The smearing of Mudcat going on at Dailykos is disgusting.

the Edwards campaign has been courting.  It will be very interesting to see how this develops.

He came back to TIME, apologized for being Mudcat and a pretty good discussion was had.  I spent a long time there today.  Mudcat was talking about the new rural voter poll that shows Democrats gaining votes in rural America.  For some reason, a lot of the progressive blogoshere sees this a bad news, instead of hitting the voter lottery.  Virgina handed the Senate to the Democrats.  We need the rural votes to win.  Without rural we lose.  This is a very good poll. The numbers are there. 

there was a diary about coal that Rick Boucher(D-VA) was pushing behind the scenes.  From an environmental point of view, what he was trying to slip in was a real stinker - make no mistake, I wasn't at all happy with what he was doing.

But what I was amazed by was the type of vitriol.  There were people over there talking about how the folks down there were "hicks" of some sort, that we should find a primary opponent, etc, etc.  In light of what was said there, I can see exactly where Mudcat is coming from.

part has been all the people proving Mudcat's point, and not seeing the irony at all.

The other funny thing is the assumption that Mudcat hates blogs, even though he praised blogs in reference to the Webb campaign, and then praised blogs later in the day.

On one hand its great.  On the other its depressing.

"part has been all the people proving Mudcat's point, and not seeing the irony at all."

just like RK when it involves the 2nd amendment.

would be Mudcat not seeing the irony in calling bloggers "pseudo-intellectuals" that represent the "Metropolitan Opera Wing" of the party and then criticizing THEM for stereotyping and being intolerant!

He's accusing bloggers of being elitist because they went after...JOE KLEIN!?!?  Joe Klein is the epitome of Democratic elitism! 

The liberal intellectuals he should be trashing reside on K st and at the DLC, not in the blogosphere.

 

"So to those bloggers who believe in a straight-forward dialogue and exchange of ideas, God bless you and thank you. Together, you're coming up with a lot of good stuff, and frankly, much of it has been helpful to me. At the same time, those Democratic bloggers, who have appointed themselves as intellectually superior and believe the only way to win an argument is to shot the loudest with personal attacks, you can go to Hell."

That is his actual quote.  He isnt accusing bloggers as a whole of being elite.

This is his "defense" of Klein:

If you want a perfect example of how this "intolerance" is helping the Democrats lose national elections, check out the responses to Joe Klein's post on Paris and Libby. To be clear, I have no problem with incivility. After all, I'm in the political business. However, as a pilgrim in the blogosphere, I thought blogging was for exchange of ideas, not personal attacks. Like his post or not, Klein in no way compromised the integrity of the fourth estate. This was not a news story. He was simply stating his opinion. Unless fourth estate integrity has been compromised, there is no rationale for calling him a "jackass", "fool", or "elite white guy".

Personally I think there is no reason to ever defend Klein on anything, but is he really wrong about the name calling and incivility?  Im sure you have seen the comment boards at places like Time and your local news outlet.  Its about the lowest place in the blogsphere, with almost nothing but hate and almost no actual discussion.

I like Mudcat.  He's funny, direct, shares many of my views, and is honest with everyone... but himself.  His party left him (and folk like him) a decade or two ago.  Mudcat is a social conservative with a healthy fear of unrestrained capitalism.  Just like most of America, his views are repugnant to the strictures of our two-party system.  He's left playing mercenary to the Democrat most susceptible to rehabilitation. 

Mudcat, when you're ready to launch the American version of the Christian Democratic party, I'm ready to help. I think it's the natural political posture of Southern Americans.

http://en.wikipedia....

I love the guy because he tells it like it is and he's a man of principle. I like ALL of what is said here in defense of the man, but have to point out that he is not a "social conservative". As a buddy of Mudcat, and someone who worked with the "VOTE NO" campaign I must clear the record. He was a consultant (pro bono) for the Commonwealth Coalition last year, and has even taken a stance not just of voting no on that wretched amendment, but FOR equal marriage and taking God's words out of the debate.

Rock on Mudcat!

I love the guy because he tells it like it is and he's a man of principle. I like ALL of what is said here in defense of the man, but have to point out that he is not a "social conservative". As a buddy of Mudcat, and someone who worked with the "VOTE NO" campaign I must clear the record. He was a consultant (pro bono) for the Commonwealth Coalition last year, and has even taken a stance not just of voting no on that wretched amendment, but FOR equal marriage and taking God's words out of the debate.

Rock on Mudcat!

Mudcat is back for more.

http://time-blog.com...

I have to admit though Mudcat and Klein are clueless on the Libby case.  If Lil' Kim is willing to serve her sentence for obstruction of justice and perjury (AND show remorse for her actions), then I don't see why Libby should get special treatment.  In fact, Libby's position of responsibility adds an even greater weight to his obstruction.

Mudcat AND Klein.  Mudcat didnt actually defend Klein's assertions about the Libby case.

response to Klein's post.  If he wants to attack elitists, he might as well apply the definition consistently to the Beltway elite.

A more reasoned response by Mudcat to Klein's column would have been--"OK, a man is entitled to his opinion, but what the f-ck was Beltway Joe smoking!"

I actually like Klein's writing too on occasion. 

I remember he had a fine column regarding Webb back during the 2006 general election--this was even before the macaca flap if I remember correctly.  Still, there is such a thing as the "Beltway elite," and the response to the Libby verdict is a pretty decent litmus test of where those folks values stand in relation to the rest of the country (even in relation to outside the Beltway punditry).

He couldn't be more right. 

The nihilist tone of the Northeast which has grown over the last 30 years comes from the shift in demographics from Northeast to South and Southwest; the new generation of the web amplifies this vituperous condition. The North no longer has the power. Eventually, rather than accomodate the South, the North will seek seperation - we are seeing that now with the Jodi Rell/Arnold actions in opposition to the EPA. Mudcat is consistent in his comments here with everything he has ever written. Mudcat's call is a cry from the heart; if the North doesn't meet the South in a TRUE FEDERATION of respect and honor, the country will divide. Mudcat is one of the two best minds in politics today, the other being his partner, Steve. Southern inclusion is the theme of their most important book, "Foxes in the Henhouse" and the Democrats ignore it at their peril.

As a proud member of the Metropolitan Wing of the Democratic Party, I want to say this, its the conservative Blue Dogs and New Democrats who have let our party down, by selling away all of the economic policy that made the Democratic Party strong in the past and selling it short for NAFTA and Fiscal Conservatism, if Mudcat wants to bring a surge of economic populism back to the country, I'm all for it.  But don't blame the Metropolitan Democrats, we're usually the strongest on all the Democratic issues of the bunch.  And I find it funny that he claims to not like bullying and goes on to try to bully us by claiming we're all intellectually arrogant and intolerant? What the hell?