Mayors vs. Bloggers!
The past few years have seen an awful lot of angry citizens taking government into their own hands — including recalling local officials. Some of this is clear payback by wealthy constituents (the recent Miami mayoral recall), and others are focused on officials who campaigned on one thing and did another. The U.S. Conference of Mayors seems to be blaming bloggers for this recall fever:
At a news conference Tuesday, Cochran identified one enemy of the mayors: bloggers who attack elected officials.
“Today we have the social media,” he said. “The bloggers are out there every night and every day.”
Cochran said he’d urge mayors to fight back against the blogs and check the laws that regulated recall elections. He said 38 states allowed the recall of local officials, though some required specific reasons such as malfeasance or corruption.
The mayors noted that there were some common factors in the recall efforts, including the targeting of mayors who have raised taxes or slashed budgets.
These mayors have produced a documentary — Recall Fever, that has its own trailer:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwXfNzMp_ig[/youtube]
The number of recall efforts seems to be on the rise. Whether or not these efforts have any merit, I don’t know. But officials blaming bloggers for their current woes is overkill — and taken with the fact that they made their own documentary about this business signals to me that we are going to be looking at a great deal of effort in the next few years to sharply curtail voter’s access to the tools make their displeasure heard.
Recalls make sense but the question needs to be asked – “Do they know what they are mad about?” or did their candidate loose and therefore they are unhappy?
Cass,
you should go tell the Mayors that bloggers don’t do anything and have no power. Tell them not to fear bloggers, b/c after all, only the people that march in the streets and put up signs around election time are the real movers and shakers in politics.
bloggers are just venting and don’t really make things happen. Unlike people like yourself of course.
Your blind hypocrisy with posting this should shock me, but doesn’t.
“The past few years have seen an awful lot of angry citizens taking government into their own hands — including recalling local officials.”
Citizens actually having the power to determine their fate? The horror! What next? It’s some kinda “feevah” I tell ya.
I don’t recall Cassandra saying that bloggers are powerless. I seem to recall her saying that if you have an issue you care about you should walk the talk. I didn’t take her position to be an either/or. More of… if this is your main issue what are you doing to advance your agenda. Now, maybe I’m making assumptions, but I start from the place where Cassandra is a blogger. She is also ridiculously active in her community. She does both.
Maybe you should start a blog, DV. 😉
your headline says “Bloggers v. Mayors”. It doesn’t say anything about fundraisers, callers, volunteers.
It says BLOGGERS
bloggers are just venting and don’t really make things happen. Unlike people like yourself of course.
Belligerent stupidity over here isn’t going to drive any more traffic to your own blog, dv. Although I am sure you are over there emulating every bit of the kind of work that Chris Bowers is doing — fundraising, coalition-building, calling for volunteers, getting people to call or write letters to their legislators on the issues that concern you.
Yes, I crack myself up.
The blind hypocrisy here is that of you and your fellow blogging boys here who insist on your own damn narratives without ever even giving a fair listen to anyone else’s arguments. Which is evident in your clueless post here which you would be completely embarrassed about if you had engaged with anything I had to say with anything approximating good faith. Certainly *this* post’s point has nothing to do with what the bloggers may or may not be doing. Because I don’t know what they are doing and — really — *you’ll* never muster up the work to go figure out what they’re doing. I never have any expectations that you’ll be particularly honest or even read especially closely.
But I imagine that the people in this world who *do* have high expectations of you are very likely reading your blog. Or listening to your podcasts or whatever the heck it is you do over there.
Pandora,
Cassandra has implied that blogging is pointless and is not a way to actually make change or anything remotely as powerful and mighty as making phone calls to people at dinner time and handing out pamphlets to seniors.
So, she has implied that blogging is not a worthy occupation and is a much less acceptable way of contributing to changing the Political process.
She has hoisted her ass on a petard b/c she feels that what she does is better than what I do or have done or what anyone else does that isn’t what she does and is contrary to what she feels is actually doing something other than bitching.
Cassandra,
It’s hard to take anything you post with a degree of seriousness when you look down on people that don’t have the same dedication to the system as you.
Your feeling that what you do is the REAL way of making change is laughable. The fact that you don’t see what YOU do is the entire part of the problem with our system amuses me.
You blindly support a 2 party system. You work for democratic party, you blame one party and hold back on blaming the other. You accept incremental change on one side and blast it when it comes from the other.
Feel free to think that what you do is better than someone that posts a blog and comments.
I don’t think that what you do is holier than thou and warrants your attitude towards people that don’t make phone calls and sit around on Saturdays wasting their time to support a 2 party systems that is as much a part of the problem with politics.
You and not me said that voting is not action. You are the one that reduced voting to the level of pointlessness.
I don’t feel she implied that at all.
Wouldn’t that be like me saying, “All DV feels he has to do is vote. and that anything more than that is a waste of time.” Would that be a fair characterization of you? I think not.
Honestly, DV, I find your responses to Cassandra emotionally driven.
Citizens actually having the power to determine their fate? The horror! What next? It’s some kinda “feevah” I tell ya.
And while I have no doubt that some of this recall fever is being driven by folks who don’t have civic accountability at the top of their lists, it is just silly to blame bloggers for the rash of recalls. But it does give these Mayors (and other legislators who float this excuse periodically)a convenient excuse to start talking up strategies to curtail the ability of citizens to hold their electeds accountable.
I don’t recall Cassandra saying that bloggers are powerless. I seem to recall her saying that if you have an issue you care about you should walk the talk. I didn’t take her position to be an either/or. More of… if this is your main issue what are you doing to advance your agenda. Now, maybe I’m making assumptions, but I start from the place where Cassandra is a blogger. She is also ridiculously active in her community. She does both.
help me understand who appointed Cassandra the end all be all of what is and isn’t walking the talk?
This has always been something Cass has said and done when she gets pissy with commenters. She pulls out the “what have you done about it card”.
I don’t feel she implied that at all.
Wouldn’t that be like me saying, “All DV feels he has to do is vote. and that anything more than that is a waste of time.” Would that be a fair characterization of you? I think not.
Honestly, DV, I find your responses to Cassandra emotionally driven.
sorry you aren’t keeping track of her comments then. B/c she has implied that and I don’t feel like digging up the comment. But, she has Pandora….
christ, now I have to go dig it up
Prepare for an attempt at more regulation, or more of this:
http://articles.philly.com/2010-08-24/news/24974992_1_bloggers-local-blog-tax
help me understand who appointed Cassandra the end all be all of what is and isn’t walking the talk?
Um… the same person who appointed you the “keeping it real” guy.
Also: This has always been something Cass has said and done when she gets pissy with commenters.
You’re kidding, right? Glass houses, and all.
You and not me said that voting is not action. You are the one that reduced voting to the level of pointlessness.
You can link to where I said exactly this, I presume.
help me understand who appointed Cassandra the end all be all of what is and isn’t walking the talk?
Apparently you did. Because if this didn’t mean much to you, you wouldn’t keep working overtime to justify your own lack of involvement in the process.
I just like to needle you and point out what I feel is your double standard. You’re part of the problem with politics. Voting isn’t enough in your book, but yet, you work tirelessly to get people to vote.
And yes, you did not say that voting is not action. You implied that it isn’t as good as whatever it is you do. You minimized voting
and then stood up on a pedestal to say that you know how politics work. Well bravo, you are aware of how the stinking cess pool operates that has driven our country to 3 wars and a person like yourself understanding that tax cuts for the rich are an acceptable bargaining chip for u/e checks.
Like I said, you are part of the problem. Being proud you know how the system works, and working for it aren’t redeeming qualities in my book.
but congrats on helping get Obama elected, he’s a boon for the rich.
I have a great analogy for what you represent cassandra.
You remind me of the Exxon or BP commercials that are running on CNN
or MSNBC. You know, the ones that Exxon tells us via an employee all the great work they are doing that people don’t know about b/c the company is raking in record profits and polluting the planet.
you’re that worker on the commercial and the DCC that you volunteer for is Exxon.
I’m having trouble following you, DV.
First, you say, “You and not me said that voting is not action. You are the one that reduced voting to the level of pointlessness.”
Then you say, “And yes, you did not say that voting is not action.”
Then you imply that she implied that it isn’t as good as whatever it is you do. You minimized voting which I really don’t see.
You rail against the two party system, and, therefore conclude, that Cassandra is for the two party system – which she has never said.
Face it, DV. Your problem with Cassandra is personal. Nothing more.
who’s raging now?
I stand by my opinion on your feelings towards ordinary voters that don’t get out and march for their leaders.
I also stand by my analogy that you are just like an exxon worker in a commercial telling me how wonderful the company really is if I could just get beyond all the bad things they do.
You’re part of the problem. Keep marching to your beat, I’m sure eventually all that action will result in real change.
And yes, you did not say that voting is not action.
And the bit you quoted there says not one thing about voting is not action. Not.One.Thing.
So this is one more dv bit of FAIL — where you have to make up wholesale the argument that you want to have.
You are in no position to lecture ANYONE on the business of dishonesty, you asshole.
It didn’t take much for you to just make up what I said. Which matches all of the work you are doing to get the political change you want. People reading will note that I keep bringing up Chris Bowers as an example of a blogger doing the work for change. They will also note that you NEVER engage that point. Why? Because you aren’t working for change. You are just part of the You’re Doing It Wrong Caucus. And lying about what people say here just to be able to have a point.
So congratulations for memorializing your dishonesty on whatever your issues are over here, where people will forever be able to point to the fact that you need to torture other people’s arguments well out of their shape in order to get your outrage on.
Ok, It’s personal. And what’s your point? It isn’t personal with Cassandra? spare me.
I don’t like cassandra. So what? She doesn’t like me either. Big deal. She’s had a problem with me ever since I wrote a post about the church being full of pedophiles. blah, blah, blah.
So while it’s possible I misunderstood what she was inferring about with regard to voting. I don’t feel that part of my point being that she feels that just voting is not enough. Voting and ranting on a blog aren’t enough?
Am i wrong? does cassandra feel that If I vote and bitch aka blog isn’t enough? I don’t get where she comes from on this point? Cassandra has hoisted herself up in the past with the argument that “doing something” besides blogging shows real commitment.
this I know I’m 100% right on. It’s a position she has taken often
I stand by my opinion on your feelings towards ordinary voters that don’t get out and march for their leaders.
Well I guess we should all be grateful that at least you are consistent about your lies about my comments.
And I *did* catch the “opinion” thing. Your “opinion” on what I said is not the same thing as finding where I “actually” said that. Your “opinion” conveniently lines up with the argument that you want to have — but not anything I wrote that you could link to, you dishonest asshole.
Are you saying you don’t whip out this defense when people are bitching? Are you saying you don’t whip out the “what have you done besides bitch” argument?
try not to call names either sweetheart
yes, it’s my opinion that you don’t think voting is enough. That you minimize voting. Or at least place what ever it is you do for your party above “simply” voting
What I am saying is that you’ve been willing to make up what I’ve said you you can get your outrage on (and ignore they key bits of it), so why not just keep doing it?
It is remarkably clear that you are hell bent on arguing something that I haven’t said — but that you have an “opinion” on.
So keep making the shit up, asshole. And keep reminding people about how unhinged you really are.
so you seem to be avoiding the question though sweetheart. That’s fine I guess it allows you to keep saying it’s something you haven’t said.
Keep whipping out the “stop bitching and act like I do” argument. Because, you and I and several other people surely know, you love to whip this excuse out.
you heard it here
Well I guess avoiding the answer when you don’t get the one you want is *one* strategy. How very GOP of you, though.
Doesn’t make you any less of a liar or any less of an asshole.
no problem sweetheart. It’s not the first time you avoid answering questions.
I don’t expect you to admit you love to use the “do something besides bitch argument” We all know you do. Including you.
You have implied how you feel about just voting. You have implied how you feel about me bitching. You have implied how you feel what YOU do is real action and is tantamount to knowing howing politics works.
you’re proud or your associations with the Party.
You are partisan.
I know, I know it hurts to think you are no different from a conservative republican like Dave Burris.
But you aren’t. You both love to use the what have you done argument and both love to prove your worth by working for the system.
congrats, your part of the machine.
and yes, you disgust me with your unknowing display of hypocrisy and self righteousness.
But, I never reduced myself to calling you an asshole or any other name besides a bitterly sarcastic sweetheart or cassy. But, I’m the one with rage huh?
Oh!? When’s the next DCC event? I can’t wait to be part of the system!
Personally I think massive Democratic bitching about Obama and blue dogs capitulating to the right is far more effective than signing up more Carper voters.
I guess it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
And here we go — the Complaint Twins! With their strategy of complaining their way into moving the Overton Window.
You’ll understand if I don’t hang around to see the results of all of this complaining. Next time Obama doesn’t do what you want, I’ll be certain to check in with you and remind you that you aren’t complaining hard enough.
For the umpteenth time, the issue isn’t about whether to bitch about Obama. It’s about whether bitching about bloggers who support Obama does anything to move any needle, anywhere. Bitching about the Obama supporters is not the same as bitching about Obama.
Frankly, all the bitching about DL contributors comes across as “Wah! I deserve more readers than you, but I’m jealous because you have more than me!”
Obama really really doesn’t want to hear us, so we have to be extra loud and mean. But he does hear us.
During the public option debate, he heard us, and sent Bill Clinton around to tell us to lie back and think of England. That worked.
After months of netroots bitching last year, Obama took the time from halfway around the world at G-20 to deny a Huffpo post that accused him of planning to cave in on the tax cuts for the rich. Of course he did cave in, but the point was that he finally heard us.
Then this month, Obama began signaling compromise with the Ryan plan, including cuts to the safety net. This caused a massive explosion of netroots bitching, including some high profile people vowing not to support Obama 2012. And then, Obama gave a speech issuing veto threats against the Ryan plan. Coincidence? Or is he finally hearing us?
Remember Horton Hears A Who? All the Whos had to pitch in to get the townspeople to hear them. And here’s Cassandra going around telling all the Whos to shut up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYLsyNBnE5M&feature=fvsr
for cass and dv.
the kids dont like it when you two fight. I took a peer mediation after school class in JR high, so Im pretty good with this advice. Ether make out and get it over with, or flat out ignore each other. Your personal attacks make your arguments so unattractive and petty, people will want to disagree with you just on principle.
Im sure you’re both lovely people, in fact cass, we met a drinking liberally a while back and had a pleasant time…. but your on-blog personas remind me of pro-wrestlers at times.
Rick Flair? b/c if so, that’s awesome!
he’s kinda decrepit. i was gonna try to be a little complimentary with that and use Stone Cold… but if you like the Nature Boy, i know where you can get some neon boas.