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Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else? (w/pics)

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by RokSki, Apr 9, 2007.

  1. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    I am a devoted political animal, and I read several political blogs/news sources/blogs daily, including:

    - MyDD
    - Drudge
    - Raw Story
    - Huffington Post (off and on)
    - Counterpunch
    - Cursor.org
    - Daily Kos
    - Various conservative blogs (The Corner, RedState, etc.),
    off-and-on


    Each site, of course, has its own flavor and style, as I'm sure many here are quite familiar with.

    I'm basically starting this thread to gauge others' feelings about one blog in particular that seems to consistently get under my skin, and that is because of the ego/self-indulgence of it's creator.

    If you already know which blog I'm going to pick, then you likely have had the same reaction as I have.

    Yes, I'm talking about Daily Kos.

    I have complete respect for Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of Daily Kos. He's done a great job with his site, and as it is his site, he can do whatever he chooses to do with it.

    If he wants to post 10 pictures of himself, his wife, and his new baby, that's his prerogative. If he wants to have threads devoted to the 'betting pool' for the day his baby will arrive, it's his choice.

    At some point, however, can we just let it be a political blog? I mean, most people don't go to the site to worship at Kos' feet. I know I don't. He's an intelligent guy, and I respect him, but I don't need to skim through self-serving threads complete with enormous, can't-be-avoided pictures every time something new happens in his life. That is not why most people go to the site, IMO.

    If this were the extent of the self-aggrandizement, I guess I could live with it.

    But it's not.

    No, after Kos' last round of family holiday photos (I think there were about 5 non-avoidable threads worth), he started another thread (an open thread) in which (on the front page, and non-avoidably) he proceeded to bitch and complain at some length about people who had the audacity to request that he - possibly, maybe - not post quite so many personal pic threads. Or, perhaps, how about have a few of the pics behind the thread links?

    Apparently, Kos took this as some sort of insult, and he launched into a series of "It's my blog, tough shit"-type, rather-pathetic defenses, none of which were particularly convincing.

    What's even worse is that it would appear Kos holds those who worship at these overly-indulgent pic threads in higher regard, in terms of site perks. I may be incorrect on this point, but this seems to be the case. Or perhaps a better way to phrase it is that the worshipers certainly believe Kos thinks better of them, as they stumble over each other to offer the next compliment to Kos.

    Other political bloggers have mentioned this aspect of Kos' site, so I know I'm not alone in thinking this, but I wanted to take the temperature of those on SJ who are familiar with Kos' and other political blogs and get their feelings on the subject.

    Because (Kos just had new baby pics up yesterday, and congrats to him and his wife) I'm getting to the point where I'm really beginning to resent having these - I hate to say it, but it's true - none-too-attractive photos (of Kos himself, not his child or wife) shoved down my throat repeatedly. If I wanted to see what a new father looks like, I have plenty of old college friends' pics from all-nighters. It's really getting old, and Kos' ego seems to be just utterly out-of-control. It's making me want to say "I don't give a shit" back to him about his site, just to silence him and his forceful BS.

    - - -

    I should, in the interest of fairness, point out that Huffington's site is also quite self-indulgent, photographically, but: 1) She has a higher profile than Kos and has had her own television show (I believe); 2) She looks one hell of a lot better than does Kos. That is, her appearance is an integral part of her 'shtick'; and 3) even given points 1) + 2), she still has far fewer pics up at any one time than does Kos, at least those which can't be avoided.



    Interested to hear others' takes.

    * * *​

    - A simple critique of the site, as a whole, and Kos' style:

    http://nileblog.blogspot.com/2005/12/rhetoric-of-blogging-part-v-daily-kos_07.html

    - A more in-depth review of Kos' site and Kos:

    http://www.personaldemocracy.com/node/72
     
  2. CentralIllinoisan

    CentralIllinoisan Active Member

    Re: Idosynchratic Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else?

    Considering the type of guy you say "Koz" is, he must love your high interest in his doings. You're feeding the beast, I say.
     
  3. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    Re: Idosynchratic Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone els

    This is an outstanding rip on Kos' site, although mostly a for-personal-reasons one:

    http://www.myleftwing.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=14479

    It's a very long piece, and really doesn't need to be fully read, but here's the 'money quote' for me:

    "You know what? I'm so sick and fucking tired of hearing that 'it's his
    blog if you don't like it leave it' line. Yeah. It's his blog
    ."

    Precisely. It's this "kiss-off, I don't care because you need me" attitude from Kos that really rankles.
     
  4. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    Re: Idosynchratic Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else?

    He doesn't care, nor does he know who I am.

    I like the guy, I agree with a lot of his politics, but his fucktardiness really doesn't help him. He's got that GW Bush 'fuck you all, my minions' thing about him that is unbelievably annoying.
     
  5. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    Re: Idosynchratic Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone els

    [​IMG]

    Ok, now that's about as good of a pic of Kos that you will ever see. Now, imagine seeing him in pic-after-pic, for days on end around holidays when you are going to a site to read about politics.

    Then imagine basically being told: "You don't like my pics? Too f*cking bad, it's my f*cking blog."

    Totally ridiculous, but that's what you get. And I like the site. But just imagine this scenario getting repeated again and again, multiple times per year. It's very disheartening.
     
  6. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Re: Idosynchratic Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else?

    KoZ: The new Kobe.
     
  7. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    Re: Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else? (w/pic of Kos)

    Now that's funny. But there's no way that little bug-eyes Kos could generate that type of passion in me. Kos is a pain in the ass; Kobe is a parable of what's wrong with the modern athlete. Kos is a pimple on Kobe's ass, comparatively speaking.

    But well-done, BYH. As is your wont. :)
     
  8. Piotr Rasputin

    Piotr Rasputin New Member

    Re: Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else? (w/pic of Kos)

    In a world that includes Pac-Man Jones, the only explanation for your charaterization of Kobe as "a parable of what's wrong with the modern athlete" is that you wish to be Shaquille O'Neal's best friend.

    As for this thread:

    Look into my eyes, what do you see?
    Cult of personality
    I know your anger, I know your dreams
    I’ve been everything you want to be
    I’m the cult of personality
    Like mussolini and kennedy
    I’m the cult of personality
    Cult of personality
    Cult of personality

    Neon lights, a nobel prize
    The mirror speaks, the reflection lies
    You don’t have to follow me
    Only you can set me free
    I sell the things you need to be
    I’m the smiling face on your t.v.
    I’m the cult of personality
    I exploit you still you love me

    I tell you one and one makes three
    I’m the cult of personality
    Like joseph stalin and gandi
    I’m the cult of personality
    Cult of personality
    Cult of personality

    Neon lights a nobel prize
    A leader speaks, that leader dies
    You don’t have to follow me
    Only you can set you free

    You gave me fortune
    You gave me fame
    You me power in your god’s name
    I’m every person you need to be
    I’m the cult of personality
    Look into my eyes, what do you see?
    Cult of personality
    I know your anger, I know your dreams
    I’ve been everything you want to be
    I’m the cult of personality
    Like mussolini and kennedy
    I’m the cult of personality
    Cult of personality
    Cult of personality

    Neon lights, a nobel prize
    The mirror speaks, the reflection lies
    You don’t have to follow me
    Only you can set me free
    I sell the things you need to be
    I’m the smiling face on your t.v.
    I’m the cult of personality
    I exploit you still you love me

    I tell you one and one makes three
    I’m the cult of personality
    Like joseph stalin and gandi
    I’m the cult of personality
    Cult of personality
    Cult of personality

    Neon lights a nobel prize
    A leader speaks, that leader dies
    You don’t have to follow me
    Only you can set you free

    You gave me fortune
    You gave me fame
    You me power in your god’s name
    I’m every person you need to be
    I’m the cult of personality
     
  9. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    Re: Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else? (w/pic of K

    I should have done this before, a general link to the site:

    http://www.dailykos.com/
     
  10. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    Re: Political Blogs and Cults of Personality: This bug anyone else? (w/pic of Kos)

    Ah, yes, Daniel Glover's kid could rock some.

    Hey, Piotr, I'm not in the mood for logic (re: Kobe and Pac) :)
     
  11. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    Here's more of what I'm talking about. Again, this is on the first page roll, it is unavoidable:

    [​IMG]

    The baby's adorable. Kos is not. We don't really need repetitive unavoidable photos like this, IMO. But we get them. And it's a political blog site.

    So someone says "Um, can we put this after the link," and Kos goes ballistic, all "It's my page, take it or leave it, blah, blah, blah."

    Just getting a bit tired of this junk from the site, and King Kos.
     
  12. Piotr Rasputin

    Piotr Rasputin New Member

    If you dislike his writing, his photos and his Web site so muc, please stop giving him free publicity at this Web site for Sports Journalists.
     
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