Is DU worthwhile? Does it matter? I answer "Yes" to both questions.

[Atticus]

Several posters --- if I understood them correctly --- have recently voiced their opinion that DU has no real effect on the world beyond this board. They reason that, since we are overwhelmingly progressives and liberals, we reliably vote and we vote for Democrats. Therefore, they argue, what is posted here, no matter how supportive or critical of the party or a particular Democrat, really has any impact on the political landscape. They are certainly entitled to their opinion, but I do not share it.

Do I have "hard proof" to counter the above? No. I doubt that any such information exists or that it would persuade anyone if it did. What each of us has is our own life experience, a little common sense and our ability to reason.

I rely on DU for reliable news and an antidote to the daily avalanche of poison spewing from the open sewer below Trump's nose. And, though we do have our trolls and some fluff and silliness, I can always find intelligent people debating important issues. I read about ways to counter the Dark Side that I doubt would ever have occurred to me.

As I live in a scarlet red county, the mere fact that I can communicate with people who, in general, see the world as I do, helps me to venture out each day with my "Impeach Trump" tee shirt, my bumper sticker covered car and my "bad attitude". And, I am positive that that open defiance of the local powers that be encouraged others who thought THEY were alone in their disgust with and fear of this regime.

I have to think that maybe, just maybe, some will register to vote, some will actually vote and some may find the courage to speak out on their own because they saw someone who was willing to piss off the Trumpers.

And, in part, DU enables me to do that. I don't think I am unique. Others on this board do much more than I do. And, though it may not be quantifiable, I think some part of their resistance has its origin on this board.
T
DU matters. What happens here makes a difference.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. It certainly does matter.

I appreciate the same things you outlined. Don't for a minute think we aren't a force w our comments. People read this board more than they comment. It's Friday. Fingers crossed.

[DownriverDem]

14. Yes it does matter

I am a proud member of the Democratic Party and an elected precinct delegate. On Saturday we are having the Democratic Party 12th District Convention (Michigan - Rep Debbie Dingell) then the MI Democratic Party State Convention in a couple of weeks. Being with Dems is a great mood lifter. We need to know that there are a lot of folks who think like us. Unity is the key. We don't need "not voting for Nancy Pelosi" until after the Midterms are over. It's too divisive. Get electoral wins or it will mean squat.

[jcgoldie]

2. Hey I got the same shirt :)

Here's mine:

https://www.teeshirtpalace.com/products/impeach-donald-anti-trump-peach-emoji-impeachment-v-neck-t-shirt

[malthaussen]

3. Moi aussi, Atticus.

For all the reasons you state.

-- Mal

[snowybirdie]

4. So glad it's here!

I took so much heat for my liberal/progressive leanings from family members, that I needed a place to vent and give my thoughts about what's going on in America. We all need a safe place for our mental health.

[pazzyanne]

5. DU is an oasis in the political desert for some of us.

I came here to find like minded people and gain respite from my trumpster family. Here at DU my mission was accomplished. One of my favorite things is reposting memes and information that I get here. So you see, what is posted here does not just stay here. DU is a springboard to launch notable information on to the world wide web. In my opinion, that is the way we can get our message out.

[ancianita]

6. I can count on DU for insights, analyses, foresight and predictions that I don't see anywhere else.

That's why I'm happy to help pay for its existence.

I'm generally a level-headed reader and viewer of the political landscape, but when I've needed help, DU has been there to preserve my trust and outlook on politics and humanity.

DU's not without shallow, negative assholes, but what forum isn't.

This place is still a solid place.

[Aristus]

7. Yes to both.

I wouldn't still be here after seventeen years if it wasn't.

[samnsara]

8. i like it..i find it useful and informative. I like the discourse..hell if i want to play it safe...

…..I will spend all day on the Gunsmoke board ( yes I joined it ..sigh)…..so far its a nice safe apolitical site but anyone venture to guess how most of them voted? I did find a like minded poster.. and she lives in my state so we have a lot to chat about.

[sandensea]

9. Google and Bing have recently made it harder to find DU articles, I've noticed.

They used to come up fairly easily - especially the ones with lots of replies. Many even came up with the photo attached right on the search results page, if the article was posted with an image.

Not anymore. Now, you have to either use DU's search bar itslef, or remember the title of the article verbatim (and even then, it may not come up - outside the DU search bar of course).

[mopinko]

24. wow. you are right.

i havent googled my handle lately. i just did. got a whole lot more posts about mopiko ointment than du posts.
didnt use to be that way. most seem pretty old, too.

[sandensea]

25. I suspect someone got to them.

[byronius]

10. This tribe is the center of the universe.

I gain powerful information here, and information is the coin of the realm. For every poster here there is a larger community we carry the information flow to. There are dozens of people I pass this stream too, and all of them are constantly amazed at how in the hell I know everything first, and how I'm always right. The fact-checking on this site is irritatingly magnificent.

On election nights, I beat my wife's AP feed.

Far more important than it might seem on the surface. A place to freely wrangle with difficult issues without orcs lobbing bullshit bombs is Valuable and Worthy.

I'm an unabashed sycophant for this place. Love it.

[Grammy23]

11. I live in a very red part of Northwest Flori-duh. My elected Rep. to Congress

is Matt Gaetz, for gawd’s sake. Some days I just want to pull my hair out! Especially since they have started running ads for Matt’s re-election campaign. (I call him a little weasel every single time I see his little ratlike face, but he is much worse.) Yes, there are like minded folks here in NW FL but they are scattered out around the county and definitely not right next door. If I want to have a sane conversation with people who think like I do, I come here to read and chat amongst the best and brightest bunch of “libruls” this side of San Francisco. Oh, and if I need something to read, I can always find links to reliable news articles, books and online resources.

Do we always agree with each other lock step?? Definitely not. I’ve seen some fights, debates and arguments that could rightfully be called doozies. But most of the time everyone walks away with a better perspective on things and the only thing bruised is an ego or two.

One last note...if the political chit chat, Dog & Cat fights and scary stuff get to be too much (and they can worry you to a nub) try one of the other fun boards or hang out in the lounge for a spell. I always find fun, light hearted and entertaining stuff there and some of the musical links are outstanding! As the younger folks like to say, the lounge Rocks!

[PatrickforO]

12. Well, DU matters to me. Sure there are some nitpickers on here,

and I'm pretty progressive. But this is a safe haven. It really is. And, there are some truly heavy policy-level hitters on here.

It matters to me because I like some of you.

It matters to me because I feel like most of you know the same basic things I do, like about the 1971 Powell Memo and the 1987 lapse of the Fairness Doctrine under the snake Reagan. Manufactured right-wing consent is killing this republic.

My garden gnome, Chomsky, likes DU. He says it helps educate people like us about how to refute the right wing talking points.

Seriously, though, if you want to maximize the impact of your words, post on The Hill, Daily Kos and other sites, including Quora. See, I figure we've got to get our word OUT to independents who are generally pretty disgusted with Trump, and we have to fight these right wing trolls, just because someone might believe them.

Yeah, sometimes it is discouraging because it seems as if we are being attacked by Koch brother ALEC policies on 1,000 different fronts, and we are. But remember, they WANT us to get discouraged and give up. That's why we can't. We have to keep fighting line by line.

The thing that gets me mega-discouraged is when I write something I think is really good, well-written and compelling and NO ONE responds. That happens to me here, sometimes, and on those occasions where I write Op Eds in Daily Kos.

Other ways to make a difference:
- get active in your local Dem party - I'm on my county's platform committee, where I might be able to affect policy in the long term.
- call and write your US Senators and Representative at least once a week.
- learn how to point out stuff to people in daily conversation without seeming like you're trying to convert them to something. I do this by asking pointed rhetorical questions that hopefully expose the hypocrisy, greed and sociopathy of the right.

Good luck and as Tiny Tim said, "God bless us all!"

[caballojm]

13. If any of you were like me after the Great Election Night Cataclysm of November 2016,

I needed the DU to help keep me sane. The fact that the DU was attacked that same night and we had to go without for what seemed like forever was excruciating. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

[groundloop]

17. DU certainly must have mattered to those who instigated the attack

[marieo1]

15. sanity

Thanks to DU. I absolutely count on DU. It keeps me sane in this insane political environment. It gives me a place to voice my opinion. We all need a place to voice our anxiety about the things that we are bombarded with daily. I appreciate being able to hear other peoples frustration and I hope others appreciate hearing my frustration.

[Persondem]

16. The fact that DU was attacked on election day 2016 says all we need to say

about DU's importance.

[marble falls]

18. It is worthwhile and it does matter. Otherwise the hackers, trolls and other malicious ...

intruders would leave it alone and ignore it.

Its worthwhile and it matters to me.

[Left-over]

19. Most Certainly!!!!

This discussion board is an important help for me to keep myself sane in these insane, inane, times.

[calimary]

20. All of the above for me too, Atticus.

[bronxiteforever]

21. Knowledge & ideas are contagious

I don’t think anyone can say how this board impacts human affairs but I believe Bobby Kennedy was correct when he said:

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Little ripples of hope. Doesn’t DU at its best do that? It has given me hope when the darkness seems impenetrable.

Peace ✌️

[DFW]

22. For people living in deep red areas

I can imagine it is an intellectual lifeline to sanity.

Living in Europe, as I do, I see it as a thoroughly mixed bag, good as an idea exchange, but extremely susceptible to one trick ponies who come on to promote one specific agenda only, and have no interest in posting about anything else. Still, they are easy to spot, and few in number. As soon as I see their name, I am 99% sure of the content of their post. I then make sure (you never know when someone is going to wake up and get a life), and move on.

DU has an interesting roster of people, and most of them have individual stories to tell, many from walks of life or geographical areas that remain foreign to the majority. If one has any kind of intellectual curiosity at all, DU can be not only a refuge of political sanity, but a window to things and places we otherwise wouldn't have known about. Pretty cheap learning trip, I'd say!

[AllaN01Bear]

23. keeps me sane . there are some liberals in my life ( i live in a almost red county)

i joined when one of the shrubs took the election from al gore.

[RandySF]

26. Yes

I spend too much time on DU as a means of connecting Democratic candidates with potential voters, donors and volunters.

[get the red out]

27. DU has all the news worth reading

I would be lost without it! I like to keep informed and discuss news and politics, it gives me insights I otherwise wouldn't have from a variety of people. That is helpful and worthwhile to me!

[heaven05]

28. it's a great meeting place nt

[Solly Mack]

29. After more than 17 years here, I still think it matters.

(January 20, 2001 - August 10, 2018)

I got here not long after it launched. It was awash with Freepers - but that got sorted out. Not even on the worst days now does DU come close to the number of right-wing trolls posting like during those early days. Legitimate members were outnumbered. That didn't last long though.

It's a great place to get the news - always has been (I still miss Khephra). That, alone - above all the other good aspects - makes it worth it.

Lots of cool people too.

There's noise - but people can choose to ignore it.

Lot of support here for when the day seems bleak.

Funny people - very funny people. Love the humor here.

Talented people - lots of talented people. Enjoy that immensely.

It's a community - some days are more peaceful than others. Some days are downright boring - but boring can be good even if somewhat suspect (quiet can be unnerving - can be full of promise or dread).

Anyway...

Always remember to pick up after yourself.

[Afromania]

30. I discovered this place ten or so years ago when a relative wanted me to read a post here.

I lurked for a few years then joined, got a star membership and lurked a while longer. I didn't really become fully active until shitgibbon lost the election. You guys had been one of my first stops on the internet for years before that day and the very first stop since. This place has been a fountain of knowledge for things I'd have never paid any attention to otherwise.


This place has made at least one person more politically aware, and in turn I've made a few others politically aware. So, in short, yes what happens at DU does make a difference.