam. Morgan” (my own preemptive abbreviation): what happened to her? I’ve not seen her moniker for some weeks (admittedly I’ve been reading through fewer threads of late). She too was a distinct personality here who, for me at least, offered a heterodox perspective albeit often in a gratuitously aggressive manner.
gogol's wife
@handsmile:
I’ve been wondering too. Even though she was the first person I ever got flamed by, and it drove me away for a few months, I do kind of miss her. (I can’t believe I said that.)
MathInPA
To be honest, eemom and a few others like her are why I’ve stopped reading the comments unless there seems to be a question (implicit or explicit) in the post that I’m interested in. I enjoy the articles here a lot, but people like eemom remind me of why I absolutely hate the idea of meeting up with people based on blog readership or fandom or whatever. I deal with enough vicious, egotistical, spiteful, and dishonest individuals in real life, and I really don’t want to increase my RL aggravation level.
Amir Khalid
@handsmile:
@gogol’s wife:
So I’m not the only one who misses m_c. As to her fate, wonder no more. She put some racist insults in a comment some months ago, and the Blog Lord smote her with the Banhammer.
Yutsano
@Amir Khalid: She’ll be back. Even if her IP address was banned, she’s smart enough to get around that. But I worry about her inability to learn more than her trolling.
eemom
@gogol’s wife:
@handsmile:
Thanks, you guys. I like and respect both of you as well and I really appreciate that.
Reading comprehension is a real challenge for some folks around here.
As for toko, I miss her too. As annoying as she inevitably was, she did have a little “truth to power” essence to her — the blogworld equivalent of the little child pointing “no clothes!” at the emperor, and it sure came in handy with some of the self-adoring twerps Cole invites to post here.
eemom
@gogol’s wife:
It is interesting how blog “relationships” can evolve. There are some people who I’ve gotten in ferocious flame wars with that I’ve ended up coming to like.
Others, not so much. : )
Jewish Steel
Bring back
Bring back
Oh bring back my m_c to me
To me!
Bring back
Bring back
Oh bring samara to me