Conservatives stare into the abyss

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Eight years ago, on the morning of Nov. 3, Democrats blundered through the aftermath of an election gone horribly awry in a state of fog and shock. The confused dismay extended beyond the normal disappointment that comes with backing the losing candidate in a presidential race. There was something else going on, a sense of horrible surprise, as if we'd all been terribly misinformed. We were sad and bewildered.

I wrote about that feeling for Salon that morning, seeking some understanding from the wreckage. I blamed the Internet, not for Kerry's loss, but for my false hopes. I wasn't alone. For many of us, Bush's victory over Kerry delivered an unforgettable lesson on the dangers of getting caught in the Internet-enabled echo chamber.

Oh sure, it had been a lot of fun -- all those hours we spent with Atrios and DailyKos, Donkey Rising and Talking Points Memo. It was all so new, exciting -- and most of all, liberating. We had been freed from the chains of mainstream media! We could pick our own narratives, and not have them forced on us. Even better, we now had amazingly granular access to information about the state of the campaign -- any and every campaign! We all became instant poll experts, and sallied forth each day into the political flame wars better armed with factoids and polished spin than ever before.

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Conservatives stare into the abyss