DailyKos has for the past year been a staple of my internet surfing habits. It's the most well known and certainly the most read of all the "lefty" blogs out there. Yet, I've noticed for some time that the political discourse on the website is typically of the Bill Clinton democrat variety -- a kind of fiscal conservative, socially liberal brand of Democratic politics that is more centrist than progressive. It's a kind of political framework that's much more interested in "diversity" than "inequality." Economically speaking, it, in fact, looks a lot like the Republican party of a few decades ago. DailyKos and it's founder, Markos, are emblematic of that shift.

It has for many years been readily apparent that socialism in America is dead -- to advocate for new government programs aimed at reducing economic inequality is something like political suicide. It just don't fly. It has also been apparent that while Republicans are fond of fiscal conservative rhetoric, this has not been a significant policy aim of their party since Reagan. In fact, government deficit spending under Democratic presidents has been significantly lower than the deficits of Republican presidents for at least the past 20 years. What we are witnessing is a dramatic shift in the understanding of the role of government from both parties.

There's a great diary that addresses these issues on DailyKos this weekend by user Jerome a Paris. If you're interested in this conversation, check it out here.