Gee, I wonder what prompted the sudden growth at leftunderground?

[Scuba]

As a regular contributor to democraticunderground, I joined leftunderground when I became unhappy with the former's unwillingness to host threads critical of the President. For many months I lurked here, but seldom posted, and wondered if leftunderground was going to be left behind. For example, in the GD forum there is not a single new post between 5/19 and 5/28. I realize this is partly my fault by not posting more, but there it is.

Today I logged into leftunderground for the first time in several weeks and was pleasantly surprised to see a number new posts. Seems like more people are here than before, and they're posting more too.

So I ask, do you think my observations are accurate, and if so, what is driving this?

Thanks,

Scuba

[No Limit]

I think as more people get disappointed with the president and the Democrats they will be looking for places to share that disappointment. DU is fine if you are disappointed as long as you are still willing to support Obama and the Democratic Party. But I think many people are starting to feel that is unacceptable because of how far to the right this country is being moved by the Democrats themselves. If Obama caves on medicare and social security I think there will be a mass exodus from places such as DU that say you must support a political party no matter what that party does.

On a side note I do have to apologize to everyone for not being personally as active as I need to be here. After a slow start this year in the last few months I've been fortunate enough to come by lots of work which requires I put in around 60 hours of work a week as well as travel more than I like. I am hoping that I can get a more moderate schedule once some of the projects I am working on are finalized.

[rpannier]

I agree people are becoming frustrated with the Democrats.
For me it's because how willingly they seem to cave on issue-after-issue - for some they're not caving, it's exactly what they want (Ben Nelson)
The problem with the Democratic Party is that it has ceased to be driven by 'Ward-style Politics'
It's now a bunch of millionaires in both parties that are calling the shots.
The things they are willing to give do not affect them.

[sky]

On a side note I do have to apologize to everyone for not being personally as active as I need to be here. After a slow start this year in the last few months I've been fortunate enough to come by lots of work which requires I put in around 60 hours of work a week as well as travel more than I like. I am hoping that I can get a more moderate schedule once some of the projects I am working on are finalized.

No apologies necessary, no limits. We're all adults. We can post, even if the board owner is busy. In this economy, I am flat out thrilled you got more work than you expected.

[sky]

Today I logged into leftunderground for the first time in several weeks and was pleasantly surprised to see a number new posts. Seems like more people are here than before, and they're posting more too.

Hi, Scuba. In my case, I had not been posting because I had been having technical troubles with the site and gave up. A fellow LUer (not the board owner) sent me a few reminders about posting on a new board where the left can express a full spectrum of opinions. I agree, so I gave it another shot. It was that simple.

Getting traction is hard for any new board and the only way is posting plus inviting others to post.

This seems especially important when all posters on a political board are of a similar political persuasion. Lurkers seem more motivated to register and post initially to disagree with a post than they are to agree with one?

[Liberty]

Think you're quite accurate --

Have you invited friends from DU to join the us all here at Left U -- ?

In fact, posters at DU were openly asking for links to other liberals sites --

HOWEVER, I do think it takes time for a new website to take off --

Think a lot of people at DU are tired of having to "watch what they say" --

- but it's also difficult to break a habit and remember to check in someplace else!



else to see what's going on -

[Liberty]

It's been decades, I think, since the Democrats collapsed their outreach to voters in neighborhoods ... if that's what

you're referring to. Think that's one of the first things they did in collapsing the party.

Agree, wealth took over the party -- and I've just been reareading Wm. Greider's book "Who will tell the people?"

from 1992 which makes clear that at least since 1978, the Democrats have been colluding with the GOP to break

the tax code for the benefit of the rich.

http://www.democraticunderground.com...esg_id=1623384





Former Rep. Patricia Schroeder -- some here may remember her/? -- told us in a book she wrote

after leaving Congress that after Newt Gingrich's first term, Majority leader Tip O'Neill and

Rep. Dick Gephardt decided NOT to oppose Newt becfause he was in favor of a tax increase for

Congress!!





Besides that book -- I've continued to go over The Rise of the Fourth Reich by Jim Marrs and

The Beast Reawakened by Martin Lee --

and also "The HEAT is On!" by Ross Gelbspan and another of his which I hadn't gotten to --

The Boiling Point --

I'm always trying to find time to post some of this stuff and hope that I might get some of it posted here

for discussion --

[ixion]

Ever since Obama got elected, DU changed for the worse. I don't recognize it anymore, and find myself fending off bogus personal attacks if my post is critical of ANYTHING accepted by the status quo. It used to be such a great board.

[rpannier]

Ever since Obama got elected, DU changed for the worse. I don't recognize it anymore, and find myself fending off bogus personal attacks if my post is critical of ANYTHING accepted by the status quo. It used to be such a great board.

That's because you hate Obama and want a Palin/Bachman Presidency.
At least that's the logic used

[PassionateProgressive]

I've also just migrated from DU and have watched it in recent months with interest. Initially my criticism of Obama wasn't even tolerated but it seems now that they are more tolerant - I mean I've seen posts for a hypothetical run of Bernie Sanders - never would have been tolerated months ago. Off and on I've also seen waves of defenders of Obama - not regular posters that I could tell - I can only describe them as extremely idealistic and/or naive. The defenders are so zealous, that I would have to characterize them as one other poster did - campaign operatives. But also lets keep in mind, one of DU's founders I read had a background working for Senator Levin - who I think is of the DLC ilk or a Democratic hawk. But as I said I think DU is more flexible now, perhaps a realization that the handwriting's on the wall...Yet with the waves of Obamabot supporting Obama - the posting's of opinion polls supporting Obama that came from James Carville's think tank, I wanted a fresher and more liberated/creative approach to discussing politics. And please, please don't tell me that a vote for an independent candidate is a vote for Palin or Bachman...Speaking of which - I have a theory that Obama operatives have an under-cover movement to promote them...the worse Palin or Bachman look, the better Obama looks - but that's another discussion.

[ixion]

@rpannier: Yep, spot on, that.

[NoodleyAppendage]

Hello, I'm a newly minted DU refugee. Glad to find a new home. Cheers, J.

[EmoProgressive]

I'm another newbie. I actually considered changing my DU name to the one I am using here but seeing as how this wonderful alternative exists, I'll just use it here. I had begun to notice a shift in the moderation over at DU over the past few months and it hit critical mass in the past week so it's very nice to have refuge here.

[sky]

Nader tried to tell us, but too many of us were not ready to hear it.

I was so furious with him after Florida 2000. Now, I have a whole new admiration for him. I just wish he had been more effective.

Liberty, thanks for that info. Seems a lot of people were trying to get through to us.



As far as Dick Gephardt, he's been a lobbyist since he left politics. And what a bunch of contradictions he seems to be!

"Since his retirement from politics, he has been working as a senior counsel at the global law firm DLA Piper and is also an active consultant for Goldman Sachs.[2]" And "In 1965, he was admitted to the Missouri bar. He then entered the Missouri Air National Guard, where he served until 1971."

No more school deferments, so into the Air National Guard, like King George the Intoxicated. (Very different from the National Guard.) However, at least he was a big union supporter and opposed NAFTA and fair trade and supported "a form of" universal health care, whatever that means. However...

"Since 2007, Gephardt began serving on the advisory board of the Extend Health insurance company, and then became a member of its board of directors. In 2009, Gephardt advised UnitedHealth Group, one of America's largest private insurers, in waging a strong campaign against a public option for national health care.[26]

Gephardt has also been significantly involved with the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to a large lobbying contract with the Medicines Company,[27] Gephardt serves as chair of the Council for American Medical Innovation (CAMI), formed by and affiliated with PhRMA. In this capacity he hired his own firm to lobby for the organization, to push to extend patents and block generic drugs from the market.[2]"

He supported the Iraq War, though, even though he didn't seem very anxious to serve himself. Wiki says, "However, three years later Gephardt said of his support for the war that "It was a mistake ... I was wrong."[20]" I'm sure Gold Star moms appreciate his backpedaling.

His wiki also says, "Although he once chaired the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, Gephardt in his later years in Congress distanced himself from the organization, finding his pro-labor views at odds with the DLC's pro-business positions." Yet, he supported Hillary Clinton, a founding member of the DLC whose husband's election was a great marker of the DLC's success. And...

"Gephardt has also served as a lobbyist for Boeing.[28]In 2009, Gephardt was named to the Board of Directors of the Ford Motor Company.[29] " That would be the same Boeing that recently got caught wildly overcharging the Pentagon. He was also on the board of the EMBARQ Corporation.

He supported gay rights after his daughter came out, but opposed gay marriage, even though his own daughter is gay. Makes you wanna spit, no? And one of his staffers got into a fight with a Dean staffer, calling the Dean staffer a "faggot." (Lie down with dogs.....)

Harold Ford, who went on to Chair the DLC and tried to beat Gillebrand, called for Gephardt to step down, and he did.

One of Gephardt's main campaign advisors worked for John Kerry's campaign after Gephardt got knocked out of contention for the 2004 nomination.

And how is this for talking out of both sides of his mouth? "In his new role as a Washington lobbyist, Gephardt, on behalf of the Republic of Turkey, has been actively lobbying against the House resolution condemning the Armenian genocide of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire. While supportive of the resolution while in Congress, he now contends that facts need to be better known before any position is taken over this historical controversy.[22]"

He lobbied the Obama administration, too. (Some will recall that Obama had promised during his campaign to speak out against the genocide, but never did. Was that because of Daschle? Who knows?)

And new-fangled Democrats considered him too old-fashioned a Democrat to be electable. Imagine.

The more you read about anyone connected with the DLC, the more you want to wash your hands and take anti-nausea medication.

I am so afraid for what is left of our country. It's bought and paid for at this point.

[opposable gums]

Ever since Obama got elected, DU changed for the worse. I don't recognize it anymore, and find myself fending off bogus personal attacks if my post is critical of ANYTHING accepted by the status quo. It used to be such a great board.

And ditto.

[opposable gums]

Me too...and it looks like the place to be.

[sky]

Hi, opposable gums.

Off topic, but I love your screen name.

[Laura]

I just joined because I needed another point of view. I'm tired of the "typical" boards that get very "clique" after awhile.

[AgainsttheCrown]

My sense is that the majority of DU'ers are fed up with the president, but the moderators are decidedly ProObama and give Obamabot posters wider latitude to engage in vicious attacks against the sane posters who are well aware of what the fuck Obama has done and not done.

[rpannier]

Welcome NoodleyAppendage
I remember that name from DU