How did you discover Democratic Underground? Who turned you onto it?

[SKKY]

Oddly enough, I discovered DU through a Marine Major I worked with during the works ups for the 2nd Iraq war. As jar head as they come, for sure, but he was also one of the most thoughtful, pragmatic, and deep thinking individuals I met during my 20 year Navy career.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I was very new to the internet.

I was just cruising along, following whatever links came up as I looked.........and then there it was.

At first I didn't understand how it worked, what a message board really was. I didn't even know that DU was a message board. If someone had told me, I wouldn't have understood it, at first.

I didn't even realize I had to sign up and become a member. And then it dawned on me. So I did, in Feb. 2005.

It's been a helluva ride!

DU is home.

[SKKY]

3. I never even knew this place existed...

...until I saw Major (REDACTED) surfing it one day. It was quite the revelation, on many levels.

[underpants]

35. 😁

[Xipe Totec]

2. A friend who was worried I'd blow a gasket arguing on the open forums. nt

[SKKY]

4. That's a good friend!

Not like the kind that would come get you out of jail. The kind that would be sitting there next to you saying, "Dude! What were we thinking!?!?"

[JDC]

5. Iraq War and Bush insanity.

[SKKY]

6. Veteran?

[blm]

7. It was on the path I traveled - MWO to Bartcop to DU

.

[central scrutinizer]

116. Ditto

MWO - brings back memories

[progree]

8. I heard it mentioned by Mike Malloy and Thom Hartmann. Finally made the effort to check it out

Progressive talk radio is important.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Same for me,

clicked on for years before joining up.

[gopiscrap]

9. I had put together a vigil for Cindy Sheehan in Aug 2005

Last edited Wed Dec 12, 2018, 12:15 PM - Edit history (1)

one of the participants took photos and told me she put them on DU and I went to check and fell in love with the site.

[Tiggeroshii]

18. 1995?

Do you mean 2005? I don't think this site existed before 2000

[gopiscrap]

64. yup 2005 sorry

[dweller]

11. sometime in 2001 after the *moron took office

and readng online a piece by WP ... he said to check it out
lurked here for a month or two, then joined and lurked a bit more...

I have my upslides and downsides and go away and come back bc
as much as I favor my loneness, it's nice knowing I'm not really alone...

✌🏼️

[question everything]

12. Mine is the strangest

For a while I was subscribing the the "Best of the Net" or something, from the.... WSJ that would bring all kind of interesting stories, and one time was from DU. So I got interested.

[JaneQPublic]

13. On some blogroll in 2001 after SCOTUS made Dubya POTUS

Back then I was reading...
Media Whores Online
BuzzFlash
Smirking Chimp
Bartcop

[jaysunb]

16. Exactly my story.

I remember people trying to call media whores, media horse as to protect some delicate sensibilities in the new age of the www. Lol

[JaneQPublic]

17. Yep, DU & those other sites were lifelines.

Those were dark times, when we were outraged at the fraudulently chosen POTUS.

Those times seem rather quaint by today's standards.

[jaysunb]

20. Indeed. Nt

[IcyPeas]

19. Smirking Chimp for me too.... Bush going into Iraq maddened me.

[benld74]

76. Bartcop was where I saw DU comments

That and a VERY lax work internet policy allowed me to find plenty of sites

[Dave Starsky]

90. My story is the exact same.

Those were THE places to find solace after that tragedy. Of these, Bartcop was my favorite, because he included comedy.

Other sites I went to:
IEAmerica (where Mike Malloy was, back in the day).
Radioleft (progressive podcast out of Dallas).

[uriel1972]

98. I think it was Bartcop for me..

I started on the Top 10 Conservative idiots and never looked back as it were

[Brother Buzz]

14. Enron and the California electricity crisis

All Google searches led me to Democratic Underground. DU was ground zero for everything Enron related.

[Polly Hennessey]

15. Buzzflash and Bartcop

right after Bush became president. It saved me. I will be forever grateful.

[Hav]

21. Because other sites linked to DU

I, too, was at sites like MediaWOnline, PresidentMoron and particularly Bartcop to somehow make sense of and deal with W. I think it was Bartcop that linked to DU and got me here.

[Hekate]

22. In 2002 I was involved in local antiwar marches and a good friend kept telling me to look up DU...

I had never done anything with internet discussions before, but DU took me in and it became home. Those early years were crucial for information, well-informed discussions, and my sanity.

My friend doesn't seem to be participating any more, but she has said she lurks.

[pansypoo53219]

23. after the 1st moron was elected, georgee, i hit a site w/ listed the top anti bush sites.

or the best. i miss the media horse.

[Luciferous]

24. Ha, I think that's about the same way I found DU.

[argyl]

25. A number of long timers made it here via Bartcop. I was one of those.

[SKKY]

38. What is this Bartcop everyone is talking about?

[argyl]

43. Bartcop was a liberal website run by one Terry Coppage of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

He began Bartcop around 1996 or thereabouts. Way back then right wing websites were everywhere and left wing sites were comparatively rare.

The very first source of his rage was Rush Limbaugh. On the nonpolitical he loved Chinaco Anejo tequila and had quite a fixation on Shirley Manson of Garbage.

He would post links to fledgling progressive sites, DU being one of them. That's why a lot of long time DUers came here by way of Bartcop.

He'd been around for several years when DU first went up. He died of cancer several years ago.

This is by no means a thorough analysis of Bartcop and I may have made a couple of mistakes in what I've put down. Think I can say that those here familiar with him would agree he was quite a guy.

There's a post about Bartcop in General Discussion now. That will have more about him.

[GP6971]

129. Me too.

I checked a while ago and his web site is still up. Still going through back volumes and continue to enjoy his comments.

Imagine him today???

[get the red out]

26. Former co-worker

She seemed to really enjoy it.

[IADEMO2004]

27. Bartcop RIP

[alittlelark]

52. Bartcop here too....

[malachi]

59. Same here. Bart was quite a lad.

[dae]

124. Bartcop for me as well. I lurked around hear till early 2002

before joining but never posted much.
I was paranoid as heck after the 2000 election and DU seemed to good to be true.

[rickyhall]

141. Me, too. And I still miss him.

[GoneOffShore]

149. Yep - his site sent me here.

[Mister Ed]

28. Had suspicions about 2004 election results, and did an internet search. n/t

[justhanginon]

29. My son told me about it. I checked it out and saw it was my kind of place.

Yep, raised him right and love both him and my daughter to death. She is also a true Dem but she doesn't like the back and forth.

[Siwsan]

30. I learned about DU from my ex-sister in law's mother

Even after the divorce, we all remained tight friends.

We were in a Yahoo Group and she used to share the Top Ten list. That led me to start lurking. After I scoped things out, for a while, I became comfortable enough, with what I was reading, to join.

[TexasTowelie]

31. Most likely I was searching on Google for some information.

I only owned my home computer for about six months so it didn't take too long to find the place.

[underpants]

32. From Free Republic. I'm not kidding either.

I was looking for someplace to discuss or read comments on news stories. I was on Free Republic and someone posted an article by Will Pitt. I clicked on DU and started reading. Bob Boudelang was in full force back then - little did we know how prophetic he was. Also "Ask Auntie Pinko" had a hilarious piece responding to a question "If I vote Republican, Will that make me rich?"

I was hooked and I've been here ever since.

[Auggie]

33. A friend ...

soon after w's first inauguration. Lurked several years, joined in 2006.

[stonecutter357]

34. Bartcop !

[Ohiogal]

36. I actually have a Deplorable to thank for bringing me to this site!

I was in a comment board argument with a Deplorable through my local paper, and he said in frustration, "I see you've got all your talking points down pat from Democratic Underground!" Well, I'd never even heard of DU! but of course I decided to investigate, and I've been here ever since. My one year anniversary will be coming up soon!

[samplegirl]

37. A fellow D.U.er and best friend

still are today and very active in our party. His name is JohnnyRingo. Both of us have been here for over 14 years.

[patricia92243]

39. I had WebTV. Just posting on whatever form they provided and somebody suggested

that I would like DU.

I could get DU on WebTV but not move around on the pages. I wrote Skinner and he replied that DU was not set up for WebTV. I learned some crazy way of highlighting - or something like that - to let me at least move around and read the posts.

Got a real computer later, and the rest is history!

[DetlefK]

40. In 2003 or 2004. By a friend who liked the more obscure corners of the internet.

He brought me to Buzzflash and Democraticunderground. (Buzzflash is a now-defunct left-leaning news-aggregator.)

I didn't start posting until a few years later.

[Doreen]

142. Odd, I used to belong to a Buzzdash that is also defunct.

The one that I was with was half and half. The conversations were interesting.

[Freddie]

41. I was a lurker at Daily Kos

Which I still do at times. Lots of good stuff but I think it can be really clique-y. DU was mentioned a few times so I found my way over here and it’s way more “occasional commenter” friendly (IMO). Now if I could only figure out how to post pictures.

[mnhtnbb]

54. Posting pictures is really easy with

postimages.org

Just upload and then click on the photo you want to share. Click the share button, then copy/paste the direct link in to the message text of your post here.

[bearsfootball516]

42. I was looking for a place to talk Democratic politics in early 2017

So I googled "Democratic message board" and it was one of the first links that popped up. I lurked for about a month, then signed up!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

44. Google n/t

[targetpractice]

45. Watching coverage of the 2001 recount...

I saw protesters holding "DemocraticUnderground.com" signs in the crowds. I was hooked from the get go.

[cally]

87. I saw it too

I joined a few months later.

[Kittycow]

46. Web search on that nasty Palin woman after the RNC.

But I lurked for ages before I finally joined so I could vote in the Photography contests

[GWC58]

47. It was in July, or August, 2016 I was just

“surfing the web” and found it. It took me a month, or so, before I actually signed up. Been here since! 😀

[elfin]

48. It was mentioned on BushWatch oh so long ago. Also BartCop. nt

[bif]

49. Discovered it when Bush stole the election.

Now sure how I got here. Maybe Bartcop? Or some other anti Bush site.

[LisaM]

104. Same here, early 2001.

I found it through Democrats.com, which had links to a few different sites. The word "Underground" appealed to me at the time.

[MountCleaners]

50. I attended a Bush protest in 2002

Bush came to Chicago at Christmas time, and a friend got a group together to sing protest Christmas Carols. Some DUers came, and I got the link from them.

[lark]

51. After SCOTUS highjacked our country in 2000, I was unconsolable & went looking for others like me.

The long distance charges to our progressive friends in CA were mounting and none of us were on FB yet. I found a Democratic blog, and then it went away and while looking for it, saw this. I lurked for a while, then officially joined a few months later, having found a new home where I could discuss my strong feelings with other like-minded people. It was a god-send and really helped me not go completely insane with grief. I love this place, in general.

[appleannie1943]

53. Hepburn

[voteearlyvoteoften]

55. My sister nt

[Aristus]

56. It was a month after Dubyah's inauguration. I was deeply depressed and surfing the net

for anti-Bush websites. I saw the big DU logo in the advertising field of a different site. I clicked on it and was immediately captivated. I lurked for seven months, then registered as a member one week after 9/11.

I've been here ever since.

[cilla4progress]

57. Working on Kerry campaign - 2004.

Learned of it through another campaign worker.

I still believe W stole that one when they shut down a county courthouse In Ohio and put it on lockdown... Don't recall all the details now, but it was evident to many here, as well, and it was a great place to share.

To think now of our indignation at the stain that was W ... ah, we were so naive; halcyon days, in retrospect!

[WhiteTara]

58. I came here in 2001 after the coup of 2000

and I've had 3 names, one change cost me a high post count. I learned how to post through Kephra, who is no longer with us on the planet. Each of my names were given to me by various members here. This has been my sanity saver for all these years and I don't know how I would have survived without it.

[mahina]

100. (((Kephra))))

Late breaking news has never been the same. He was so widely-read and shared that here with us.

[JaneQPublic]

105. +1 Zillion (nt)

[WhiteTara]

113. For awhile, I thought he was DU

he was so prolific and kind.

[Dem2theMax]

145. He WAS DU.

Kephra kept us so well informed. How I miss him. I remember his responding to a post of mine one time, and I felt like the sun had shown down on me. To get his blessing was a very big deal.

[WhiteTara]

159. I miss the old old DU board under I guess

DU 1. There was such a camaraderie and lots of hugs and kisses as we struggled through. I miss the old astrology group too. But I wouldn't trade today away as it is still my comfort.

[Dem2theMax]

163. Yep. DU #1 was the best.

And it did feel like we were all friends, all coming together for a common cause. There was so much support, so much kindness and generosity towards each other. DU has definitely changed. I am so glad that I joined early enough so that I could witness for myself the very best of DU.

[WhiteTara]

166. But we're still here!

[Dem2theMax]

167. Yes! We sure are.

[tech3149]

60. Bartcop

I stuck around because so many of the core members constantly posted links to important news stories on a wide range of subjects. The discussions were mostly serious and always informative.

[OriginalGeek]

93. Bartcop was a pretty great guy

but I didn't know him from here and didn't discover his webpage for much longer. He was a regular poster a Led Zeppelin forum I was a member of and that was all I remember him discussing. He sent me the best, lowest gen version of my favorite live zep show - in LA on 6/23/77. He had searched and found the cleanest, most complete recordings he could find and it's still the best one I've heard.

I was glad when I found his website as I enjoyed the constant slamming of Limbaugh.

But for DU, I believe I found it through a google search in 2011. I lived in a sea of red and was looking for some blue and found it here. Orlando is fairly purple (maybe even moreso back then as I am pretty sure orange county went for Obama twice) but you don't have to take too many steps past the county line to be in deep red.

[Tikki]

61. I was on a generic bulletin board under the "politics" heading in 2001 and someone posted...

that instead of arguing there, posters could find like-mined posters on sites: rwers to freerepublic
and the progressives to DemocraticUnderground...I checked DU out for a bit and then I joined.

Been here since...

Tikki

[Jacoby365]

62. I was listening to Thom Hartmann's radio show several years ago

and he mentioned Democratic Underground. I've been here daily ever since.

[MontanaMama]

63. I heard references to DU on progressive radio.

Lurked for a few months over the summer of 2016 before joining. I was starting to panic around Sept because I felt the Fraud was headed to election victory. My spouse said I was crazy, my friends thought I was crazy and I was in a gloom that I couldn’t shake. Many on DU were openly saying what I was thinking so I felt the time was right to jump in. I joined on Halloween 2016 as a star member right off the bat because I didn’t want to have issues using the site on Election Day. As we all know...the hack on Election Day took the site down for every one whether they were star members or not. Even though I was a new here, I’d felt like I lost a friend...they were dark days after the hack. I rarely miss a day here. I love DU.

[JuJuYoshida]

65. Easy: YuiYoshida!

She is someone I will always love. Thanks for hipping me to this fun site Yui!!

[Dave in VA]

66. MyDD

Clicked on a link from the old MyDD website. Been lurking here for years and finally after the orange hemorrhoid was installed in the White House I decided to sign up and become a part of the discussion.

[TexasBushwhacker]

67. Trying to find kindred spirits in 2005

following the death of my mother. I'd been her caregiver during a 10 year battle with breast cancer. Had a big hole in my life. DU helped fill a bit of it.

[latinaliberal]

68. Discovered DU

H there,
I am a long time lurker. I usually read DU 5 to 10 times a day. Not really one to post.
I discovered Du when the election was stolen from Al Gore, I have been reading and lurking ever since.
I even met some old DUers in Philadelphia once at a Dave and Busters event.

[MaryMagdaline]

69. It was linked to a local radio show - Neil Rogers out of Miami

I think this is how I got to it. Knew about it from the early W days.

[ploppy]

70. Will Pitt

Smirking Chimp. It was like finding Brigadoon.

[gibraltar72]

71. Thom Hartmann.

[lillypaddle]

72. I don't remember

really.

[Ron Obvious]

73. The old seattle.general on usenet

Which is where somebody used to post the top 10 conservative idiots.

I read that on on old monochrome character terminal, no less, which makes it seem positively antediluvian. I lurked for a bit, joined up in 2006, lost that account, then rejoined under the present nym in 2011 and here I am.

[Rabrrrrrr]

74. I wish I could remember how, but I'm glad I did - after 9-11, I needed a place to rant and rave

and get accurate information.

I found DU somehow and have never left (though I've taken occasional long vacations, especially during Obama's presidency, because I wasn't angry or stressed or fearful or anxious during those years).

[hotrod0808]

75. Found it by accident

when I googled "conservative idiot" once and at the top was one of EarlG's famous lists. God, I miss those every Sunday night.

[Hoyt]

77. After 2004 election, I was really ticked and depressed. A GOPer co-worker was talking about websites

he frequented -- Drudge, etc.

He also mentioned he liked to go to something called Democratic Underground just to see what "junk the liberals" were saying. I decided that sounded like a good site, so I tried it out. 13 years later, still here. Glad I found it.

[zipplewrath]

78. Raul Groom

LONG time ago.

[Lithos]

79. 2001 - right after the inauguration.

I can't remember how long I lurked before I actually signed up. But I was a mod by the end of the year.

L-

[OilemFirchen]

80. CNN / Time / Pathfinder.

And I know I'm not the only one.

C'mon everyone... let's reunionate!

[demgrrrll]

81. I think I found this site through another site around 2001 and lurked for awhile. nt

[dameatball]

82. I was Googling "liberal websites" and found "Witty Misfits." Scrolled around and looked at

various websites, one of which was DU.

[Nitram]

83. I do n't remember. Maybe a post from DU that was shared in a different forum?

I do remember that it was during the Bush administration, and I was losing my mind about how they were using terrorism orange alerts and terrorism red alerts to distract from anything positive about the Democratic Party and anything negative about the Republican Party. And I lurked for quite a while before joining the discussions.

[R. P. McMurphy]

84. I googled "George Bush is an idiot."

One of the sites was a DU thread and I started reading. One of the posts had a really unhappy-looking kitten who was saying "That bastard washes cats!"

I laughed my butt off and I've been here since.

[3Hotdogs]

85. I was young then....2003.

Now, I don't remember.

[calimary]

86. The 2000 election had recently been STOLEN by bush/cheney.

I was feeling as glum and gloomy as could be. I was wandering around the internet and stumbled upon a website called Resident Bush. I liked the sound of that! Sure mirrored how I was feeling!

So I wandered around in the Resident Bush site, and eventually took note of the column of “sister sites” over on the left side of the screen. There I spotted DU and decided to take a look around in there, as well.

I’ve been (there) here ever since!

This was early in dubya’s stolen first term. First few months. March of that year, 2001, maybe? Long time! No regrets! Only time I haven’t been an active participant was during an exodus of Hillary supporters in the first half of 2016. I was one of those feeling forced to leave and seek refuge elsewhere, at least for awhile.

[TrogL]

88. Blame Free Republic

I was on there causing trouble and someone was disparaging DU. I figured anything that pissed the Freepers off that much was worth looking into.

[Cousin Dupree]

89. I've only been here about 6 months. I think I heard Thom Hartmann refer to DU on his show.

[hermetic]

91. Signed on March 2004

I had seen on TV a protest in front of the WH and a couple of fellows unfurled a big banner that said Democratic Underground.com so I looked it up and here I am, still.

[louis-t]

92. Top 10....

Conservative Idiots. A link showed up someplace.

[Doreen]

94. I would rather not say.

However, DU is the ONLY good thing I got out of a very bad situation. I just love this place. I am addicted to DU.

[murielm99]

95. I started reading here in 2002,

and joined about a year later. I was so angry over the stolen election. I think I just followed links. I was reading Media Whores and Bartcop. My brother led me here, too. I chose to make it my online home.

[stillspkg]

96. I searched for the truth

Somewhere deep inside, we long for the truth, and, if we keep seeking, we will find it.
I haven't been disappointed with DU

[Duppers]

97. BC

Bartcop.

[mahina]

99. The DU banner on C-SPAN during bush II's

Inaugural parade. Jan 2001. Eggs and all.

Didn’t post for several years and still don’t post much but I’m here most days.

Who would have thought we’d fall this far.

Onward.

[rppper]

143. I saw that as well, joined a few moments later...

Been here ever since. There were only a few thousand active members here then...

[mahina]

146. Wow. Nice to meet you.

Aloha.

[wryter2000]

101. A Canadian e-mail friend

We were discussing politics, and he suggested I might enjoy DU.

[DonaldsRump]

102. While I have a low post count, I've been following DU since 2004

Was checking it minute by minute after Ohio went for Dumya in the 2004 general election, hoping somehow that there was hanky-panky in awarding the state to Bush (which I am still sure there was!). I was looking for hope, and it was only here and to some degree in DailyKos that I would find it.

Would follow it each major election thereafter, and when Trump "won", I had no choice but to finally join, just to make sure that there were still sane people left in this country.

I find out stuff here faster than from most other sources. It also truly helps me make sense of things in this non-sensical time we live in.

[Kali]

103. Ann Coulter

When I first got on the internets (late in life! around 2000) there was a small local discussion board where a gross wingnut was always drooling over her. I was not very political and didn't have a clue who she was so I looked around and found a couple of Top Ten Conservative Idiots that featured her. That feature and Bob Boudelang kept me coming back. I finally joined in 2004.

[denbot]

106. Democrats.com/MediaWhoresonlne

Got here via a hyper link roughly early March 2001

[True Dough]

107. I'm a member of a couple of sports discussion forums

which are overrun with right-wingers, unfortunately. Initially, I stayed away from the off-topic threads based on politics (there are plenty of them). But eventually I couldn't resist. Then I really RESISTED against the ReThugs. Made a lot of enemies. They'd pile on with their hateful rhetoric.

I got fed up. Googled "liberal discussion forum" and the DU was in the top 10 matches. Glad I found this outlet!

[blueinredohio]

108. My youngest brother when Trump was running for president.

[tblue37]

109. I was a regular on smirkingchimp.com when someone posted a link there to one

of H2O Man's marvelous essays here. I followed the link to DU and have been here ever since.

That was on July 11 of 2004!

[ThoughtCriminal]

111. Same.

Early 2001, but lurked quite a while before joining.

[PeeJ52]

110. Gosh... it was back in 2003

I was so mad about Bush, 9-11, Iraq, and evrything. I think I was hitting every liberal blog/website out there to get my opinion heard. Finally Obama got elected and I had 8 years of peace. Now it's even worse to see what's going on in my country. I'm at the point of giving up and migrating to Canada if things don't change. It's too hard too believe so many have fallen for this con. But, now I'm back. For how long, I don't know. My wife is Canadian and her mother has dementia and needs care. I'm retired,so I might just give it up to you all and go live where people respect each other and understand guns are for sport and not killing your fellow man.

[woofless]

112. I ran across an edition of Top Ten Conservative Idiots

somewhere, and continued to read it every week. Sometime in '02. Hazy memory after all these years. Finally joined in '03.

[ancianita]

114. Desperate for kindred Dems after the 2010 shellacking, I found DU. Best site for my political soul.

My first months of lurking gave me so much daily relief, so many smiles. I learned I was among well read, smart, fiery, argumentative people whose belief in and commitment to American and Western ideals coexist in a big tent Democratic Party.

I can't emphasize how much I've learned here about party makeup, local and national issues, campaigning processes, American civics, modern political history, Democratic Party history, worldwide political systems, economics.

DU commits to revealing the talent, brains, heart and humanity of the Democratic Party and Americans. Its wide ranging discussion groups shine with expertise every single day.

DU helps me reference my claims in discussions.

DU helps me stay up-to-the-minute informed and articulate with political opponents on the nets or in real life interactions. DU has helped me change minds.

DU contributes to my long term knowledge of what Democrats have done, and will do, for the good and welfare of the country. DU is a source of priority setting for the body politic of this country.

DU has made me proud to be a Democrat and American.

This is just the short version of my story.

[Power 2 the People]

115. Thom Hartmann

[llmart]

117. I don't remember exactly who told me about DU.

But I starting reading/lurking right after the stolen election of 2000. I was despondent over realizing that even the Supreme Court of our land was tainted. I had grown up thinking that at the very least, we could trust them. My world fell apart when I saw that even they could be "bought and paid for" as my father would say. I didn't actually join until 2003. I'll admit I was a little intimidated by some of the regular posters and felt like I couldn't measure up to that level of articulate writing. Then I got brave and posted a few things. I don't remember what happened exactly, but in one of my very first posts I was banned or something (can't even remember the terminology that was used) and I was ticked off because I had read others say the same thing or use the same language I had used and they weren't banned. Then I believe it was calimary that told me not to worry, that newbies are treated a bit harsher with regards to DU rules and she welcomed me! Thanks calimary for giving me the courage to continue posting on DU!

[pazzyanne]

118. My brother suggested that I come here

after tRump became president and I did not have an outlet for my anxiety. I start my morning with decaf and the latest news that has already been posted here.

[Owl]

119. Yep, Buzzflash, Smirking Chimp etc.

Hooked here after amazing excellent commentary from Will Pitt.

[The Blue Flower]

120. It was either Bartcop or Buzzflash

The only sources of sanity at the beginning of the W years. The Top 10 Conservative Idiots of the Week were linked by them.

[Kaleva]

121. I was a member of the Kerry forum back in 2004 and many others linked to posts here.

After the election, I lost interest in politics until the 2008 primaries and joined DU in Feb. of that year.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

122. It says I've been a member since:

Member since: 2003 before July 6th

I thought I joined back in 2001, around the time of the Bush* inauguration.

I'll have to dig out my 5" floppy disks to see.

[smirkymonkey]

123. I don't remember exactly, but I was going insane during the W years and looking for

some like minded people. Somehow I stumbled upon this site and have never left.

Honestly, it has kept me sane. I really like the format and it's one of the only sites that I visit almost every day.

[locks]

125. My dear daughter

who never missed a day of DU until she died of lung cancer two years ago in February.

[Fla Dem]

164. So Sorry for the loss of your daughter.. Have you had her added to the Memoriam page?

What was her DU identity?


https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=inmemoriam

[sfwriter]

126. Bartcop

Led me here right at the beginning.

[ChazInAz]

127. Let me see.

I remember there were dinosaurs around.
Stumbled upon the site accidentally, following a link from Yellow Dog Democrats, Smirking Chimp, MoxieGrrl or one of the other liberal sites. So it would have been early in the Bush regime, before 9/11 I think.
Been here ever since.

[nini]

128. MediaWhoresOnline.com

I miss that site.

[proud patriot]

130. January 20th 2001

Saw admin with a huge sign "Democratic Underground.com" a few days
later I sat down at the computer for the first time in my life in search of DU
Used to Moderate back in the bush days .. After Obama was elected I felt
burnt out and retreated to my new home in Hawaii avoiding all things politics.

I'm hoping to reach 100,000 posts this next year ..

[MarvinGardens]

131. Bartcop

Like many others here. I read Bartcop in the late 90s and early 2000s even though I was right-leaning in those days. Not only was he funny, but over time, he had a big influence on me. I saw DU linked from there and would read it occasionally, but I did not spend a lot of time here until the run-up to the 2016 election, and finally joined after the site came online after the hack.

[The Polack MSgt]

132. Small time contributer long time lurker on Daily Kos

Followed some folks who posted here - so I became a lurker here and couple years later I signed up and started posting.

[Freddie]

151. I still lurk over there sometimes

My cat Andy is named for the late Andy from the Pootie Diaries, also a tuxedo.

[Eugene]

133. 2002 or 2003. Top 10 Conservative Idiots was frequently posted on various newsgroups.

Joined during the 2004 election.

[doc03]

134. Don't remember. nt

[Atticus]

135. Clicked a link on Bartcop. RIP. nt

[byronius]

136. Randi Rhodes, 2004.

For some reason this thread suddenly makes me miss the Hate Mailbag.

[AllyCat]

137. Had just discovered discussion forums.

Kerry was our nom and I was certain he would win.

[Wawannabe]

138. I googled "fuck donald trump"!

Going to have to see if I can find my intro thread where I told how I found DU.

[Enoki33]

139. Smirking Chimp for me too during the ugly Iraq war resistance.

[Glamrock]

140. I think I followed a link at Crooks & Liars during the Bush disaster.

If memory serves....

[Dem2theMax]

144. I think I found DU by way of Americablog.

It's hard to remember that far back! I've been a member of DU since 2004. I don't post that often, as my post count will attest to, but I am on here every day, sometimes for hours, reading away to find out what is going on.

DU has kept me sane in this insane world. I don't know what I would do without this place. It has changed a great deal over the years. I miss a lot of the things the admins used to do. But I miss the members who are no longer with us even more.

Now I'm wondering how I found Americablog!

[Old Crank]

147. Somehow I found or was linked to

The former column called "The Top Ten Conservative Idiots of the Week". That got me hooked and I even get the blame for hooking up another friend to it...

[no_hypocrisy]

148. The name/link was on the website of Lynn Samuels.

[ProfessorGAC]

150. I Heard Skinner On CSPAN Washington Journal

He did a phone interview about political websites shortly after 43 got into office. So, i checked it out.

That was around March of 2001.

[dewsgirl]

152. I was looking up Weather Underground (I don't even know which search engine)

and along with the WU results, DU popped up. I was like, that sounds interesting. I was automatically hooked.

[Fla Dem]

153. Distraught over the 2000 Bush / Gore election and the theft of Florida's electoral votes

I was searching all over the web for Democratic / liberal support. Not sure how I eventually ended up on DU. Probably googling some topic gave me a DU OP which then led to more time spent on the web site. Was reluctant to join at first. Had never joined an on-line forum before. But finally in 2003 took the plunge. Been here ever since.

[IronLionZion]

154. Googling anti-war sites to find like-minded liberals

it was around 2003. 15 years and 3 presidents later, I'm still here.

[sagesnow]

155. DU member UpInArms turned me on to DU sometime in 2001.

I met UpInArms through another Political blog called MargiesWin. We 3 protested Gore's stolen election and the Iraq and Iran wars. We traveled together to protest sites in DC and around the Midwest. Kansas City, Lawrence, Des Moines and Omaha all had good sized protests in the early 2000's.
That was the time of the First Edition of DU. I remember reading William Rivers Pitt's posts and also Mark Morford's crazy posts in the SFGate. Morford's posts were somewhat similar to The Ferret's posts. Crazy badass funny!
I don't post a lot, but hardly miss a day reading DU. Would be lost without it. Thanks to all you DU friends and posters!

[Evergreen Emerald]

156. 2004--devastated

I was sickened by the results of the 2004 election. I searched for a place with like-minded people and stumbled upon DU. I have been here ever since. I have taken breaks when the politics get too much, (for example Sanders) but I always return. I don't post as much as I used to. Like our society, DU has become polarized and quick to attack, but I still feel that generally, we are supportive and in this together.

[WestMichRad]

157. Top Ten Conservative Idiots!

A friend recommended that I check out that feature, oh must've been back around '02. Have been reading here, almost daily, ever since. Really appreciate the news and insights provided by this community. I often seem to find threads of particular interest much too late to contribute substantially to the discussion, thus the very low post count.

Thank you, DU friends, for helping me keep some semblance of sanity in these trying times!

[woodsprite]

158. Since Bush/Gore, I had been looking for someplace to vent and learn more about politics

and learn more about politics. I was a registered Republican, but voted Dem most of the time. I was trying different newsgroups off/on and briefly tried one that I suspect was heavily Libertarian. It did make me realize how supportive such a group is though. Can't remember the name of it now, but it dissolved several years back. Some of what they said made sense, they were definitely anti-Bush for the most part, but other stuff was "Whoa! Off the wall". Went back out looking, and found DU from a link in a email chain commiserating about Kerry's loss. Have been here daily ever since.

I consider DU my internet family. And not just for politics, but cooking, cancer and diabetes support, homework help for the kids, parenting questions, humor, etc.

[homegirl]

160. Pretty sure

it was through postings on Bartcop. I still miss Terry and his site.

[SKKY]

170. I feel like I missed something with this Bartcop stuff....

...a lot of people have mentioned Bartcop and I'm over here like

[homegirl]

171. Bartcop.com

I believe is still available online. Lots, if not almost all of past postings are there.

[yellowdogintexas]

161. followed a link from Huffington I think. 2004 I think nt

[bikebloke]

162. After Junior got into office.

Either via Bartcop or Buzzflash. I just read for a few months before signing up under some other name. Later, they allowed everyone who wanted to change their names.

[JHan]

165. random google search.

[socdem60]

168. Just recently joined

But I had heard of DU through Mike Malloy's radio program years ago. I wish I had joined at that time. I have a lot of catching up to do.

[Laffy Kat]

169. Originally got on for the Keith Olbermann group and just never left. nt

[onlyadream]

172. Two liberal lady's on a weight watcher forum

I think it was 2000 or 2001.

[Niagara]

173. I have visited Occupy Democrats FB group for years

It just so happens that DU is a liked page by Occupy Democrats.

I lurked for a long time, eventually created an account and finally started interacting.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

174. I was on another Democratic site, and they threw me off

Democrats.com. That was back in '07. I looked for another site and landed here.

I used to post under another screen name. When Skinner didn't do name change amnesty after 2012, I made my 10,000th post, and then changes to the screen name I have now. I'm approaching 5K.