Every new beginning…

by: Chris Bowers

Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 16:10


As you may have already seen at Daily Kos, I have been hired to run their new email action list.  I will be blogging at Daily Kos now, too.  It is a full-time job, and will take me away from Open Left.

First, let me be clear that Open Left will continue on in my absence. There will be other announcements about the future of the site in the coming weeks, but the site is not shutting down.  We knew this was coming, and it is why I have had a reduced role in the front page for the past few weeks.

Second, while I am often a very dry writer, it is difficult to write this post without real emotion.  Working with everyone here at Open Left--from the community members, to the other writers, to many people behind the scenes--has been a life changing experience for me in many ways.  Leaving is not something that I do lightly, or without a huge amount of soul searching.

But, the time has come for me to do something new.  Being able to continue the inside-outside work we have done here at Open Left on Daily Kos is incredibly exciting to me.  I live in D.C., now, and I have been reading Daily Kos for eight years.  Along with MyDD, it was actually the first blog I ever read.  Both sites came to my attention as a result of a Google search for info on the 2002 midterms back in August of 2002.

It will be an honor to work at Daily Kos, just as it has been an honor to work with all of you for the past three years.  I only hope that in making this transition I can help your desire for progressive change be more broadly manifested.  This is about building an effective progressive movement that can deliver real change, and it is larger than any one person or any one blog.

Thank you to everyone who has joined me here at Open Left over the past three years. Please, continue to visit.

...and one more quick note. If you want to keep following me on Twitter, please follow @ThisBowers

Chris Bowers :: Every new beginning…

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Every new beginning… | 63 comments
Godspeed (4.00 / 4)
Looking forward to further ass-kicking.

John McCain opposes the GI Bill.
this is very sad (4.00 / 16)
Though I read Daily Kos, I must say you and Matt created a special site, and I'm sad to see you move elsewhere, just as I still miss Matt's blogging.

Best of luck.

 

New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.

Moving on.... (4.00 / 6)
Well, you've done a very fine thing here, you and your co-founders, and I for one am very grateful for your time, energy and insight. I wish you all the best at Daily Kos. I'm sure that that your contributions will be as valuable there as they have been here, and just as appreciated.


Good luck (4.00 / 1)
It has been nice to read you here, away from the food fights on Dkos.

It was kind of inevitable, though.

It was an honor to have written about polls and politics here, and I thank you.

Please remember the effect of Iowa and New Hampshire when Presidential Politics takes over next year.........

Thanks (4.00 / 1)
for your work on the public option, and don't forget to keep tabs on the Space Elevator...interesting developments over the weekend: http://www.spaceelevatorblog.com/
Best of luck, Chris (4.00 / 3)

 Kos and Open Left are 1-2 on my Firefox default tabs.

 So in my world you're just moving a block to the west.

 And "building a progressive movement" is EXACTLY what we should be doing, given the sad outfit that the Democratic Party has become...  

"We judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their actions. It is a great convenience." -- Howard Zinn

Progressives at KOS? (4.00 / 1)
They must be hiding under deep cover.
[ Parent ]
It's not so bad (4.00 / 5)
If you look past the daily happy happy picture diaries, the progressives are still there, and holding their own against the Obama-can-do-no-wrong crowd.  It's contentious but criticism of Obama can reach the rec list, which tells me not all is lost.

It's just a wider audience, so yes, there is a lot of slavish devotion types too.  But it's not fair to paint the whole place with their brush.

[ Parent ]
Depends on what your definition... (4.00 / 1)
...of progressive is?. Harry Reid?  Nancy Pelosi?  Barack Obama.

Nope.  Blue Dogs - at best.  But never never never progressive/liberal.

Daily Kos was snookered.  And the rest of us are paying the price.

[ Parent ]
no (4.00 / 3)
It doesn't depend.  Not if the word "progressive" means anything like an average US leftist.  Is your contention really that there are no progressives posting to Daily Kos?  One Pissed off Liberal?  Teacherken? TomP? Nyceve?

[ Parent ]
it's like asking if there are no progressives in the Democratic party (4.00 / 1)
there are certainly progressives who list "Democrat" on their voter reg, but the leadership has taken a decidedly centrist path

Kos is like the DNC's wacky cousin who sometimes goes on a bit long about "legalizing it" but at the end of the day can be counted on to go door knocking for OFA and Michael Bennet (or, in Markos' case, the insanely bad HCR bill)

[ Parent ]
What Travis said! (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
Guilty as charged (4.00 / 3)
Been posting there for nearly five years, reading for six, comments in the tens of thousands, diaries in the dozens. Yeah, there are still bots, but they're less annoying and vicious these days, or at least easier to ignore. Mostly. I ignore the happytime funluv we go go yeswecan diaries.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton
[ Parent ]
Your reading must be over quickly..... (4.00 / 1)
"Mostly. I ignore the happytime funluv we go go yeswecan diaries...."
[ Parent ]
Bummer (4.00 / 3)
'nuff said.
Congrats chris (4.00 / 1)
Best of luck.  
You are an innovative pain in the ass to the establishment (4.00 / 3)
(Google Bomb anyone?)  I am happy to hear you are taking your innovation and voice to a larger audience before the 2010 election.

John McCain won't insure children
Good luck (4.00 / 2)
Thanks for all your hard work on this site.
great news (4.00 / 2)
From diarist to Swing State Project to MyDD to Open Left and now to the Great Orange Satan -- you've had quite the adventure.

I'm looking forward to seeing you blow up the list, which is great news for progressives.

On twitter: @BobBrigham

I stopped reading Daily Kos... (4.00 / 4)
soon after I discovered your writing at mydd, and stopped reading that when you and Matt founded the jewel of the progressive blogosphere here at Open Left.

You've built something that has already made a direct meaningful difference in thousands of lives, and an indirect one in millions more.  

In running the action campaigns, I hope we don't collectively lose out on your crisp, incisive analysis and insight.  I can tell you that it's altered my thinking considerably, time and time again.  

Guess I have to start reading Kos once more!

Congratulations Chris, and I wish you the best in all that you do.  

Seconded (4.00 / 4)
In running the action campaigns, I hope we don't collectively lose out on your crisp, incisive analysis and insight.


Self-refuting Christine O'Donnell is proof monkeys are still evolving into humans
[ Parent ]
Yes. I have said before that we were very lucky to have your insightful, calm reasoned (4.00 / 1)
voice, not just because it is so well written, but because it almost always inspired real effective action.

Congratulations. However, I am even more curious at what you do after Kos, as you seem to be moving forward with the speed of a locomotive, and electric, high speed, inter city locomotive at that.

Good luck CB.

I will look for your writing there, I hope you cross post here too.

--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky

[ Parent ]
Me, Too (4.00 / 1)
I now read Kos only when I've run out of better sites.  This site has always come first for me.  Thanks for Chris's original and clear thinking and writing, for his grounding in poll results, and for his aggressive defense of liberalism.

[ Parent ]
Thanks for building this place Chris! (4.00 / 6)
And best wishes and luck in your new role in the progressive movement. I think your move will convince me to start reading DKos again.  

Save Our Schools! March & National Call to Action, July 28-31, 2011 in Washington, DC: http://www.saveourschoolsmarch...
Wish you well and great adventures (4.00 / 4)
at Daily Kos - though I admit I rarely venture there any longer except when a trusted friend suggests a read. Guess I'll make an exception for you!
Goddamnit. (4.00 / 6)
I'm going to have to start reading kos again!

Seriously, good luck with the new venture. This is exciting.

Montani semper liberi

will you, really? (4.00 / 2)
I mean, come on
[ Parent ]
For Chris, yes. (4.00 / 3)


Montani semper liberi
[ Parent ]
your tolerance of equivocating is admirable (0.00 / 1)
pass the damned bill and all that rot
[ Parent ]
You will be missed here. (4.00 / 3)
But I will continue to follow you at Daily Kos.  Such a shame to see both you and Matt now gone.  At least you'll still be blogging.

Our Dime Understanding the U.S. Budget
Yes! (4.00 / 1)
Congratulations Chris and thank you for sharing your writing with us.

Good luck!  

[ Parent ]
good luck Chris (4.00 / 1)
I hope everything works out for you.  
Best of Luck Bowers (4.00 / 2)
I'm very happy for you, and for having you working for our side. But I'll miss reading you over here. Now I guess that makes you really the "professional left" that you've being paid! Can't say I'm not jealous though... Continued health, wealth and happiness to you in this new venture.

If teaching is so easy, then by all means get your degree, pass your certification test(s), get your license, and see if you can last longer than the five years in the classroom 50% of those who enter the profession never make it to.
Kick some ass (4.00 / 3)
You've done excellent work here and at MyDD. Now you'll be doing it at Daily Kos. Glad to see you're helping build progressive infrastructure and building a more progressive country.
Best wishes (4.00 / 4)
Years later, still required reading wherever you go...

Chris, you and Matt will always be required reading. Good luck in the new endeavor and thanks for all that you do.

...Adding, while I sure you're excited about the new projects, your hard-boiled "state of play" and tactics/strategy blogging have been sorely missing here and, frankly, not replicated elsewhere. I hope you'll still be able to do some of that at DKos and/or that someone will fill that void here.

(No disrespect to Rosenberg et al, but the predominance of lengthy thought pieces, while interesting and well done, make OL a very different place.)

Self-refuting Christine O'Donnell is proof monkeys are still evolving into humans

Thank you (4.00 / 8)
I love this site and gave up on Dailykos more than a year ago. Basically the day Obama became our president and it became impossible there to say anything critical about him without being mobbed.

Here at OL I love the deep pieces by Rosenberg - they are big picture politics with a sociological substrate. And the regular series by Jeffinnc, Sirota, Bink, and the others are usually fantastic.

But for nuts and bolts electoral political viewpoints and coverage - sausage making, poll watching, primary struggles - there is none better than Bowers and none that I trust as much.

This site needs to find a replacement for this perspective or it will suffer.

All the best and thanks.  

Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? And cold comfort for change?

+4 (4.00 / 3)
But for nuts and bolts electoral political viewpoints and coverage - sausage making, poll watching, primary struggles - there is none better than Bowers and none that I trust as much.

This site needs to find a replacement for this perspective or it will suffer.

Wholeheartedly seconded.  No disrespect to the others on Open Left, who all do fantastic work, but because I'm most interested in elections (especially primaries), polling and legislative processes, I always found Chris's posts to be the most interesting.

Someone's going to need to fill in this role and take up the slack here.

[ Parent ]
Not as bad as it was (4.00 / 2)
Basically the day Obama became our president and it became impossible there to say anything critical about him without being mobbed.

  With Obama showing his true colors over the months, the bots are clearly on the defensive now.  

"We judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their actions. It is a great convenience." -- Howard Zinn

[ Parent ]
and it seems a bit contagious (0.00 / 0)
cough
[ Parent ]
Funny how that works (4.00 / 3)
I come here for just the opposite: the thought-provoking pieces by Paul and others. The electoral poll stuff just makes my eyes glaze over, but I appreciate that it's here. I guess that's one reason why this site is so good - the mix of the two.

I've been here since day one, and have been back almost every day since. I really like this place and get a lot out of it, though I do wish there were some more regular female and people of color front pagers. I'll certainly continue to stick around and see what happens.  

[ Parent ]
Right. As much as I love it here because it's so unerringly in line with (4.00 / 1)
my political positions and maintains an unbeatable standard  of intelligence, I do find the OL commentariat's running condemnations of Daily Kos to reek of an elitism that makes me a little squirmy. Yeah, I roll my eyes at DK dairies and comments all the freaking time, but I also think that there's a value to that- it cuts a wider swath across the democratic party, and it's a lot messier as a result. It's not consistent the way that OL is, and that's part of it's virtue. So I'm really excited to see Chris' implacable progressive ideals put into the DK swim, although of course I'll miss him tremendously here.

And, I would agree, that I would like to see more women and POC front pagers here. I'm a little discomfited by this much and would really like to see some change here, precisely because I do think so highly of OL on every other level.    

[ Parent ]
Holy crap (4.00 / 2)
Open Left is taking a tremendous loss with your departure.

Good luck with everything, and stay true to yourself.  I don't know much about Daily Kos but I hear it's heavily populated by Obamabots, so don't let them crowd out your convictions.

Thanks and all the best (4.00 / 1)
they sure can use you.

It would be a pleasure to post there if the forum were more conducive to rational debate.  

All the best, Chris. (4.00 / 2)
I'm with wobbly.  They need you.  And, hopefully, they can extend your reach, in return.  Maybe someone who frequents Kos more often than me will link you up in a Quick Hit, so the rest of us can get you bookmarked.

Go get 'em kid!

Good luck (4.00 / 1)
I hope you'll continue your insightful analysis and excellent strategizing.

Not to sound negative, but if you're leaving, then who'll be running the show (the business end of things) over here ?

Good luck, Chris! (4.00 / 1)
It's a good move, both for you personally (Hopefully you'll be paid closer to what you're worth!) and for the progressive movement in general.  

But I can't help but feel like a fan of a minor-league sports team, where every now and then your favorite player gets scooped up by the majors.

Good luck, Chris… (4.00 / 2)
...keep moving at this pace and you'll be part of establishment before you know it...just kidding. Maybe now I'll start reading Daily Kos.

"This ain't for the underground. This here is for the sun." -Saul Williams
Moving to dailyKos? (4.00 / 4)
That's sort of a step down, isn't it?

Snark off, but I gotta say, your OpenLeft has been the best these past several years. Even as places like dailyKos got to be more and more predictable, OpenLeft continued to provide surprises. More gutsier posts, more insightful analysis, and a better sense of humor. Most of the credit has to go to you, Chris. Thanks.

Hope you'll be back here to update the Senate Forecast and really speak your mind, at least once in a while.

Good luck, man.

I wish you the best (4.00 / 3)
You and I have had or differences (I'm glad you un-banned me, because this has become my favorite place to hang online) and we'll probably continue to have our differences, but I continue to admire your commitment and your passion.


Good luck (0.00 / 0)
and hope you get a big raise. :-)

You might want to pass on my diary:

Improving Blog Mechanics, to Cut Down on Trolling and Irrationality (w/ reference to jeffroby ban)

which is more relevant for dailykos than openleft.



435 Dem Primaries 2012
Coffee Party Usa
TheRealNews.Com

New (4.00 / 1)
Wishing you well at your new opportunity )
You will be missed (4.00 / 1)
I don't read Daily Kos (at least not regularly) and don't begin to have enough time to waste on their threads, so I'll try to keep up with you there, but no guarantees.

I think you took a lot of abuse here that was unwarranted and I applaud you for sticking to you guns.  I didn't always agree with you either, but wish you nothing but the best of luck.

sTiVo's rule: Just because YOU "wouldn't put it past 'em" doesn't prove that THEY did it.

We will miss you! (0.00 / 0)
I'm a huge fan, and have learned tons from your writings.  I will continue reading you on DKos (while remaining a faithful Open Left reader).  Thank you for everything.
Followed you at MyDD and (4.00 / 1)
Followed you over here.

Thanks for the vision in creating Open Left.

I also hope you got a big raise.... even if 100x a little might still be a little.

Good Luck, Chris (4.00 / 1)
Your analysis and activism will be missed.  Congrats on the new gig.
Thanks for your work, Chris (4.00 / 1)
Open Left has been the #1 political blog for me ever since you guys left mydd. Good luck in your future endeavors at the great orange satan.  

"I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that."
-Lawrence Summers
Good luck (4.00 / 1)
I signed up.

You built something pretty amazing here. I have no doubt you'll do the same at dkos.  

Politics is the art of the possible, but that means you have to think about changing what is possible, not that you have to accept it in perpetuity.

Um, welcome? (0.00 / 0)
No doubt you're aware, but get ready for some big time bottrolls who literally have nothing better to do than troll for diaries and comments critical of Obama to attack. The bane of all blogs.

Good luck. Look forwards to the substance.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

Damn. (4.00 / 2)
But if anybody can manage to use DKos to help build the progressive movement- a tall order, as anybody who tries to read much stuff on that site knows- it would be Chris. Good luck!
I understand that a secure full time job is invaluable nowadays... (0.00 / 0)
..but damn, does it have to be at the Kaotic Orange Satan?
|-(

It's not only our loss here, but I really whished you a more interesting job than managing email update lists. However, all the best, Chris, and pls drop by from time to time!

Oh, and here's hoping Open Left will find someone to try to fill the void. How about Daniel de Groot? Can't he jump in?

Best wishes. (0.00 / 0)
Fascinating move, the dKos action list... Joining the ranks of FDL and the like who have used the community to do organized response.

Break a leg, and all that jazz...

...comes from some other beginning's end (0.00 / 0)
Glad you're finding new ways to fight the good fight, Chris!  Hope your email list at DKos is every bit as effective as you and Markos hope it will be.  

Somebody's gotta rally the troops for this election, and it doesn't seem like anyone else is stepping up, so I'm glad to see someone whose political instincts I trust moving into that role. I've already signed up, needless to say.

Good luck!

Makes Perfect Sense But . . . (0.00 / 0)
Chris, You're the best person for this job at DailyKos and your innovative political actions will likely be even more successful because of the larger readership there.  So, it's a good thing, I suppose.  If we can kill the filibuster in the Senate, it will be a great thing.  

You and the other front pagers at Open Left developed a unique community here, unsurprisingly similar the one that existed at my MYDD when you and Matt blogged there.  Your razor sharp analysis and deep insights here at Open Left attract a great group of commentators.  I actually read the comments on Open Left.  I'm afraid that will all come to an end now that you're leaving for Kos' blog.  

Every new beginning… | 63 comments
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