UnOfficial History of DU - Democratic Underground forums

[elfismiles]

So, I know a lot of the original posters here at the RI forums came over from DU. Anyone know much about its founders and origins?

I'm curious, mainly wondering what other, if any, similar political sites might have sprung from it.

I've noticed a lot of other high-traffic political web-haunts seem to share lineages, swapping editors, writers, moderators, etc.

After more than a decade online, Democratic Underground still hosts the most active liberal discussion board on the Internet. We are an independent website funded by member subscriptions and advertising, and we have no affiliation with the Democratic Party. Democratic Underground is a truly grassroots community where regular members drive the discussion and set the standards. There is no other website quite like it anywhere on the Internet.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=aboutus

[Pele'sDaughter]

still hosts the most active liberal discussion board on the Internet.

(sorry, couldn't stop myself)

[seemslikeadream]

Progressive Independent was created by Tinoire to siphon off the "trouble makers" from DU. And she her job very well.....she gave them, including myself a place to go when we got tired of the censorship at DU.....many good people ended up there and after a couple of years of pretending to be an alternative, a progressive non censorship kinda place where one could talk about 9/11 without being held captive in the DU dungeon.... she blew it up and gave it over to some fake holier than thou commies and got rid of us all and then shut the place down. I believe she was in with Skinner from the beginning and fucked us all over...I personally outed a few right wingers that were allowed to post at DU for years....mainly they hang out in the dungeon to just look for trouble and keep an eye on the "crazies"...make damn sure they got banned...

DU is a scam

and I always wanted to do a book about the history of DU....the truth about DU...I'd love to see a group of the elders formed to discuss the crap that went on there


chlamor-Wolfowitz's best friend


Original PI owner gives up, gives to whack jobs

[temp-monitor]

DU is a scam

and I always wanted to do a book about the history of DU....the truth about DU...I'd love to see a group of the elders formed to discuss the crap that went on there

If you're interested, DU has shut down its "old" website with much dissent from old-timers, in favor of a "new, streamlined" site called "DU3". (I don't know about any "DU1" incarnation, but apparently "DU2" had too many anti-Obama apostates).

The bottom line on "DU3" is that Obama criticism & Democratic Party criticism is much more easily controlled or blocked. There has been a purge of hard "Leftists". Strangely, however, the Latin American section still hosts several long-time openly right-wing members -- I was banned for calling the moderators out on this. There is also, ironically, less democracy involved in the upvoting/downvoting of thread topics.

I haven't followed all of the criticism, but there has been a huge influx of new members at "Left Underground" which I also take to be a "steam-valve" control site for DU dissidents, which could be used for several purposes, not limited to monitoring or demoralizing.

Strangely, immediately upon the huge wave of new DU posters emigrating to Left Underground, the website got a "404" card on December 24-25. When the website reappeared, the strange explanation included a notice that many threads & posts had been "disappeared" by "hackers".

You can still visit the "old" DU which will remain "up and running" until approximately December 31. You will find many of the old-timers holding court till the bitter end:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/di ... st_threads

More info about the "new DU":

http://www.leftunderground.com/threads/ ... nd-and-why

[Jeff]

A longtime and now banned DUer, Burt Worm, has recently been blogging about this.

DemocraticUnderground and the Fracturing of the Democratic Grass Roots, Part I

Fractured Democrats, Part 2: Resisting the Right

Fractured Democrats, Part 3: The Economics of DemocraticUnderground

Fractured Dems, Part 4: The Rightward Drift of DemocraticUnderground

It’s interesting to me now to notice that “Greenies” and Naderites were presumed to be included among those protected by these limits on free speech. By 2004, however, most of those other “groups of progressives” had split for pastures of their own design, and it was just those of us big-D Democrats left who were subject to Skinner’s experiments with a less and less benign dictatorship, supposedly at the service of love, peace and understanding in his “underground.” The winnowing out of irritating leftists only became more pronounced over the years. Recall the admonition in the August 2011 revision cited above against posting “in support for non-viable or third-party spoiler candidates in any general election.”

The rules for DU3, written in the wake of #occupyWallStreet’s anti-establishment protest movement, close the door on progressives and left alternative strategies almost entirely. The new site’s mission statement says explicitly that one of its goals is “Helping elect more Democrats to political office at all levels of American government,” and, if that weren’t clear enough, reiterates in an invitation to new members that it is open to “friendly, liberal people who…understand the importance of electing more Democrats to office.”

The terms of service, for the first time in DU’s history, go further than banning the usual freepers:

Democratic Underground is an online community for politically liberal people who understand the importance of working within the system to elect more Democrats and fewer Republicans to all levels of political office. Teabaggers, Neo-cons, Dittoheads, Paulites, Freepers, Birthers, and right-wingers in general are not welcome here. Neither are certain extreme-fringe left-wingers, including advocates of violent political/social change, hard-line communists, terrorist-apologists, America-haters, kooks, crackpots, LaRouchies, and the like.

Is it wrong or paranoid to think imprecise terms like “kooks” and “crackpots” are intended to allow the admins arbitrary exclusionary criteria as needed–say, when someone with an Obama or DNC avatar–even one who is on record as intending to vote for Obama in the general election–expresses a little too much support for #ows’s calling out Obama or Democrats for hypocrisies?

Certain extreme-fringe left-wingers...hard-line communists, terrorist-apologists, America-haters?

[slomo]

A longtime and now banned DUer, Burt Worm, has recently been blogging about this.

DemocraticUnderground and the Fracturing of the Democratic Grass Roots, Part I

Fractured Democrats, Part 2: Resisting the Right

Fractured Democrats, Part 3: The Economics of DemocraticUnderground

Fractured Dems, Part 4: The Rightward Drift of DemocraticUnderground

It’s interesting to me now to notice that “Greenies” and Naderites were presumed to be included among those protected by these limits on free speech. By 2004, however, most of those other “groups of progressives” had split for pastures of their own design, and it was just those of us big-D Democrats left who were subject to Skinner’s experiments with a less and less benign dictatorship, supposedly at the service of love, peace and understanding in his “underground.” The winnowing out of irritating leftists only became more pronounced over the years. Recall the admonition in the August 2011 revision cited above against posting “in support for non-viable or third-party spoiler candidates in any general election.”

The rules for DU3, written in the wake of #occupyWallStreet’s anti-establishment protest movement, close the door on progressives and left alternative strategies almost entirely. The new site’s mission statement says explicitly that one of its goals is “Helping elect more Democrats to political office at all levels of American government,” and, if that weren’t clear enough, reiterates in an invitation to new members that it is open to “friendly, liberal people who…understand the importance of electing more Democrats to office.”

The terms of service, for the first time in DU’s history, go further than banning the usual freepers:

Democratic Underground is an online community for politically liberal people who understand the importance of working within the system to elect more Democrats and fewer Republicans to all levels of political office. Teabaggers, Neo-cons, Dittoheads, Paulites, Freepers, Birthers, and right-wingers in general are not welcome here. Neither are certain extreme-fringe left-wingers, including advocates of violent political/social change, hard-line communists, terrorist-apologists, America-haters, kooks, crackpots, LaRouchies, and the like.

Is it wrong or paranoid to think imprecise terms like “kooks” and “crackpots” are intended to allow the admins arbitrary exclusionary criteria as needed–say, when someone with an Obama or DNC avatar–even one who is on record as intending to vote for Obama in the general election–expresses a little too much support for #ows’s calling out Obama or Democrats for hypocrisies?

Certain extreme-fringe left-wingers...hard-line communists, terrorist-apologists, America-haters?

Under these circumstances, do you really think anybody takes DU seriously? I mean, anybody who is paying attention and isn't already deeply under the spell of the false Republican-Democrat dichotomy? This is a a real question, not a rhetorical one.

[slomo]

The answer to my question is apparently yes. From Jeff's links in the above post:

To be clear, I should point out that there is still a sizable, and until now, steadily growing community at DU.

Fascinating. I guess I live in a bubble.

[Nordic]

Sounds like Glenn Greenwald would be banned right away.

I probably hate places like DU and Dkos more than I hate Repub sites.

Nothing worse than misguided pompous asses. Who are such frauds that they've even fooled themselves.

The right wingers are actually more refreshingly honest in their hatreds, fears, and prejudices.

[elfismiles]

Thank you all for your comments and links so far ... they are helpful in my catching up on the history of DU and possibly related other sites.

I had recently come across posts here about the troubles surrounding the "spin-off" site PI:

Progressive Independent shutting down
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=27010

Why the return of Trotskyite and Lenist "Cults" ?
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=25359

Original PI owner gives up, gives to whack jobs
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=25324

And I recall the "humor" surrounding the pic SLAD highlighted...

Odd PI picture of Chlamor/Orwellian Ghost
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=28052

More PI threads here ...
search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&keywords=progressiveindependent.com


Besides these angry spin-off incidents I'm also curious about other transitions / transformations that were of a more agreeable nature.

Perhaps like with sites such as HuffPo / DKos, etc.

[2012 Countdown]

There is quite a shakeup going on. DU3 is all about monetization and control. Agents should behave accordingly. Additionally, its campaign season, and you WILL support the PARTY. Look for bannings of anyone who does not go with official party lines.

-
elf, some have recently gone to:

Old Elm Tree
http://www.oldelmtree.com/index.php

and LeftUnderground
http://www.leftunderground.com/threads/ ... nd-and-why

Nowhere near the activity, but those are spots that some have fled to.

[Nordic]

When I was at DU I fled to DailyKos. When that place soon revealed to me what it really was, I fled to Docudharma. Just for the hell of it. When they blatantly censored me, just deleting one of my "diaries" (god I hate that fucking term) without even telling me, I quit going anywhere, and just came here to roost.

[elfismiles]

More Archival DU threads at RI:

Apparently DU is purging members again
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =8&t=23752

A pm I just recieved from our newest member Pinch - "pinch" being a DU poster
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =8&t=19026

***DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND OUTED AS A RIGHT-WING FRONT***
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =8&t=18791

So out of curiousity who here has a history with DU?
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =8&t=18650

Democratic Underground in a nutshell
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =8&t=17541

DemocraticUnderground discusses "sites that cannot be n
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =8&t=14988

It's time to say goodbye for now - thread by DrDebugDU
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =32&t=8247

Kicked off the DU???
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =32&t=8234

The Ongoing Disgrace of Democratic [sic] Underground [sic]
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =30&t=6725

How many here were banned from DU?
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =30&t=6529

Alright which one of you wrote Madsen? Locked threads at DU
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =30&t=6379

dbeach & Minstrel Boy thank you both
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =30&t=6378

DU tombstoned TIA? anyone else catching this? - TIA refers to username TruthIsAll
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =30&t=6374

My last email to "Coppertop" Andy Stephenson
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board2/view ... =16&t=1538

[82_28]

When I was at DU I fled to DailyKos. When that place soon revealed to me what it really was, I fled to Docudharma. Just for the hell of it. When they blatantly censored me, just deleting one of my "diaries" (god I hate that fucking term) without even telling me, I quit going anywhere, and just came here to roost.

I essentially did the same. I just said, FUCK blogging in general. I was the most anti-war, left wing, warner of fascism, curiosity shop blogger out there -- well I was out there with the best there were, but much smaller. I found RI via what I did. Which wasn't much -- but I still think I wrote better ten years ago. A constellation of left wing and gnostic bloggers in the Seattle area is what turned me on to this here joint -- well, more just Jeff's writing once I discovered it. Nobody censored me. I started a blog borne out of left wing cynicism of our time and place, paranoia because of the total hatred I encountered in the "early days" of this bullshit "war" footing America is on and real hope that the people who gave me life (parents and grandparents et al) and stood their ground could work into the future.

In the last decade how many times have I even checked DU on my own accord? Maybe three times. I hated it the moment I even saw their format and attitudes and the fact I can't say:

You know what? Fuck you motherfuckers.

That's about it, really.

[lupercal]

Looks like bolobuffoon is now "host" of the new DU 9/11 forum, renamed "Creative Speculation Group," as seen here:

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Bolo Boffin (a host of the Creative Speculation group).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113599

Good luck with that. As for DU, when it was good it was good, but the revamp seems to have made its worst aspects worse, namely the relentless dumbification of discourse handled by "volunteers," typically smug, close-minded MIC types who revel in their lameness. Too bad as a lot of smart people have gone through its revolving doors.

[Nordic]

Wow! So the troll has become the moderator!

Spectacular!

And, well, transparent!

I haven't been there in years. The last time I was, I was bored out of my mind (I think I was down with the flu or something) and they banned me at my very first post.

What a joke.