Ha! No such thing as Daily Kos Members Guild, right?!
No, we members are not organized, we have no official or unofficial ‘guild,’ no representation, no legal counsel. We are just members. We just produce and consume content. We may be financial contributors. We are allies, in a very real sense, for both management and staff, for each other. We are allies of Democrats across the country … local allies, regional allies, national allies. We contribute to campaigns, we contribute to causes, we sign petitions, we organize with committees at every level of government. We write letters, we write postcards, we make phone calls, we text, we join demonstrations, we join trainings, we teach, we learn, we make mistakes, we get corrected …
Yet, there is unprecedented crisis and drama on the site we love and patronize, and we have no say. Officially, we’re not guild, we’re not partner.
It seems analogous to being a child in a household where the parents openly fight. We can’t stop mom and dad from fighting. It’s outside our control. No, I never lived in a home where my parents fought. I never had kids, so, I never fought where they could hear/be affected by it. So I am not speaking from experience.
But, I have seen fights between parents. I have seen the dread and guilt and grief — the hopelessness — on the faces of children whose parents fought in front of them. I have seen the sadness, the loss of spirit that lingered even after they were no longer in the presence of that. I have talked to people whose parents fought, heard their descriptions of the lifelong consequences.
Okay, the parties in the current fight are not our parents. They don’t owe us as parents do, they don’t have to worry about harming each other in front of the ‘kids,’ about harming us kids.
The trauma is similar, I think. We all wish there were no layoffs. I think we all wish the financial health of the site was stronger. I think we all wish there were no hard feelings, arguments and tensions between staff and management. But there are. Both sides have aired their laundry in front of us. Neither side has discouraged free-for-all sides-taking. Neither side has done anything to stop the anger and negative energy from infecting our ‘members guild.’
Like many, I have agonized over it, been angered by it, frustrated by it, been overloaded with negative energy and thoughts, been angrier at some than at others, been inclined to take sides …
I don’t think there is a finer venue than Daily Kos for fighting these political fights. For me, Daily Kos is it. The site kos built. The site management built. The site Daily Kos Guild built, the front page writers, and, yes, all of you/all of us.
‘Yahbut, Daily Kos Management is right! The Guild is wrong! They did this.’
‘Yahbut, Daily Kos Guild is right! Management is wrong! They did that.’
Fine, you are ‘right.’ Okay?
But here’s the thing: do you think about who is WRONG?!
I will tell you.
Republicans are wrong. White Nationalists/Terrorists are wrong. Election deniers are wrong. Climate change deniers are wrong. Covid deniers are wrong. Truth deniers are wrong. Misogynists are wrong. Racists are wrong. Bigots are wrong. Bullies are wrong. Anti-abortionists are wrong. Those embracing/endorsing/condoning violence are wrong.
You may be ‘right,’ in the side you have chosen in a Daily Kos-internal crisis.
Sadly, you can’t afford to be right. I can’t afford to be right. Management can’t afford to be right. Guild cannot afford to be right. Not in the fight against our real enemies.
As you know, there is a fight for the soul of our country in progress. Those working to kill democracy are wrong. Those working to harm our environment are wrong. Those working to defend and expand, validate and embolden bigotry and hatred are wrong. I wish we had the time/resources to fight every righteous fight there is.
Though not perfect, Daily Kos/Daily Kos Guild/Daily Kos Members Guild are ALL on the right side of the fights we need to be fighting. We cannot do it against each other. We cannot stay at each other’s throats. We can only defeat conservatism and fascism together.
In 69 years, I have not found a better foundation for our activities than here, with you, on Daily Kos. There are no people on earth with whom I would rather stand. There are no people in whom I believe more strongly. I can’t fight to be right in every small fight, I must do it in the big ones. And, while you are as free as I am to do what you think best, I hope you will focus your energies on the big fights, too. And not hurt and undermine our friends, allies and loved ones in a fight we can’t afford to wage.
Make no mistake. Our real adversaries are laughing and rejoicing.
Not on our watch.
Please.