Christensen

I couldn't tell if Rob Christensen was making an attempt at self-deprecating humor in his Sunday column on "the netroots" in the N&O, or if he really is dumber than dirt. And that's a sign all by itself that he didn't have a clue what he was trying to talk about. For a guy who, according to his blurb, has been "writing about politics for 31 years," he seems to have a hard time figuring out where Daily Kos fits in the grand scheme.

The Daily Kos is sort of the left's version of Rush Limbaugh, a vehicle that provides red meat to activists, strongly criticizing the war in Iraq and Bush administration policies.

Let's be clear. Rush Limbaugh is a brand name for a particular kind of hypocritcal bloviating that consists mostly of name-calling and making shit up, with the occasional hiding behind grandma's skirts when challenged on the toxicity of some of his spew and claiming it's just entertainment.

Markos is building a community where anyone with a keyboard and common sense can contribute and be noticed, where ideas are hashed out until what emerges can stand on its own regardless of the name behind it. Yeah, the discourse can get uncivil at times, but so fucking what? That anger is real, not for show.

One other difference between Markos and Rush. Markos served in the Aarmy. Rush had a pimple on his ass.