Markos Moulitsas Zúniga
Encyclopedia
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (ˈmɑrkoʊs muːˈliːtsəs; born September 11, 1971), often known by his username and former military nickname "Kos" (kōz), is the founder and publisher of Daily Kos
, a blog
focusing on liberal and Democratic Party
politics in the United States. He is also a weekly columnist
at the Washington, D.C.
newspaper, The Hill
, and a contributing columnist at Newsweek
.
Moulitsas currently resides in Berkeley
, California
, with his wife and two children.
to a Salvadoran
mother and Greek
father. He moved with his family to El Salvador in 1976, but later returned to the Chicago area in 1980 after his family fled threats placed on their lives by communist insurgents
during the Salvadoran Civil War. As an adult, he has recounted his memories of the civil war, including an incident that occurred when he was 8 years old, in which he saw communist guerrillas murdering students who had been accused of collaborating with the government.
After graduating from Schaumburg High School
in Schaumburg, Illinois
, he served in the U.S. Army
from 1989 through 1992. He completed training at Ft. Sill
in Oklahoma and fulfilled his three-year enlistment as a Multiple Launch Rocket System
(MLRS) Fire Direction Specialist while stationed in Bamberg, Germany
. By his own account, he "missed deploying to the Gulf War by a hair." Moulitsas has described the Army as "perhaps the ideal society – we worked hard but the Army took care of us in return."
Prior to enlisting in the Army, Moulitsas was a member of the Republican Party
. During the 1988 presidential election
, he served as a Republican precinct captain
and assisted with the re-election campaign of Illinois Congressman
Henry Hyde
. However, during his time in the military Moulitsas began a transition in his political philosophy that would lead him to change his party affiliation from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party
.
After leaving the army, he attended Northern Illinois University
and graduated in 1996 with two bachelor degrees, majoring in philosophy
, journalism
, and political science
. While attending NIU, he wrote for the college newspaper The Northern Star and became its editor-in-chief in 1995. As a writer, he questioned NIU's policy of spending student fee money on athletic programs, generating a negative response from school officials, and also waged an unsuccessful campaign to save the school's journalism program. In 2007, he was inducted into the Northern Star Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed by the newspaper's alumni association. After graduating from NIU, he attended the Boston University School of Law
from 1996 to 1999, earning a J.D.
degree.
Moulitsas describes himself as a recovering Catholic, and says that while he has many problems with the Church, Salvadoran martyr and archbishop Oscar Romero
is still his greatest hero and inspiration.
, where he worked as a project manager at a web development shop. He founded Daily Kos
in May 2002, and has managed the blog as a full-time occupation since early 2004.
John Kerry
and Barbara Boxer
, Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid
, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi
, former President Jimmy Carter
, and President Barack Obama
.
Daily Kos has also spawned an annual conference. The inaugural YearlyKos
was held from June 8 to June 11, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nevada
. Guests included Harry Reid, Virginia Governor
Mark Warner
, and Democratic National Committee
chairman Howard Dean
. The conference has since been renamed Netroots Nation.
Moulitsas attended the California State Democratic
convention in Sacramento
in March, 2003 with Jerome Armstrong
of MyDD
. According to Glenn Reynolds
, founder of the conservative blog Instapundit
, he and they may have been the first bloggers to be officially accredited at a political convention.
employees who were killed and mutilated in Fallujah
:
for the Democratic presidential nomination, "doesn't deserve fairness on this site" because she "fails the test of the guiding principles of this site" and because Clinton had "no reasonable chance of victory". He accused her of "fomenting civil war in order to overturn the will of the Democratic electorate" and said Clinton's "only path to victory [...] is via coup by super delegate." His statement was precipitated by a "strike" conducted by several pro-Clinton diarists, even though none of these posters were paid or in any way officially linked to the site. Moulitsas responded directly to the "strike" by saying that it was more like a "boycott", noting that "It's a big Internet, so I hope they find what they're looking for."
Chairman Howard Dean
's "50 State Strategy".
Moulitsas also noted that he has endorsed several victorious candidates in upsets, including Howard Dean
for chair of the DNC, Jon Tester
in the 2006 Democratic U.S. Senatorial primary in Montana, Jim Webb
in the 2006 Democratic U.S. Senatorial primary in Virginia, and Ned Lamont
in the 2006 U.S. Senatorial primary in Connecticut. High-profile losses include Paul Hackett in a 2005 special election in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District and Francine Busby
in a 2006 special election in California's 50th Congressional District. However, both districts are heavily Republican. Ned Lamont
did win the widely publicized Democratic Senate primary race with incumbent Senator Joseph Lieberman on August 8, 2006. His victory was partially credited to grassroots activism, and the support from the blogosphere
, with Moulitsas in particular. In a post to his website, Moulitsas wrote that he prefers not to be given credit for such things, because it understates the efforts of grassroots contributors. However, Lieberman, running as an independent, went on to defeat Lamont in the general election by a comfortable 9-point margin.
In 2006, Daily Kos-endorsed candidates did very well, with the following candidates elected to Congress: Jim Webb
(VA-Sen), Jon Tester
(MT-Sen), Tim Walz
(MN-01), Joe Sestak (PA-07), Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), Patrick Murphy
(PA-08), Jerry McNerney
(CA-11), and Paul Hodes
(NH-02). Several other Kos-endorsed candidates came within 3 percentage points of winning: Larry Kissell
(NC-08) (who would go on to be elected in 2008), Gary Trauner
(WY-AL), Linda Stender
(NJ-07), and Darcy Burner
(WA-08).
in 2005, Moulitsas was hired by the British daily newspaper The Guardian
to write elections analysis for its weblog. Moulitsas is also a regular contributor to Newsweek
, having been hired by the magazine for its 2008 presidential campaign coverage. He has also authored three books: Crashing the Gate: Grassroots, Netroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics
, which was co-written with Jerome Armstrong
(of MyDD
), Taking On the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era
, and American Taliban: How War, Sex, Sin, and Power Bind Jihadists and the Radical Right.
Moulitsas is a fellow at the New Politics Institute, a think tank of the New Democrat Network
, which was founded by Simon Rosenberg
in 1996. The NDN's stated purpose is to help elect "centrist
" Democrats, and is considered by many to be a successor to the centrist Democratic Leadership Council
(DLC), an organization that Simon Rosenberg resigned from in 1996.
In addition to political pursuits, Moulitsas, along with Tyler Bleszinski (of Athletics Nation
), is a cofounder of SB Nation
, a network of sports blogs. The network now covers all major American leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL), as well as dozens of colleges and other specific sports like golf, cycling, and ultimate fighting. The network now has close to 200 blogs and has been funded by Accel Partners.
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
, a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
focusing on liberal and Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politics in the United States. He is also a weekly columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
at the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
newspaper, The Hill
The Hill (newspaper)
The Hill, a subsidiary of News Communications Inc., is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C. since 1994.Its first editor was Martin Tolchin, a veteran correspondent in the Washington bureau of The New York Times....
, and a contributing columnist at Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
.
Moulitsas currently resides in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with his wife and two children.
Early life
Moulitsas was born in Chicago, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to a Salvadoran
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
mother and Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
father. He moved with his family to El Salvador in 1976, but later returned to the Chicago area in 1980 after his family fled threats placed on their lives by communist insurgents
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front is, since 1992, a left-wing political party in El Salvador and formerly a coalition of five revolutionary guerrilla organizations...
during the Salvadoran Civil War. As an adult, he has recounted his memories of the civil war, including an incident that occurred when he was 8 years old, in which he saw communist guerrillas murdering students who had been accused of collaborating with the government.
After graduating from Schaumburg High School
Schaumburg High School
Schaumburg High School, or SHS is a public four-year high school located in Schaumburg, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.-History:Schaumburg High School opened on September 17th 1970...
in Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
, he served in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
from 1989 through 1992. He completed training at Ft. Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
in Oklahoma and fulfilled his three-year enlistment as a Multiple Launch Rocket System
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
(MLRS) Fire Direction Specialist while stationed in Bamberg, Germany
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
. By his own account, he "missed deploying to the Gulf War by a hair." Moulitsas has described the Army as "perhaps the ideal society – we worked hard but the Army took care of us in return."
Prior to enlisting in the Army, Moulitsas was a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. During the 1988 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1988
The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the...
, he served as a Republican precinct captain
Precinct captain
A precinct captain is an individual who acts as the direct link between a political party organization and the voters in an election precinct...
and assisted with the re-election campaign of Illinois Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Henry Hyde
Henry Hyde
Henry John Hyde , an American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, representing the 6th District of Illinois, an area of Chicago's northwestern suburbs which included O'Hare International Airport...
. However, during his time in the military Moulitsas began a transition in his political philosophy that would lead him to change his party affiliation from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
After leaving the army, he attended Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
and graduated in 1996 with two bachelor degrees, majoring in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. While attending NIU, he wrote for the college newspaper The Northern Star and became its editor-in-chief in 1995. As a writer, he questioned NIU's policy of spending student fee money on athletic programs, generating a negative response from school officials, and also waged an unsuccessful campaign to save the school's journalism program. In 2007, he was inducted into the Northern Star Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed by the newspaper's alumni association. After graduating from NIU, he attended the Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law is the law school affiliated with Boston University, and is ranked #22 among American law schools by US News and World Report magazine. It is the second-oldest law school in Massachusetts and one of the first law schools in the country to admit students regardless...
from 1996 to 1999, earning a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree.
Moulitsas describes himself as a recovering Catholic, and says that while he has many problems with the Church, Salvadoran martyr and archbishop Oscar Romero
Óscar Romero
Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, succeeding Luis Chávez. He was assassinated on 24 March 1980....
is still his greatest hero and inspiration.
Daily Kos
After graduating from law school, Moulitsas moved to the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, where he worked as a project manager at a web development shop. He founded Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
in May 2002, and has managed the blog as a full-time occupation since early 2004.
Growth and controversy
Since its creation Daily Kos has grown to become the largest liberal community blog in the United States, with over 215,000 registered users and 2.5 million unique viewers per month as of August 2009. The blog's popularity has attracted the attention of many Democratic senators, members of Congress, governors and candidates who have posted on the site, including SenatorsUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
, Senate Majority Leader
Party leaders of the United States Senate
The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences that hold the majority and the minority respectively. These leaders serve as the chief Senate spokespeople for their parties and manage and schedule the legislative and executive...
Harry Reid
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
, former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, and President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Daily Kos has also spawned an annual conference. The inaugural YearlyKos
YearlyKos
Netroots Nation is a political convention for American progressive political activists, originally organized by readers and writers of Daily Kos, a liberal political blog. It was previously called YearlyKos...
was held from June 8 to June 11, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Guests included Harry Reid, Virginia Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
Mark Warner
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving in the United States Senate as the junior senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of...
, and Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
chairman Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
. The conference has since been renamed Netroots Nation.
Moulitsas attended the California State Democratic
California Democratic Party
The California Democratic Party is the state branch of the Democratic Party in the state of California, headquartered in Sacramento. It is chaired by veteran Democratic politician and former United States Representative John L. Burton, who succeeded Art Torres in April 2009. It is the majority...
convention in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in March, 2003 with Jerome Armstrong
Jerome Armstrong
Jerome Armstrong is an American political strategist and blogger. He is credited as one of the architects of Howard Dean's '04 grassroots Presidential campaign, and one of the leading web strategists in the world...
of MyDD
MyDD
MyDD is a collaborative politically progressive American politics blog. It was established by Jerome Armstrong in 2001. Its name was originally short for "My Due Diligence." In January 2006, the name was changed to "My Direct Democracy" as part of a site redesign, with the new tagline "Direct...
. According to Glenn Reynolds
Glenn Reynolds
Glenn Harlan Reynolds is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, and is best known for his weblog, Instapundit, one of the most widely read American political weblogs...
, founder of the conservative blog Instapundit
Instapundit
Instapundit is a United States political blog produced by Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. The blog began in August 2001 as an experiment, and a part of Reynolds' class on Internet law...
, he and they may have been the first bloggers to be officially accredited at a political convention.
Blackwater controversy
In April 2004, Moulitsas and Daily Kos became the focus of controversy over a statement that he posted in the comments section of a blog post about Blackwater USABlackwater USA
Xe Services LLC, better known by its former names, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide, is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.. Xe is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors...
employees who were killed and mutilated in Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
:
"Let the people see what war is like. This isn't an XboxIn a blog post the next day, Moulitsas defended and clarified his remarks:XboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
game. There are real repercussions to Bush's folly. That said, I feel nothing over the death of merceneriesMercenaryA mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
[sic]. They aren't in Iraq because of orders, or because they are there trying to help the people make Iraq a better place. They are there to wage war for profit. Screw them."
"My language was harsh, and, in reality, not true. Fact is, I did feel something. That's why I was so angry.
I was angry that five soldiers—the real heroes in my mind—were killed the same day and got far lower billing in the newscasts. I was angry that 51 American soldiers paid the ultimate price for BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's folly in Iraq in March alone. I was angry that these mercenaries make more in a day than our brave men and women in uniform make in an entire month. I was angry that the US is funding private armies, paying them $30,000 per soldier, per month, while the Bush administrationGeorge W. Bush administrationThe presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
tries to cut our soldiers' hazard pay. I was angry that these mercenaries would leave their wives and children behind to enter a war zone on their own violition [sic].
So I struck back."
Remarks about Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign
On March 17, 2008, Moulitsas stated that Senator Hillary Clinton, who was then involved in a protracted race against Senator Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
for the Democratic presidential nomination, "doesn't deserve fairness on this site" because she "fails the test of the guiding principles of this site" and because Clinton had "no reasonable chance of victory". He accused her of "fomenting civil war in order to overturn the will of the Democratic electorate" and said Clinton's "only path to victory [...] is via coup by super delegate." His statement was precipitated by a "strike" conducted by several pro-Clinton diarists, even though none of these posters were paid or in any way officially linked to the site. Moulitsas responded directly to the "strike" by saying that it was more like a "boycott", noting that "It's a big Internet, so I hope they find what they're looking for."
Electoral activity
Prior to the 2006 elections, Moulitsas endorsed several candidates who rarely won races. This approach, he argues, is consistent with former Democratic National CommitteeDemocratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
Chairman Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
's "50 State Strategy".
Moulitsas also noted that he has endorsed several victorious candidates in upsets, including Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
for chair of the DNC, Jon Tester
Jon Tester
Jon Tester is the junior U.S. Senator for Montana, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as President of the Montana Senate.-Early life, education, and farming career:...
in the 2006 Democratic U.S. Senatorial primary in Montana, Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
in the 2006 Democratic U.S. Senatorial primary in Virginia, and Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...
in the 2006 U.S. Senatorial primary in Connecticut. High-profile losses include Paul Hackett in a 2005 special election in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District and Francine Busby
Francine Busby
Francine Pocino Busby was the 2010 Democratic Candidate for Congress in California's 50th district, in North San Diego County. She defeated Tracy Emblem in the June primary and lost to Republican incumbent, Brian Bilbray in the general election. She was also a 2006 Democratic candidate for...
in a 2006 special election in California's 50th Congressional District. However, both districts are heavily Republican. Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...
did win the widely publicized Democratic Senate primary race with incumbent Senator Joseph Lieberman on August 8, 2006. His victory was partially credited to grassroots activism, and the support from the blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
, with Moulitsas in particular. In a post to his website, Moulitsas wrote that he prefers not to be given credit for such things, because it understates the efforts of grassroots contributors. However, Lieberman, running as an independent, went on to defeat Lamont in the general election by a comfortable 9-point margin.
In 2006, Daily Kos-endorsed candidates did very well, with the following candidates elected to Congress: Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(VA-Sen), Jon Tester
Jon Tester
Jon Tester is the junior U.S. Senator for Montana, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as President of the Montana Senate.-Early life, education, and farming career:...
(MT-Sen), Tim Walz
Tim Walz
Timothy James Walz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party .The district comprises the state's southern end, running along the entire border with Iowa...
(MN-01), Joe Sestak (PA-07), Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), Patrick Murphy
Patrick Murphy (politician)
Patrick Joseph Murphy is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(PA-08), Jerry McNerney
Jerry McNerney
Gerald "Jerry" McNerney is an engineer, energy specialist, and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
(CA-11), and Paul Hodes
Paul Hodes
Paul Hodes is an attorney, musician, and the former U.S. Representative for , serving fom 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was New Hampshire's first Jewish representative....
(NH-02). Several other Kos-endorsed candidates came within 3 percentage points of winning: Larry Kissell
Larry Kissell
Lawrence Webb "Larry" Kissell is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.-Early life, education, and early career:...
(NC-08) (who would go on to be elected in 2008), Gary Trauner
Gary Trauner
Gary S. Trauner is a Wyoming businessman and a two-time unsuccessful Democratic nominee for , his state's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was defeated in the 2006 and 2008 general elections by Republicans Barbara Cubin and Cynthia Lummis, respectively.Trauner lost by 1,012...
(WY-AL), Linda Stender
Linda Stender
Linda Stender is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2002, where she represents the 22nd legislative district. She ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 7th District, in 2006 and...
(NJ-07), and Darcy Burner
Darcy Burner
Darcy Gibbons Burner is a Democrat from Carnation, Washington. She was a candidate for in 2006 and 2008, but lost to incumbent Dave Reichert in both elections. She worked for twelve years in high technology including five years at Microsoft as a Marketing Manager, working on .NET...
(WA-08).
Consultant, author, and entrepreneur
During the United Kingdom general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
in 2005, Moulitsas was hired by the British daily newspaper The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
to write elections analysis for its weblog. Moulitsas is also a regular contributor to Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, having been hired by the magazine for its 2008 presidential campaign coverage. He has also authored three books: Crashing the Gate: Grassroots, Netroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics
Crashing the Gate
Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People Powered Politics is a book authored by American political bloggers Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos and Jerome Armstrong of MyDD, published in 2006 by Chelsea Green.-Summary:...
, which was co-written with Jerome Armstrong
Jerome Armstrong
Jerome Armstrong is an American political strategist and blogger. He is credited as one of the architects of Howard Dean's '04 grassroots Presidential campaign, and one of the leading web strategists in the world...
(of MyDD
MyDD
MyDD is a collaborative politically progressive American politics blog. It was established by Jerome Armstrong in 2001. Its name was originally short for "My Due Diligence." In January 2006, the name was changed to "My Direct Democracy" as part of a site redesign, with the new tagline "Direct...
), Taking On the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era
Taking On the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era
Taking On the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era is a book authored by American political blogger Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos, published in 2008 by Penguin Group.-Summary:...
, and American Taliban: How War, Sex, Sin, and Power Bind Jihadists and the Radical Right.
Moulitsas is a fellow at the New Politics Institute, a think tank of the New Democrat Network
New Democrat Network
The New Democrat Network is an American think tank that promotes progressive Democratic candidates, especially those in a more centrist vein, although this focus has waxed and waned...
, which was founded by Simon Rosenberg
Simon Rosenberg
Simon Rosenberg is the founder of the New Democrat Network, an organization formerly allied with the Democratic Leadership Council, and was a candidate for the Democratic National Committee Chair in 2005.-Early life:...
in 1996. The NDN's stated purpose is to help elect "centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
" Democrats, and is considered by many to be a successor to the centrist Democratic Leadership Council
Democratic Leadership Council
The Democratic Leadership Council was a non-profit 501 corporation that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
(DLC), an organization that Simon Rosenberg resigned from in 1996.
In addition to political pursuits, Moulitsas, along with Tyler Bleszinski (of Athletics Nation
Athletics Nation
Athletics Nation is a sports blog focusing on the Oakland Athletics baseball team. The blog was founded by freelance writer Tyler Bleszinski in 2003...
), is a cofounder of SB Nation
SB Nation
SB Nation is a sports network owned and operated by Vox Media with more than 300 separate web sites maintained primarily by part-time contract writers. They put together posts, facilitate dialogue and interact with commenters. At a kickoff event in February 2009, there were about 185 blogs...
, a network of sports blogs. The network now covers all major American leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL), as well as dozens of colleges and other specific sports like golf, cycling, and ultimate fighting. The network now has close to 200 blogs and has been funded by Accel Partners.
External links
- Daily Kos: State of the Nation
- Moulitsas Zuniga, Markos Profile Current Biography, 2007
- Party Central East Bay Express, December 2004.
- Kos makes the most of blogging, daily Contra Costa Times, April 2005
- New York Review of Books profile, April 2006
- Public events featuring Markos Moulitsas Zúniga
- Kos Call (profile of Markos on Washington Monthly)
- ThrowawayyourTV.com Markos Video Archive
- Keynote address at 2006 Yearly Kos (video)