General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIf it's January 20th, it can only mean one thing
That's right -- it's DU's birthday.
Democratic Underground opened its doors on January 20th, 2001, just a few hours before the inauguration of George W. Bush. Over the past 24 years we have witnessed the dawn of the blogosphere, the rise and fall of left-wing talk radio, the birth of YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter -- leading to whatever the hell the social media landscape is these days -- and now our sixth presidency (if you count the few hours that Bill Clinton was still in office when DU opened to the public). I was 26 years old when DU launched -- this year I turn 51.
Through it all, DU has changed dramatically, and yet in some ways -- perhaps the most important ways -- it has not changed at all. Our goal when creating DU was to provide an online space for people from the center to the left to discuss politics, without interruption by right-wing conservative trolls, and to have those discussions in as civil a manner as possible. Whether or not we are achieving those goals has been an ongoing matter of debate for the past quarter-century, but when I look around at what has become of the rest of the Internet these days, I'm proud that we at least continue to try.
Sadly, today's anniversary falls on a dark day in American history. We have no idea where Donald Trump is going to drag the nation over the next four years, but we all know deep in our bones that it's not going to be anywhere good. Nevertheless, I saw an aphorism posted on DU recently which summed up my feelings about the current situation quite succinctly:
When you're going through hell, keep going.
What's interesting about this aphorism is that like so many things on the Internet these days, it is often falsely attributed. Many people believe it is a Churchill quote, but there's no evidence that he actually said it. Nevertheless, the essence of the aphorism seems to me to be perfectly aligned with the situation we find ourselves in.
And so, my fellow DUers, I do intend to keep going, and I hope the rest of you will join me. Tomorrow we plan to open two new top-level forums which we hope will allow people to better cope with whatever is coming. These are supplementary forums -- we are not closing any of our current forums. They are top level forums so they will be managed by the Forum Hosts.
One of these new forums is intended to provide a space for ongoing discussion of what Democrats should be doing over the next two to four years to retake power. Most likely, this forum will eventually transition into the next Democratic Primaries forum, when we feel that the time is right to do that.
As for the other new forum -- it is my belief that there is a significant difference between what Trump says he's going to do, and what he actually does. The mainstream media treats these as equally important, which Trump uses to his advantage, stressing us out and baffling us with bullshit. We burn up so much outrage on the nonsense that comes out of Trump's mouth, that it can feel like we don't have much energy left to get angry about his actions. It's certainly worth talking about the things Trump is saying, but they do not necessarily need to be confused with the things that he's doing. So this new forum is intended to provide a dumping ground for the BS that Trump spouts on a daily basis, leaving more space in General Discussion and elsewhere for people to discuss the ramifications of his administration's real policies and real actions.
The idea behind separating out these discussions is to provide people with the ability to take a break from them whenever they feel the need, by trashing the forums when things get to be too much. Like every single idea we've ever come up with, I can't promise that this will be a perfect solution. This is a big community, and some nuance and understanding will be required, especially in the beginning as people get a feel for what should be posted where. I expect that as time goes by, people will gain a natural understanding of how it works. If there is some overspill between forums, that's fine. And if it turns out to be a failure, we'll reverse course. As usual, we'll all muddle through together.
These are the new Statements of Purpose for the forums which will be coming tomorrow:
Discuss the late-night social media rants, unrealistic policy proposals, and ridiculous trial balloons floated by Donald Trump and other Trump-adjacent figures. This forum is intended to separate the nonsense that Donald Trump and his MAGA cohorts spew on a daily basis from real Trump Administration policies and actions. For example, if Donald Trump uses Truth Social to randomly suggest an invasion of Mars, it would be appropriate for this forum. Whereas if Donald Trump orders the Joint Chiefs of Staff to actually draw up plans for an invasion of Mars, it would be appropriate for General Discussion or Latest Breaking News.
Discuss the future of the Democratic Party and the left, strategies to rebuild the party's influence and reach, and tactics to retake political power from the right. REMINDER: Forum Hosts are only responsible for locking off-topic discussions in this forum, they are not responsible for locking discussions which may violate the DU rules. Please be aware that while the rules prohibit "bashing" of Democratic public figures, the rules also allow for constructive criticism. Between those two positions lies a large grey area, and if you want to avoid getting posts removed by Jury in this forum, remember that not everyone on DU may have the same appreciation or dislike for the same politicians that you do. If you treat your fellow DU members with respect and try to post in a civil manner, you will rarely have any problems. Posting derogatory nicknames for center-to-left politicians, groups of DU members, or individual DU members, will increase your chances of getting a post removed.
It's been an honor and a privilege to manage this community for the past 24 years, and whatever happens next, I'm glad to be facing it with all of you. Thanks for reading.


Dennis Donovan
(29,950 posts)Happy Birthday!!!!
greatauntoftriplets
(177,445 posts)Thanks for everything, EarlG, Elad, and Skinner.
LearnedHand
(4,590 posts)And we thought BUSH* was dangerous. Sheesh.
Rhiannon12866
(231,278 posts)


NewHendoLib
(61,059 posts)What a great present!
😃
Hugin
(35,959 posts)
Jrsygrl96
(238 posts)On the updated cover photo !
Saw it on fb
✌🏻
I only just uploaded it, I wondered how long it would take for someone to spot it.
Bernardo de La Paz
(53,892 posts)Fla Dem
(26,418 posts)Also thanks to Skinner who was here for many of those years.
Last edited Mon Jan 20, 2025, 08:21 PM - Edit history (1)
Oct 31, 2002
ariadne0614
(1,939 posts)sinkingfeeling
(54,823 posts)bucolic_frolic
(49,516 posts)He was an online and offline presence in Election 2000, his online operation run through Yahoo Groups. He was a pretty big piece of work politically in his life, ran the home office of a Congressman for many years. So the Bushwhacker Brigade, formed in response to an encounter with Phyllis Schlafly he said, was my Y2K stint. Eventually his groups faded as Yahoo faded. Back in the day online discourse with Republicans was in message boards on most news articles and some nascent media websites such as CNN as I recall.
EarlG
(22,813 posts)DU didn't exist in the run-up to the 2000 election, so I'm not really familiar with a lot of the people who were leading the charge online at that time -- really, just the people who were operating in the same space that we were post-inauguration, like Bartcop, Buzzflash, MediaWhoresOnline, etc. In 2000, Skinner was running a one-man website design firm, and he hired me in the summer of that year because he had too much work. We were both political junkies and followed the 2000 election closely, but we didn't participate in online politics before then. Once the election was over we were pissed off like everyone else, and we decided that since we were web designers, maybe it was up to us to try to do something. The original DU was cobbled together in just a few weeks. The funny thing is that magazine-style websites like Salon were in vogue at that time, and we intended DU to be a mostly satirical magazine-style site. The discussion forum, which obviously became DU's lifeblood later on, was a complete afterthought and was added just a few days before DU was launched. We had exactly zero experience running such a thing at the time.
Autumn
(47,624 posts)said Democraticunderground.com. I got on the computer and looked in. It was good to know I wasn't alone. I've looked in every day since then.
calimary
(85,675 posts)LoisB
(9,896 posts)highplainsdem
(55,159 posts)cate94
(2,944 posts)This is the place I go for news and comfort. Thank you so much.
c-rational
(2,984 posts)nolabear
(43,649 posts)Or should I say “WE have impacted lives.” Because we’re a collective and collectives have impact beyond measure.
So thank you all, DU. And ONEARD!
sheshe2
(90,986 posts)Happy Birthday 🎉 DU.
MontanaMama
(24,354 posts)Happy Birthday, friends and a big thank you to EarlG and Elad.
Ocelot II
(123,950 posts)And we in those days thought W was as bad as a president could get... Hold my beer and watch this, says Trump. Nevertheless, we persisted and resisted and we'll keep doing just that.
William769
(58,212 posts)I appreciate everything you just said and agree with most of it.
the only problem I see for me at least will be the new Forum "The Way Forward" I will not be able to post or read that Forum because as you have stated before the jury system is subjective. "Please be aware that while the rules prohibit "bashing" of Democratic public figures, the rules also allow for constructive criticism."
I have witness first hand that not only was there bashing of a Democratic figure, it was done gleefully & the jury system more than not let it stand. This I have a problem with because that means that's the thinking of the majority of DU members. I'm not down with that. So I will have to stay out of the new Forum because I'll be the first to admit it when someone that is attacked to no end I tend to come out fighting like a junk yard dog which will get me banned quickly. The only post I have had hidden which is still hidden has to do with the Democratic official I have been talking about. All I did was answer the question the poster asked. Boom Hidden. No I did not appeal because that would have just pissed me off even more.
I don't get me wrong I still love DU & the DU Administrators & have done my share of contributions & serving on MIRT since 2011 for many terms. I just wanted to try to covey my feelings about the Forum "The Way Forward".
I'll end with this, something I said a couple of days ago I said something to this effect: may we all hold hands together as we jump into the abyss on 01/20/2025.
Response to EarlG (Original post)
Tbear This message was self-deleted by its author.
Donkees
(32,729 posts)
Excerpt from the story about the donkey who fell in a deep well ...
Life is going to throw dirt your way and attempt to bury you. However, no one ever gets out of life's wells by giving up! Shake the dirt off and take a step up!
https://wisdomshare.com/stories/farmers-donkey/
twodogsbarking
(13,143 posts)Figarosmom
(5,005 posts)
Will there be cake?
PortTack
(35,452 posts)blogslug
(38,773 posts)Thank you EarlG and Elad (and DU emeritus Skinner)! Thank you for this wonderful place!
underpants
(189,686 posts)mountain grammy
(27,639 posts)I'd certainly be in a padded cell somewhere.
Found DU in 2010, joined in 2012.. best investment I've ever made.
Hotler
(12,933 posts)Uncle Joe
(61,239 posts)Happy Birthday D.U.!

Thank you Earl for your and Skinner's good works.

justaprogressive
(3,213 posts)Esp. like the going forward forum! Hopefully we can all be open and honest without excessive
alerting on novel, outside the-box, coloring outside the lines type ideas,
Ruby the Liberal
(26,405 posts)
S/V Loner
(9,294 posts)Thank You.
ailsagirl
(24,067 posts)So very glad I did!!
ornotna
(11,241 posts)

virgdem
(2,246 posts)for providing a place of sanity in these insane times. I've been a member since July 2002, but lurked since early 2001.
Happy birthday to DU. May you be here for the next 24 years.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,945 posts)Here's to another quarter-century of sanity!!!
Alice Kramden
(2,558 posts)I'd be lost without DU. Happy birthday
gademocrat7
(11,380 posts)and all the members who make this community great. We are in troubled times but together we will prevail.
3825-87867
(1,332 posts)I understand that someone who thinks he's important in D.C.
saw his bloated shadow, I guess that means 4 more years of bad politics.
Niagara
(10,414 posts)
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication, EarlG and Elad.

duhneece
(4,340 posts)I felt all alone in my very republican county. I felt like screaming and hollering at the run up to the Iraq War. Auntie showed me a way to express myself without coming across as a nut.
Then Omaha Steve showed me how to run for office.
DU has been a family, an education and a home.
Thank you.
Happy Anniversary.
proud patriot
(101,770 posts)What a long strange trip it's been
GreenWave
(10,880 posts)

niyad
(122,982 posts)home, our island of sanity this century. There are not enough words to fully express my gratitude and support for th8s incredible community.
Standing right there with you, as we enter this dangerous, ugly time.
CrispyQ
(39,367 posts)We even get to bounce on the sofa!
Bluethroughu
(7,086 posts)The people united will never be defeated!
joanbarnes
(1,977 posts)LetMyPeopleVote
(160,884 posts)FirstLight
(14,829 posts)So very grateful for you and this "place" and the family I've found here.
DU has been do much for me through the yrs... I cannot express my gratitude enough.
We keep going...till the lights go out....
True Dough
(22,511 posts)These are the four people who signed up on Day 1:
ElementaryPenguin (24 years), hedda_foil (24 years), EarlG (24 years), Elad (24 years)
So you distinguished four are the only ones still active from DU inauguration day?
Congrats on 24 years!
intrepidity
(8,219 posts)The only bright spot on an otherwise intolerable day.
TBF
(35,069 posts)As we say in Wisconsin: FORWARD!
FailureToCommunicate
(14,442 posts)HAPPY BIRTHDAY Democratic Underground!
































barbtries
(30,281 posts)and thank you for helping to keep me sane for over 20 years
Generic Other
(29,020 posts)A lifeboat in a sea of shark-infested waters. Thanks EarlG for never standing down!
ultralite001
(1,493 posts)Thank you for being our port in the storm... Together, we are better... Together, we will keep the dream alive...
Thank you, DUers, for bringing the light in dark times...
Thank you for all you have done + will do, EarlG...
Resist... Resist... Resist...
SleeplessinSoCal
(10,007 posts)What are the new forums?
JoseBalow
(7,117 posts)Gracias!
Phoenix61
(18,224 posts)elleng
(139,034 posts)dchill
(41,802 posts)YoshidaYui
(43,432 posts)Watashi no Tanjobi desu!!!
JPPaverage
(589 posts)This place has kept me ftom going batshit crazy. And its been educational as well as entertaining.
I just renewed my star membership and am proud to have done so. Heres to many more years of keeping us semi sane.
mamacita75
(156 posts)Thank you EarlG for this platform! It is a lifesaver.
I am so glad you are sticking around. You have done it right!
OldBaldy1701E
(7,545 posts)Thanks, EarlG!
murielm99
(31,803 posts)Hope22
(3,806 posts)It certainly has been a wild ride. Happy DU Birthday. Peace and love to you and yours. 💗💗💗🙏🏼💐🎉
Cha
(309,215 posts)DU!
And Manalo!
ShazzieB
(20,042 posts)As Rachel Maddow always says:
ancianita
(40,215 posts)Last edited Mon Jan 20, 2025, 06:13 PM - Edit history (1)
I'm so glad you are who you are and did what you did, so that we the people have a safe, civil place to sort things out, support each other, and so much more of intangible value.
Happy Birthday to DU, and may you and DU have at least 51 more birthdays!
Sogo
(6,153 posts)There was a global group meditation in his honor earlier this afternoon.
RIP, David Lynch….
judesedit
(4,538 posts)


AwakeAtLast
(14,312 posts)You have made my life tolerable, and I thank you!
Baron2024
(1,492 posts)Here's to twenty more!
LittleGirl
(8,620 posts)Very much for giving me a place to get the best and verified information on the web. DU is my home because it’s an honest place full of lovely characters that can be like family. I’m able to keep myself informed without having my other social media apps know about it. I like my privacy here even though I’m nobody special. I love the love DU shares. Thank you for my safe place. 🫶🏼☮️
Iggo
(48,753 posts)
samplegirl
(12,832 posts)We are Democrats!!!
yellow dahlia
(2,111 posts)I am new to this forum, by most standards. I am constantly impressed by how elegant and creative the tools are on DU. Thank you EarlG for making this happen, and putting in the work to keep it going.
The times have found me. I started lurking in 2024, and by election day it was clear it was time for me to be a member. DU provided me like minds, intellectual brilliance, and a place to vent when I needed it most. I am honored to be in the presence of so many politically rigorous folks. Community is a power we need right now.
Moosepoop
(2,036 posts)I joined on Jan. 20th, 2005, though I'd been reading for quite some time for before that. Obviously, by my post count over 20 years, I don't post a whole lot. But I read daily, learn so much and share that knowledge with family and friends that don't have cell phones or computers, and it does make a difference.
Thank you for this site that has kept me and some close to me sane for all of these years.
kentuck
(113,398 posts)And I have been with DU ever since. However, it was February or March before I started writing anything. Unlike today, it took a while just to fill up the front page with posts so Earl and Skinner advertised for writers and I took the bait. The earliest post that I could find (under my real name) on the Wayback Machine was the end of March of 2001.
Man! That has been a long time and we all have been thru a lot. I remember almost all of the old timers and the struggle we had to control all the trolls that would show up.
Congratulations Earl! For your longevity and your patriotism.
electric_blue68
(20,603 posts)I actually saw you by accident on line within your first year at a Netcafe. Without a computer I didn't follow.
Then, back in ?2020 I wanted some extra political commentary on an off topic forum on a site that wasn't happening.
So I went on line to find a Democratic leaning site. I happen to then remember DU's name.
And there you were! A happy surprise!
Hekate
(96,986 posts)Last edited Sat Jan 25, 2025, 10:06 PM - Edit history (1)



If it's January 20th, it can only mean one thing
That's right -- it's DU's birthday.
Democratic Underground opened its doors on January 20th, 2001, just a few hours before the inauguration of George W. Bush. Over the past 24 years we have witnessed the dawn of the blogosphere, the rise and fall of left-wing talk radio, the birth of YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter -- leading to whatever the hell the social media landscape is these days -- and now our sixth presidency (if you count the few hours that Bill Clinton was still in office when DU opened to the public). I was 26 years old when DU launched -- this year I turn 51.
Through it all, DU has changed dramatically, and yet in some ways -- perhaps the most important ways -- it has not changed at all. Our goal when creating DU was to provide an online space for people from the center to the left to discuss politics, without interruption by right-wing conservative trolls, and to have those discussions in as civil a manner as possible. Whether or not we are achieving those goals has been an ongoing matter of debate for the past quarter-century, but when I look around at what has become of the rest of the Internet these days, I'm proud that we at least continue to try.
Sadly, today's anniversary falls on a dark day in American history. We have no idea where Donald Trump is going to drag the nation over the next four years, but we all know deep in our bones that it's not going to be anywhere good. Nevertheless, I saw an aphorism posted on DU recently which summed up my feelings about the current situation quite succinctly:
When you're going through hell, keep going.
What's interesting about this aphorism is that like so many things on the Internet these days, it is often falsely attributed. Many people believe it is a Churchill quote, but there's no evidence that he actually said it. Nevertheless, the essence of the aphorism seems to me to be perfectly aligned with the situation we find ourselves in.
And so, my fellow DUers, I do intend to keep going, and I hope the rest of you will join me. Tomorrow we plan to open two new top-level forums which we hope will allow people to better cope with whatever is coming. These are supplementary forums -- we are not closing any of our current forums. They are top level forums so they will be managed by the Forum Hosts.
One of these new forums is intended to provide a space for ongoing discussion of what Democrats should be doing over the next two to four years to retake power. Most likely, this forum will eventually transition into the next Democratic Primaries forum, when we feel that the time is right to do that.
As for the other new forum -- it is my belief that there is a significant difference between what Trump says he's going to do, and what he actually does. The mainstream media treats these as equally important, which Trump uses to his advantage, stressing us out and baffling us with bullshit. We burn up so much outrage on the nonsense that comes out of Trump's mouth, that it can feel like we don't have much energy left to get angry about his actions. It's certainly worth talking about the things Trump is saying, but they do not necessarily need to be confused with the things that he's doing. So this new forum is intended to provide a dumping ground for the BS that Trump spouts on a daily basis, leaving more space in General Discussion and elsewhere for people to discuss the ramifications of his administration's real policies and real actions.
The idea behind separating out these discussions is to provide people with the ability to take a break from them whenever they feel the need, by trashing the forums when things get to be too much. Like every single idea we've ever come up with, I can't promise that this will be a perfect solution. This is a big community, and some nuance and understanding will be required, especially in the beginning as people get a feel for what should be posted where. I expect that as time goes by, people will gain a natural understanding of how it works. If there is some overspill between forums, that's fine. And if it turns out to be a failure, we'll reverse course. As usual, we'll all muddle through together.
These are the new Statements of Purpose for the forums which will be coming tomorrow:
Latest Trump BS
Discuss the late-night social media rants, unrealistic policy proposals, and ridiculous trial balloons floated by Donald Trump and other Trump-adjacent figures. This forum is intended to separate the nonsense that Donald Trump and his MAGA cohorts spew on a daily basis from real Trump Administration policies and actions. For example, if Donald Trump uses Truth Social to randomly suggest an invasion of Mars, it would be appropriate for this forum. Whereas if Donald Trump orders the Joint Chiefs of Staff to actually draw up plans for an invasion of Mars, it would be appropriate for General Discussion or Latest Breaking News.
The Way Forward
Discuss the future of the Democratic Party and the left, strategies to rebuild the party's influence and reach, and tactics to retake political power from the right. REMINDER: Forum Hosts are only responsible for locking off-topic discussions in this forum, they are not responsible for locking discussions which may violate the DU rules. Please be aware that while the rules prohibit "bashing" of Democratic public figures, the rules also allow for constructive criticism. Between those two positions lies a large grey area, and if you want to avoid getting posts removed by Jury in this forum, remember that not everyone on DU may have the same appreciation or dislike for the same politicians that you do. If you treat your fellow DU members with respect and try to post in a civil manner, you will rarely have any problems. Posting derogatory nicknames for center-to-left politicians, groups of DU members, or individual DU members, will increase your chances of getting a post removed.
It's been an honor and a privilege to manage this community for the past 24 years, and whatever happens next, I'm glad to be facing it with all of you. Thanks for reading.
UpInArms
(52,456 posts)and honorably.
KitFox
(267 posts)months ago signed on officially. So glad I did!! Exponential thanks for creating and maintaining this important community!
Blue_Roses
(13,731 posts)I can't believe it's been 24 years! Wow! I can remember so clearly when I found the solace I needed, right here, when Bush Jr was "selected"...and I thought THAT was bad!
Now, much older and having grown kids, I worry more for them. Even though they both are aware and active to what is happening, I still feel the need to "watch over" them, especially when they come to me with the same fears I had at that time. Of, course, Trump is much more unstable than Bush was at that time ( I never thought I would ever say that), so that does make this much more dicey. But, if there is one thing that I KNOW to be true, is that we are a resilient bunch here in the US and we have persevered through some horrifying days.
We will get through this and I will be walking through hell with you all. But, with that said, I think we should remember, that all things--good or bad--must end. There's a season for everything. President Obama's term reminded me of "harvest season". Many things came to fruition that made our country stronger and "healthier". Then came Trump. His 1st term reminded me of Winter. Cold, dying, and stagnate. Biden's term brought Spring. Relief that the sun was shining warm again and things were blooming. And now with the 2nd Trump term, we have the scorching hot Summer. Our summers are much hotter now and while we are struggling to find answers to conflict and unsettling problems, we will get through it and Harvest time will once again give us relief.
As "PollyAnna" as that may sound, just look back over history and you'll see this pattern. I hate having to go through worrying about waking up to what dumb thing he's done, but there is strength in numbers ( look at the Ants) and we can do this!
Sorry, didn't mean to get on a soapbox, so I will step-down for now.
Prairie_Seagull
(4,052 posts)Seriously though, this place rocks! I wish I could adequately express how much DU means to me. "Port in a storm" was mentioned above and I completely agree.
With standard disclaimer, let the extra-curricular chemicals flow.
You make me think and feel.
Even without Cake, Happy Birthday DU.