What effect are Democratic Underground and Free Republic having?

[mopaul]

Aside from the content, these two sites have many similarities. Keyboard jockeys from two different sides of the political spectrum, ranting their rants, educating, sharing, and defining their creeds in cyberspace.

There are many here who visit FR regularly, I used to but gave up after only a little while in futility. Some even have dual citizenship on these two sites, and other sites too. Many of us visit there out of curiosity, some to take them on in debates, some to stir up shit. What overall effect are these two sites having on the American political scene?

This cyber battle from our living rooms and offices is a new phenomenon in our history, we are the first of our kind, and there are many prominent people now perusing these two websites, some to educate themselves, some to know the enemy better. And some on both sides are there to disrupt. Possibly even on some organized level, ala infiltration.

I am guessing that this site, and the other site mentioned are having a concrete effect on our nation and world, and I'd go further to say that it's a positive effect. DU is a living, breathing example of Democracy with a capital D, and I hope no one tries to take it away from us because of it's potential power to bring down an administration with the ultimate weapon against tyranny, TRUTH.

[cthrumatrix]

1. look at the bloggers -- there are MANY people look ing for truth

countered by many people trying to SPIN for bush in the MSM and rw blogs.

The result is "drip drip drip" of asshats poilices reaching the people. (hopefully)

[demnan]

2. The bloggers, the alternate news sites and forums

are a great addition to our culture. And really, this is what keeps us sane, doesn't it? I don't know what I would have done without DU, Bartcop, Buzzflash and others over the past five years.

This reminds me, time to donate! :)

[crispini]

3. I personally think of DU as sort of a "liberal zeitgeist"

that I can tap into... the internet is akin get to making our collective unconsciousness visible.....

[calimary]

19. We are that, and MORE. We're a Think Tank.

All we lack is the building. But all the talent, for any and all departments and offices, is there, and VERY MUCH alive and well.

[Az]

4. We are raising the dialog and awareness

Mainstream and liberal media are beginning to have to respond to things that go on here and on other locations on the net. We have the power to shame the media into action. We have the power to create the questions. Together we can create quite a ruckus. The better we get at it the harder it is to ignore us.

[IrateCitizen]

5. Increasing the polarization of American politics

There are a lot of good things that DU does with regards to the dissemination of information, along with providing a valuable forum for people to discuss and debate important issues. As for FR, I can't say because I've only ever clicked on them about a couple of dozen times (from links here on DU).

But the extreme downside of DU and FR, IMHO, is that they serve to further polarize the electorate. They increase the urban/rural divide. They often end up focusing on divisive wedge issues rather than searching for ways to bring seemingly disparate groups with strikingly common goals together.

[Az]

6. Let us assume that the Freepers and the Neocons

have a decidedly warped sense of how things should be. Then by definition any opposition to them is going to increase the divide. We are not going to change things by agreeing with them. There necissarily is a disagreement going on here.

[IrateCitizen]

10. I'm not talking about dialogue with the Freepers and their ilk...

I'm talking about the threads I see here that are along the lines of "Fuck the farmers" or "The hell with rural America" and the like. They represent the downside of DU, and they are evidence of the increasing polarization of our body politic away from common issues that bring people together.

Frankly, I think more of us need to adopt the "Rainbow" strategy. We need to seek ways to bring together groups like inner-city poor (primarily people of color) and rural poor (primarily white). We need to bring together unionized hotel workers and WV coal miners. In short, we need to stop engaging in the politics of division promoted by BOTH major parties, and instead adopt the strategies of the Rainbow Coalition during its heyday.

Until we start doing that, and stop seeking to scapegoat others for all our national ills, we'll continue to wonder why things are as bad as they are and not getting any better.

[Az]

15. That is my agenda

I believe that there is a necessity of dialog between sides even if they disagree. Exposure to competing ideas may not change the other's views but it does expose then to the existance of them. And that can make a difference.

[enigmatic]

21. I agree w/ this as well..

And not because you're supplying me w/ great songs to play!:)

[JohnnyCougar]

27. This post makes me wish DU had a rating system like Kos

and too bad you can't reccomend posts by themselves for homepage!

I agree wholeheartedly!!

[DemonFighterLives]

7. The healing would probably start

When the criminals leave the administration and the freepers confess to being duped. O8)

[IrateCitizen]

11. I don't care about the freepers -- they're completely lost

They would likely still be cheering Bush and blaming liberals if Bush started Armageddon himself.

What I'm talking about is the masses of red-staters who may be rural folks as opposed to urban, but with whom we share much more in common than we don't. Of course, when we say things like "fuck the red states" and "fuck the farmers" and the like, we don't do too awful much to bridge that divide.

Forget about the Republican base, you won't reach them. But the vast majority of red state America does not represent the Republican base. They're the kinds of people we need to build bridges to.

And building bridges to and catering to are not necessarily the same thing. IMHO, it all starts with LISTENING.

[DemonFighterLives]

13. I'm not saying F*ck anybody

But the red staters and freeps are following a cult. The best thing to do is expose the cult and destroy it and the good citizens will see their mistakes.

[cmd]

14. Here is the problem

I live in a red state. Almost half of my red state voted blue. When you dismiss the red state, you dismiss the blue voters. I'm a big girl, I can handle it; but many of those blue voters are not that interested in politics and are turned off when a group that represents Democrats dismisses them. Not all of us belong to the cult you say you are exposing.

[DemonFighterLives]

17. Of course not everyone in a red state is a cultist neocon

My initial post never even mentioned red states. I have great hopes for people in red states to gain power and move the progressive agenda.

[IrateCitizen]

16. You're still taking the wrong approach...

The best thing to do is expose the cult and destroy it and the good citizens will see their mistakes.

See, this is where your approach is doomed to failure. The fact that you say that it's up to others to "see their mistakes" operates under the assumption that you're right, and they're wrong. Now, how receptive do you think that people are to you if your first statement to them is essentially that they're wrong, and therefore if they want to be right they have to come around to your point of view?

Like I said above, and I'll say it again here -- the key is in LISTENING. You simply start to LISTEN to what these people are saying. You listen for what their concerns are, what their problems are. When you do that, you are then in a position to offer them SOLUTIONS to those problems. And that, my friend, is the surest way to get them on your side. That was the winning strategy of Paul Wellstone, and how he got some otherwise rather conservative folks to vote for a wild-eyed liberal Jewish man. He was successful because he listened to people's problems, and did his damnedest to try and solve them, all the while standing up for them and what he believed was right.

If you really want to win in the red states, then you need to defer to "blues" who live in those states. They're the ones in the best position to talk to "reds" in their states, because they have some insight into their concerns and problems. But it all starts with LISTENING, my friend. And until we stop for a second and do that, we'll never really begin to make headway toward making our country a better place to live for everyone.

[DemonFighterLives]

18. I have listened to righties plenty

Many of them are too hard to reach and I will not waste my time with them. I think some good election equipment would show the peoples wishes.
Now Wellstone, I can appreciate. :headbang:

[mopaul]

8. it IS difficult to imagine debating them

sort of like crossfire in cyberspace, with keyboard screaming and yelling and name calling. some on both sides surely hate the others, i'm guilty, i hate bush supporters a hell of a lot.

but it's an odd thing, speaking your mind from the anonymity of your kitchen table or laptop to strangers you'll never meet face to face.

[enigmatic]

20. Great post.

I agree completely.

[newportdadde]

9. For me the DU has been a political lifeline.

Its a place I can browse quickly and get links to important news etc which gets ignored by the MSM. It has made my wife and I more politically active.

[No Exit]

12. But there's a big difference.

Freeperland excludes members of the group which spawned it. Freeperland is only for the members of one faction of "conservatives"--the neocon faction.

DU includes ALL members of the party which spawned it. DU is inclusive; FR is exclusive.

[Rapcw]

22. Moderates go to Free Republic

and find the conservatives there crazy. So they go to DU and find the liberals there crazy. They end up not voting or caring at all. The End.

[bvar22]

23. Even Sean Hannity said...

...he had to quit hanging out at FR, just got too wierd for him.

[DearAbby]

24. We are a Diverse group here. from far left to those more the left-center

You look around DU and you will find what interests you. The F*ck Farmers threads only show there is free speech here on DU, everyone gets to lay an idea or thought here and get a dialog going.

[Itsthetruth]

25. DU Is Unique

Democratic Underground, unlike FR, is giving people an opportunity to debate, discuss and exchange ideas on how we can most effectively
defend and expand our democratic rights and liberties and promote a more just society and government .... a government that truly serves the common good and interests of the vast majority of people.

It's unique and very special. I hope it's around for a very long time.

So make a financial donation to help if you haven't done so already!

[libodem]

26. that's what I'm thinking

the exchange of news and view points is educational. Helps with informed decision making. Allows for some discriminating thinking. A place to help one decide, for one's self, what' true. A place to make one's voice heard.