Kos v. Ford: The “DLC vs. the Netroots” Debate

July 16, 2008

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I know I am behind the fray on this one, and there is a good chance you have seen the Harold Ford/ Markos Moulitsas debate, which captures the contrast between the “DLC vs. the Netroots”. The setting “Meet the Press” which was hosted by MSNBC’s David Gregory (at the time Tim Russert was still the shows regular host) - and certainly served as both an entertaining and substantive political joust. I am attempting to set the mood for round 2 of the “Kos vs. Ford” debate which is scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas on July 17th, as part of the “Netroots Nation” convention.

Before we get to the video clips, here’s some quick background on the emerging feud between the founder, and online political action forefather Markos Moulitsas and the Democratic Leadership Committee point man Harold Ford.

These two have been battling via their own individual platforms (blogs, editorial pages, talk shows, lectures) for some time now, however it really began to heat up when Markos became in some peoples opinion (including myself) overly critical of strategy being implemented by the DLC.

That said it should be noted that an overwhelming majority of Democrats, both “centrist” and those leaning further to the left, have for the most part the up most respect for both of these personalities - and while you may agree with one more then the other, which is perfectly fine, these two represent the Democratic base as a whole making this discourse both important, and informative regarding the current and future direction of the Democratic platform.

Part 1: Kos vs. Ford

Part 2: Kos vs. Ford

Part 3: Kos vs. Ford

Kinda lengthy I know, but interesting nonetheless. It’s vital that the dialog channels remain open between these two factions, because when the rational discourse and debate stops, political parties go up in flames. Look at the GOP right now, it’s a perfect example of what I am talking about.

Forget the Presidential race for a second and look at the absolute disarray they are experiencing within their Senate and House committee’s - the breakdown between the neo-con’s and the true Goldwater conservatives has been downright ugly & it’s reflected by the public perception of their brand:

Things are so bad that many people don’t even want to call themselves Republicans. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press has found the lowest percentage of self-described Republicans in 16 years of polling.

The anti-Republican mood is fairly big, and it has been overwhelming,” said Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis.

This anti Republican sentiment will ultimately lead to Democrats gaining anywhere from 3-5 Senate seats, along with a sizable (8-12) gain within the U.S. House of Representatives. And that type of breakdown (which to a certain extent plagued the Democrats in the early 90’s when the GOP took over in record numbers) is absolutely paralyzing to a political brand - not to mention its an injury that doesn’t heal overnight.