What Does the Failure of Firedoglake Tell Us About it's Model?

Now that they are shutting down I do feel kind of bad for them. Even though I was never a fan of those folks over there. Jane Hamsher or her commentators.

"Jane Hamsher made the announcement today that Firedoglake is shutting down, and all archived posts will be moved over to Shadowproof, a new site run by Kevin Gosztala and Brian Sonenstein."

"I have mixed feelings regarding this bit of news. My start in online activism and in digital marketing started with Firedoglake Action Fund, and I worked on the public option campaign, which I still care about to this day. Jane Hamsher brought Eve and I onboard because she saw our impact on other people online, and it was very much an eye-opening experience in working for FDL Action. I will always be thankful to Jane Hamsher and to Firedoglake for giving me that crucial start, regardless of Jane's actions online, and any scandals under her watch."

"Some people here will definitely celebrate the closing of Firedoglake, and others will mourn its closing, but it goes to show that it is much harder to sustain online activism and a liberal presence on the internet than one would think. It requires funding, support, and constant engagement. If we want to support progressive activism and causes, we need to keep funding and being engaged with Dailykos Action campaigns, BoldProgressives, MoveOn, and other progressive organizations."

"We're being out funded and out-done on the funding/activism front because the conservative movement has the tenacity, the funding from the rich 1%, and they've racked up electoral and Supreme Court victories. We can't be complacent during the primary season. We've got to keep working, to agitate, to spread our beliefs, rally support for these beliefs, and push progressive policies into the media spotlight."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/30/1407253/-Firedoglake-Is-Shutting-Down#

The writer-Slinkerwink makes a good point. But then again, I've never gotten along with anyone on any of these alleged liberal blogs. I mean Daily KOS also banned me back in 2011.

http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2011/08/banned-from-big-liberal-blogsophere.html

Why did this happen? Well, let's admit, part of it is me. I'm not really a joiner. I'm not someone who waits for the consensus to be slowly built and then I find my place on line. I am an opinionated guy if you haven't noticed.

But what I notice about lots of liberal activist groups-but especially FDL-is that I don't feel at home because I'm a liberal Democrat and many activists are liberals first and foremost and maybe Democrats of convenience.

A cause celeb at FDL back in 2011 was primarying Obama. That's why I got tired of FDL-they seemed more interested in blowing raspberries at Obama and his 'Obamabot' supporters all day than anything else really. 

But for me that I'm a Democrat is just as important as I'm a liberal. I'm not with the party until a more liberal party comes along. Bernie has no interest to me for that reason-plus hes really not more liberal than Hillary on any important issues-or at least those important to me. 

But how do you rack up electoral and Supreme Court victories by giving the Democrats the raspberry?

Anyway, I think we liberals have had some victories recently on Obamacare, gay marriage, some big executive actions the President has taken. I see that the writer is for the public option.  Hamsher's tactic was to denounce ACA to the heavens and vow to primary any Democrat who supported it. 

Did that turn out to be a winning tactic? Hamsher literally was saying the same thing as GOPers-that the ACA was so flawed we should just table it and go back to the beginning. 

Which is absurd. The ACA as passed was s starting point. She and her little darlings at FDL seemed never to get that when Social Security passed it initially covered only 5% of Americans. It expanded since then. At some point in the future Obamacare could take on the public option in certain states or even nationally-assuming Democrats ever have Congress again. 

Hamsher essentially played the part of the Frances Townsend movement in the 1930s where eventually left wing and right wing opponents of SS came together. 

But FDL's ideology was that the Democrats were no better than the Republicans and that liberal activists should only support those rare Democrats seen as pristinely progressive enough. 

So it wasn't a winning strategy nor one I wanted any part of. I think to be successful liberal activists should be more embracing of the Democratic party-rather than razz Hillary they should embrace her. 

But then that's why I'm not an activist I guess.