Daily Kos Posters Berated by Founder for being Gullible Fools

Daily Kos Posters Berated by Founder for being Gullible Fools

By P.J. Gladnick (Bio | Archive)
September 3, 2007 - 13:36 ET

How pathetic are the posters on a large blog when its own founder berates them for being gullible fools for being easily scammed by an obviously phony story? Such was the case with the posters on the favorite "progressive" blog of the MSM, the Daily Kos, when its founder, Markos Moulitsas, tore into them for being suckers because they fell for a story about a supposed imminent U.S. invasion of Iran based on the fantasies of a blogger with a history of fabulist tall tales. To add insult to injury, Moulitsas even cited a "rightwing" blog to discredit the thread posted by Daily Kos blogger Maccabee who originated the Iran invasion fantasy:

Seriously, just because something online confirms your own viewpoint or prejudices or whatnot, it does not mean it's true.

Skepticism is a virtue.

Now the right-wingers are laughing at the gullibility of those who recommend Maccabee's diaries.

And they are quite justified in doing so.

The "rightwing" blog cited by Moulitsas was joshua.treviño.at which exposed the rather low veracity of Daily Kos poster Maccabee:

It’s no surprise that there are serial liars and embellishers on the interwebs. What should be noted is that their lies and embellishments can be utterly transparent and repetitive, and yet be accepted as fact time and again by the audience for whom they confirm basic prejudices. Take, for example, one pseudonymous fellow at DailyKos who goes by “Maccabee.” He claimed to meet a Romanian cabbie who told him to leave Bush’s tyrannical America; he claimed to meet a Holocaust survivor who told him that Bush’s America resembles Nazi Germany; he claimed to meet another cabbie, Ugandan this time, who told him that Bush’s America is worse than Idi Amin’s Uganda; he claimed to have received a phone call from Balad, Iraq, revealing that the majority of the American Army’s mechanized strength is “out of commission”; and today, he claimed to have received a telephone call from an American aircraft carrier on deployment, revealing that the United States Navy is about to attack Iran. Oh, and he also learned that the naval rank and file detest George W. Bush, too. That “Maccabee” is a habitual liar is obvious enough: what’s more ridiculous than his fables is that they are nearly always Recommended Diaries at DailyKos. The reality-based community loves its myths — and its mythmakers.

Not surprisingly, many posters on the Daily Kos who were taken in by Maccabee's scam were not pleased with being denounced as gullible laughingstocks by Moulitsas. Here is a sampling of their angry responses:

maybe markos is really karl rove.

I was bamboozled into rec'ing that diary and now feel really used!

Gee, it's all a bit much and roundabout and blaming the victim, when the great god Kos and frontpagers in the know could simply disappear the troll diary, or ban the troll diarist.

If you knew it from the beginning then, damn it, why didn't you bring it up at the beginning? And if you didn't know it from the beginning then don't pretend that you did. And if you've got any administrative abilities, ban the person in question and just say "gosh we were taken in for a while, but we've got it now!" and be done with it.

Is the ONLY evidence that Maccabee's diary is fraudulent a post from a conservative blogger??? If so I see absolutely no reason to consider the diary fraudulent, and find this post by Markos an offensive attack on the community. It is repugnant that he would take a conservative's word over that of his own community. If there is more evidence, hard evidence, then I'll retract the above statements.

You can see a more complete collection of both irked and inadvertently funny Kossack replies to Moulitsas' charge of gullibility at the DUmmie FUnnies.

—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.

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The other myth-makers

September 3, 2007 - 14:13 ET by ThisnThat

"It’s no surprise that there are serial liars and embellishers on the interwebs". Not just there. Just walk down the halls of Congress and visit the Democratic caucases. Visit any MSM newsroom and editorialists. Listen to all the dim candidates. Examples abound everywhere you turn.

___________________________________

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber

Hello, sucker!

September 3, 2007 - 14:15 ET by nkviking75

I have the perfect motto for the Daily Kos. It was made famous by a speakeasy owner named "Texas" Guinan, who greeted customers by saying, "Hello, sucker!"

When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.

Oh, tough crap, Markos ...

September 3, 2007 - 15:19 ET by drillanwr

Oh, tough crap, Markos ...

Separated at Birth

September 3, 2007 - 15:33 ET by WoodyM

Markos Moulitsas and the Runaway Bride.

Saddam Mao Markos

September 3, 2007 - 15:34 ET by Lame Cherry

Is not the first venture of benevolent fascists and communists once they acquire the silver spoon in leadership is turning on their own and consuming them?

It seems Markos ad revenues by traffic have gone to his rather liberal head like Google and now no longer needs the minions and can slap them around.

Huffington Post, Capital Hill Blue and other leftist Soros type funded operations all lie........goodness Charlie Sheen believes all the wacko stuff on Rense and Jones, so why wouldn't these deluded Kos warped minds BELIEVE THE EXACT SAME THING THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN TELLING THEM.

Way to go dictator Markos, heil mein fuhrer of furor of the .......oh yes you and your bloggers are the moderates........moderates of mentality it now seems.

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

The Kook-sacs are like Piranha

September 3, 2007 - 15:36 ET by c5then

They quickly turn on their "own" if they dare point out something that they'd rather not hear.

I especially like the poster who cannot imagine a conservative blogger actually knowing and telling the truth yet is willing to believe that someone "made a phone call" from a US Aircraft Carrier engaged in a secret mission.

The really scary part is that these twits actually vote

The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic

The really scary part is

September 3, 2007 - 21:08 ET by general company

The really scary part is that these twits actually vote

Wow, aint that the truth.

Really Scary!

September 4, 2007 - 07:39 ET by mytwocents

What is really scarry is they almost voted in Al Gore!!!

Also ...

September 3, 2007 - 15:44 ET by Dave Pierre

It should be noted that Kos has deleted the original post by Maccabee.

This is not the first time the site has taken down stories that are unflattering to themselves.

Cached?

September 3, 2007 - 16:17 ET by LighthouseJ

I was looking for the story to read first-hand and it was taken down for me. I'll look for a google cache of it and post the link if I find it.

They're gullible fools...

September 3, 2007 - 16:11 ET by mattm

...simply for being such wide-eyed fanatical Lefties. This just highlights it!

Yes, they are!

September 3, 2007 - 16:29 ET by Wildcatter1980

They are gullible fools because they don't know any better. They are either too naive or too inexperienced to realize that if the "story" seems too good to be true then it probably is. Also, they let their emotions control themselves instead of them controlling their emotions. Because of these they end up jumping to the wrong conclusions.

Just my $0.02

Well, this is definitely

September 3, 2007 - 16:24 ET by SMGalbraith

Well, this is definitely going to lessen the credibility of the folks on DKos to me.

(double ahem)

[Moulitsas deleted the diary? I thought his defense re the vile posts over there was that he didn't monitor or delete offensive postings? And therefore, his responsibility was zero?]

The "Center" of the Democrat Party?

September 3, 2007 - 16:32 ET by Del Dolemonte

Be sure to check out the mass indignation in KAOS-land today, as the tolerant and intelligent folks there berate Chimpy McHalliburton for having the nerve to visit the troops in Iraq on his way to Australia.

Heck, it's "his" war, why shouldn't he see it in person?

Of course they are

September 3, 2007 - 16:50 ET by mattm

They'd much rather have Alberto Globalarmist, or J. F. Ketchup, or Ms. Sir Edmund Hillarity, or Mr. One-Eyed Willie lob a few cruise missles at empty buildings while selling military technology to the Chi-coms and turning the White House into Animal House, etc.

LMAO!! You really can't

September 3, 2007 - 19:44 ET by motherbelt

LMAO!! You really can't make this stuff up!

they are pretty nuts

September 3, 2007 - 16:50 ET by LighthouseJ

Whenever NB references a dailykos story, I click over to it and read the responses. Those people are not just crazy but dangerously stupid and crazy. I guess that's what it takes to be duped by liars and hypocrites but they fancy themselves as being generally more intelligent as elitism goes and at the same time say the stupidest things I've ever read.

While I was trying to find a cached copy of the original article, look at how eager the far left Kos bloggers are at rattling the sabres at going to war with Iran. I'm attempting to fathom that the DOD has thought about war contingencies with Iran more than the crazy left blogs. Look at the datestamps in the dailykos url's, they are all less than a week ago so obviously something triggered a wave of chatter about attacking Iran. This isn't just one guy, it's a fundamental parroting of the entire community.

Personally, Kos' quote says everything about the community:

Seriously, just because something online confirms your own viewpoint or prejudices or whatnot, it does not mean it's true.

That's all dailykos.com is about, reinforcing their own viewpoints by preaching to the choir. I've noticed liberals are notoriously comfortable in their own viewpoints and equally as uncomfortable with differences of opinion. I've had libs accuse me of the craziest things in order to desperately discredit me. They are so eager to believe viewpoints that merely conform to their own and equally as eager to discredit other viewpoints because they don't. I guess it's one facet of socialism, it's their way or their way.

Great summarization on the

September 3, 2007 - 19:33 ET by Blazer

Great summarization on the DKOS Lighthouse. You hit the nail right on the head with your entire post.

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "

- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.

Why doesn't Markos regard

September 3, 2007 - 17:16 ET by Gat New York

Why doesn't Markos regard them as real people. The same way he regarded those who posted anti-Jewish hate as real people (Meet The Press)?

With the Kos core audience so infected with BDS

September 3, 2007 - 18:37 ET by RJ

....how the heck could he expect anything different? It's the kind of story they WANT to believe.

While I'm at it, I've been curious about Kos' angry over-reaction. Could he be covering because he was taken in, too? Maybe just a little? But, since he's whitewashed the story on his site now, we'll never know.....

“and today, he claimed to

September 3, 2007 - 18:40 ET by chessplayer

“and today, he claimed to have received a telephone call from an American aircraft carrier on deployment, revealing that the United States Navy is”

I can`t remember if it was HuffPo or DU, but one of them fell for that story, also.

Speaking from experience, a

September 3, 2007 - 19:12 ET by lnthomp

Speaking from experience, a phone call from any U.S. Navy ship on deployment, including at sea, is possible (but expensive), but 98% of outside communication, including 100% of non-mission-essential communication, can be cut off at the whim of the Captain, and certainly would be if any attack were immenent. On the other hand, any disgruntled seaman recruit with a $20 calling card could have made exactly the call claimed, with exactly the credibility of the blog post.

And anyone who wants to believe a majority within the military, Navy included, would rather have Gore or Kerry or either Clinton in place of Reagan or either Bush has never spent any time around very many military people.

Lee T.

U.S. Navy (ret.) / Vancouver, Washington

The history of the race, and each individual's experience, are thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.-- Mark Twain

I loved being part of the

September 3, 2007 - 19:04 ET by Right2thePoint

I loved being part of the poster who took down the fool tool in the inital Kos poster this whole thing was about, but the best was shot out of a cannon by lex.

Go read what he had to say.

http://www.neptunusl...

I caught all this in real

September 3, 2007 - 19:19 ET by Blazer

I caught all this in real time as it was going down, and I will say it made for the finest bit of comedy, and belly laughs I have had in a long time, and thats saying alot.

Then Kos comes in with the...............

.....ahem...........................scuse me guys,...........but wtfyd?"

Kos had to step in, and dispense meds on the seventh floor psyche ward that is his blog. But then again even Dracula, and Frankenstein had to smack Reinfield, and Igor around once in awhile. LMAO!

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "

- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.

Markos the Marxist. Rot in Hell, and may you die miserably.

September 3, 2007 - 20:44 ET by Dave R

I think it is five years past time for this useless Marxist/Leninist POS to be arrested and deported, along with the rest of his worthless commie family.

To Hell with you, Markos, along with your commie Kos associates.

FU, as well as the two people that brought you into this world, and the horse you rode in on.

In fact, why don't you take yourself, and your entire worthless commie family, and move a country that has a government more to your liking. North Korea would be perfect for you, you f'ing worthless commie wretch.

Wish ill on my country, will you? Screw you, pal. You aren't even from here.

Die, you worthless bastard. Today would be good. Yesterday would have been even better.

I have had it with your kind. Time you were all dealt with in the manner you deserve.

Dave R.

Say what you really feel.

September 3, 2007 - 20:46 ET by Free Stinker

Say what you really feel.

Seriously. Don't hold back or edit yourself. ;-)

Free,

September 3, 2007 - 20:51 ET by Dave R

I have had it with these America-hating scum. It's beyond time for them to re-locate-either voluntarily, or at the point of a gun. A really big gun.

Matters not to me which which method they choose, as long as they get the Hell out of my country.

Screw 'em.

Yes, I also think he is

September 3, 2007 - 20:53 ET by Free Stinker

Yes, I also think he is scum and a traitor, but don't you think wishing his death is uncalled for?

Fred Thompson and Ann Coulter walk into a bar. The bar is instantly destroyed because that much awesome cannot be contained in one building.

Free,

September 3, 2007 - 21:02 ET by Dave R

Perhaps, but if the situation were reversed, he'd run-over and flatten me wthout so much as a second thought, and laugh in my face while he did it, too.

I don't know. Maybe I'm reaching the level of frustration where "killing them with kindness" just isn't cutting it for me any more.

We are going to "polite" ourselves into oblivion as a nation if we aren't carefull. Christ, we came damn close to electing a Marxist in the last to major presidential elections.

Sorry, but I was never a huge Dennis Hastert fan.

Maybe I need to take a little time away from all this.

We can still stand up to

September 3, 2007 - 21:06 ET by Free Stinker

We can still stand up to the Enemy without adopting all (or even most) of their tactics.

I think the best thing to do to Kos is to ensure a Republican gets elected President in 2008 - that would cause him suffering beyond belief! ;-)

Free,

September 3, 2007 - 21:18 ET by Dave R

You're correct, of course. Perhaps I'm starting to take this stuff a little too seriously.

Just recently read the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. I (rather impatiently) see people like Markos and the rest as being the architects of our own down-fall, much like the foreigners were to the Romans after the end of the Roman Republic.

If I offended anyone, I apologize most profusely.

Think I'll back away for a while.

Dave.

Dave

September 3, 2007 - 21:24 ET by Free Stinker

I 'm not offended.

I just think we're better than these Stalinists on the left, and don't need to be like them.

Dave R

September 4, 2007 - 02:51 ET by SportPolitics

You are correct, they are the rot in the USA, and they have made large strides, and have endlessly lied their way to where they are. It's not easy to discover it either, since they control the information so effectively. They basically outlawed McCarthyism( even though the Venona Cables proved him correct ), now you see the Islamic enemy sues our government and takes our tax dollars doing it. Sues our airlines, also supported with our tax dollars, and takes more money. That's how pathetically WEAK we have become from it.

It takes years and years for the haters and enemies of the USA to be brought to court ( less for the dims and kossers to scream the Gitmo torture chamber of no civil rights needs to be closed permanently and the enemy evacuated to freedom* they're insane, literally), in the mean time they gain citizenships and preach our destruction all over the world and on our soil in the Muslim centers and Mosques, and in the democrat focus groups. The skum libs support and encourage them, the democrats elect muzzie congress who take oaths on the Koran.... the dems and dims and libs all agree with them, and tell us we have to learn why the enemy hates us... well we know libs and dems and dims, you've been screaming it for 35 years too, you've been teaching your lies to the youth, you've made careers out of it...

The list is endless buddy. You just want the enemy taken out before they take another chunk out of us. Offensive would be you not wanting that, and yes, we have plenty who don't, right here.

Nancy Pelosi escaped a treason charge. Same with Harry Reid. John Kerry was an open traitor, and still is, and a gold-digging lurch liar, but that's ok with enemies of this nation. In fact they prefer it. It's free speech to them, to side with the enemy.

You're not out of line, but a whole lot of others are.

There will no doubt be another "correction"....it ain't gonna be pretty, the lunatics minds will pretend to straighten out for maybe 2 weeks, maybe not, maybe they will become closer to the enemy then, since "it will be Bush's fault".

Maybe the dims can erase the borders, then we don't have to consider any of this...they've made enormous headway in that regard...

Consider this : How many democrats and kossers would secretly cheer inside, or even outwardly cheer, if they heard Iran nuked Israel... ? The high percentage of that number says a lot. They follow Ward and Chomksy, word for word, they believe it, it douses their very soul, the 2 Americas, the global hegemony power that controls all and exploits the world on every turn, the Great Satan...

There are a LOT of them my friend.

Thanks, Sport, for your cutting insight here- and your kind word

September 4, 2007 - 21:29 ET by Dave R

I was beginning to think I was the only one who has noticed the traitorous scum that has infested every level of this country. I guess I'm getting fed-up-partly with the aforementioned America-hating scum, but also with the dumbMasses who appear to be indifferent to it all. Maddening, it is.

As always, I'm keeping my powder dry. Hope you're doing the same.

Dave.

Yes, it's the left that's

September 3, 2007 - 20:50 ET by balboa

Yes, it's the left that's unhinged...

;)

bal,

September 3, 2007 - 20:55 ET by Dave R

I'm sorry, but I have just about had it with this guy.

Enough is enough.

Understood. Just givin' you

September 3, 2007 - 21:06 ET by balboa

Understood. Just givin' you a hard time.

Two thumbs up!

September 3, 2007 - 21:48 ET by well99

I agree with this statement.

"Yes, it's the left that's unhinged... "

Cool balboa!You have finally seen the light!Hallelujah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPgTymn-gmc

Save me, I've been bamboozed

September 3, 2007 - 22:52 ET by m1xram

It's just amazing, the flavor of the KOS comment is, "protect me from myself, because it's too difficult to think." Can an admin of any site do that?

Certain KOS readers should probably stay away from any news, it will just confuse them. Try the weather channel, nice music and they'll tell you if you need an umbrella tomorrow.

m1xram

NAVY would never bomb iran.

September 4, 2007 - 01:11 ET by PK

navy would never bomb iran by itself:

airfarce would never stand still for navy having all of the fun.

IRONY...

September 4, 2007 - 07:51 ET by danybhoy

So Kos thinks many of his posters are gullible? I do believe we are looking at a case of follow the leader.

"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin

The folks at Daily

September 4, 2007 - 08:38 ET by Par for the Course

The folks at Daily Kos should do some calulations and tabulations before concluding that the United States is going to attack Iran.

Iran's Ahmadinejad has 'proof' US won't attack
Sep 3 04:10 AM US/Eastern

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sought to justify his confidence the United States will not attack Iran, saying the proof comes from his mathematical skills as an engineer and faith in God, the press reported on Monday.

[...]

"In some discussions I told them 'I am an engineer and I am examining the issue. They do not dare wage war against us and I base this on a double proof'," he said in the speech on Sunday,

[...]

"I tell them: 'I am an engineer and I am a master in calculation and tabulation.

"I draw up tables. For hours, I write out different hypotheses. I reject, I reason. I reason with planning and I make a conclusion. They cannot make problems for Iran.'"

[Snip]

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070903081020.uzkadmfq&show_article=1&catnum=-1

a master in calculation and tabulation.

September 4, 2007 - 10:00 ET by PK

if this guy is the best they've got then they are in a helluva mess.

iran is a prime example of a country taken over by a theocratic group that has no idea of science, economics or governance.

we saw a bit of this in the old communist countries. the only people that did their thing with any kind of professionalism were the propagandists.

when it came down to it, the guys in the street had to do the dirty work and that work was so brutal that an extremely high percentage of them (far far more than necessary) died. then after sixty seventy years the whole thing collapsed economically. (of course the fact that Ronald Raegen used uncle sams most potent weapon [money] against them might have had something to do with it.)

and so this bunch has a problem. in the modern day and age finances/economics are an extremely important component of running a country. and just who are the major players in the financial area. the jewish people. precisely the ones that dinnerjacket froths blood at the mouth about incinerating.

dinnerjacket has a real problem. he and his bunch all spend thier time studing a single religeous book. the people that he says cannot touch his bunch have people that as a lifes work study physics, the military arts, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, the list goes on and on and on.

and so his military philosophy is to burn up men. he doesn't seem to remember the long war with Iraq. they burned up lots of men in that one but did not accomplish anything.

now he wants to go against the gang that can reach out and touch him from the atlantic ocean, tests their automatic guns by shooting at flying artillary shells, have better aircraft in meseums than he has flying in his "politically correct" airforce.

not hardly.