Over the Top Times-Bashing

Kos has some reflections on Hillary Clinton's lack of popularity with liberal blogger types:

"There's no doubt Hillary faces some hostility in the netroots. I've had several reporters ask me whether Clinton has 'reached out' to the netroots, to which my answer is, 'no'. 'Ahh', think the reporters, 'So what Hillary needs to do is "reach out" more and all will be well, right?'

"Nevermind that 'reaching out', in political terms, seems to mean 'have a meeting with Markos', which is so freakin' stupid I can hardly stand it. I rarely do those kinds of meetings because frankly, I never know what to say. It's not like politicians will ever say anything juicy anyway. I'll talk to politicians when working on a journalistic endeavor (like Crashing the Gate or, early next year, my book on Libertarian Democrats). Other than that, I'd rather hang out with a staffer any day of the week. Staffers actually give you real information because they don't have to worry about 'gaffes' or making a bad impression or whatever. . . .

"So how would Hillary ingratiate herself to the netroots if she was so inclined? Here's how, and this applies not to just Hillary, but every single politician seeking netroots love and respect.

"1. Be a leader

"2. Get people involved

"It's that simple. It's not about kissing up to top bloggers, or praising us in speeches, or otherwise kissing our butts. It's about showing leadership.

"Hillary's problem, as I have written before, is that she has enjoyed a huge soapbox for six years and yet doesn't have a single high-profile policy or legislative accomplishment to her name on an issue of real value."

A final note: I got a wave of hostile e-mail, which seems to have been triggered by some Web site, for yesterday's column on reporter Murray Waas disclosing that he had once battled what was diagnosed as terminal cancer and exploring whether that affected his journalism. Just to be clear: Waas contacted me and asked me to write about this, and wanted to explore the impact on his reporting, a subject on which he had mixed feelings. Don't take my word for it: He's got a long post up on the subject himself.