What I Learned from Kos about Leadership

cross posted on the CDNY blog: http://collegedemsny.com/...

As a Political Science major in college, I have taken several campaigns and elections courses as well as voting behavior seminars. Yet few have helped me with leadership skills as the President of the College Democrats of NY as Taking on the System by Kos. I realize that many of you have read his book I'm sure, but call me a late bloomer if you will, I didnt buy his book until 2 weeks ago, although I was so mesmerized by the reading that i finished it in 2 days. About 2 months ago, I finished reading Netroots Rising, another great read by Lowell Feld which contained many passages from Kos.

I have based much of my leadership off of the ideas I learned from Kos and it has truly helped make a difference here in NY. The blogging community has inspired us to post blog entries every day on liberal blogs such Kos, The Albany Project (NY), Future Majority, and our our website blog. We now average almost 100 hits a day on our blog which is quite an achievement for our once small movement.

From Kos, I learned to go after your enemy and hit em' hard and not to take anything for granted. It was after all, the Drudge report that cracked the Lewinsky scandal and it has been the netroots which has broke many other scandals or released information damaging to Republican candidates. Several of our hardest hitting blog posts bashing the National College Republicans got our enemies' attention, forcing them to respond to our attacks while their very own membership posted comments on their blog agreeing with us.

Kos preaches that there is nothing wrong with being liberal and to refuse to let Republicans frame the debate and not to give in to anything.

Some of our organization's best ideas have come from the netroots like texting the vote and we have been able to give a voice to college students who have historically been apathetic.

The final idea that I love is the notion that we need to get the right Democrats elected into office- ones that will stand up to the hardliners in the conservative base and that will bring the progressive values we need to our country. For too long, American politics have been to the right of center and we need to move that back to the left.

The netroots will lead the way moving into Obama's presidency.