I think Paul Rosenberg should write a 10,000 word essay on how the whole controversy is caused by Obama's failure to understand the deep philosophical issues touched on by Doris Kearns Walker and Stephen King.

You lost me at the seriously stupid part. Sirota has turned into a legend in his own mind.

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[H]is cause is not my cause and his movement is not something I recognize as representative of what the blogosphere is all about.

I just want that on the record.

This is the entire contents of a post that Booman calls "slightly insane and seriously stupid":

Shorter Sirota: Don't tell me to STFU. Tell everyone else to STFU.

[Welcome, Open Left readers. See response here.]

Along with his "if I offended" fauxpology, David Sirota writes one of the most bizarre blog posts I've read in some time, as he further elucidates who must STFU (you) and who mustn't (David and any "progressives" agile enough to agree with him at every turn).

See also here and here, for more about David's latest jags.

The level-headed Sirota, on the other hand, has properly told those who had the temerity to have preferred a centrist other than Barack Obama: "pipe down and get a friggin' life," "screw off," "you're not welcome here," and "just STFU and slither back to your rathole of bitterness. Your candidate lost because she helped create the problems we now have to fix. Deal with that and become a productive member of society, or again, just STFU." He also has termed those who have linked to him a handful of times, sometimes favorably, sometimes not, as "hate stalkers."

Contrasted with such keen thinking and civility, I can finally see that I've become a bona fide public menace, and I shall report to the nearest Hope Officer at once.

But for those who dare, this is the kind of warped thinking I'm uttering in my dark little cave:

http://www.correntewire.com/oh_corrente#comment-134056

It's just frightening what us bitter dead-enders have to say, isn't it?  Thankfully, progressives like Sirota and Booman are around to shut down that kind of poisonous discourse!

I've also been banned from Open Left and finally gave up after one of Paul R's extended juvenile hissy fits and left. Those guys really are thin-skinned, mule-headed and childish. It's odd that the problem stems from the front pagers themselves rather than the users.

I saw this post and some familiar names so signed up.

1.) I think there are some other voices and faces missing from the left/progressive blogs that should be represented.  Boo?  TerrenceD, Steven?  All insightful, reasonable and pretty even-keeled.

2.) Sirota however, is doing exactly what needs to be done by getting a progressive voice in the mainstream media. If there are other voices that should be heard, perhaps they should take a page from Sirota and figure out how to build both an audience and presence that can take you into the mainstream press.

3.) The fact that it appears that Kos and Sirota are the designated go-to reps from the progressive blog community is worrisome.

4.) I've always liked OpenLeft's general thrust.  It's more about a movement and infrastructure building independent of the democratic party or specific candidates/officeholders.   And that is much needed.

5.) Since Matt Stoller left, OpenLeft seems somewhat chaotic and disjointed.  It appears as if there's a vacuum there that David Sirota is filling which is leading to more of his views being taken as the OpenLeft "consensus".

"...Sirota is taking increasing criticism from a broad swath of the progressive movement..."

Some links to support that would be nice. I don't get around the blogosphere much.

"...his cause is not my cause and his movement is not something I recognize as representative of what the blogosphere is all about."

And what do you see as "his movement?" How does it differ from your own?

I'm not trying to pick any fights here, I just want to know.