Congrats to EarlG & Elad! 21 Years! Appreciation thread!

[SheltieLover]

[Aristus]

1. Well done, gentlemen!

[blueinredohio]

2. Thanks guys for all you do. Hope for many more.

[Demovictory9]

3. ''

[MerryBlooms]

4. Beaut!

[hlthe2b]

5. Absolutely... Have to add a nod to Skinner too--wherever he might be today.

[CottonBear]

42. Skinner (David Allen) is keeping busy and creating digital art.

Link to tweet

[hlthe2b]

51. Cool. Thanks!

[secondwind]

6. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. Congratulations

[BlueIdaho]

8. Don't know what I'd do without you.

Thanks for decades of support for Democrats everywhere. You have been our safe harbor in good times and bad.

Cheers!

[Frustratedlady]

15. Amen! I'd be in a padded cell by now if I hadn't found DU.

The only political place I truly trust. Thank you!

[orleans]

9. thanks for such a unique and wonderful

place to land on the internets!

CHEERS!

[Poiuyt]

10. Thanks for the best site on the web!

[PlanetBev]

11. I was in a protest in downtown LA 21 years ago this day

Two weeks later, I stumbled onto DU. Best piece of luck for me when I really needed it.

Thanks, guys!

[irisblue]

12. I am so glad this place exists. Thank you Elad, Earl & David

[Nevilledog]

13. My favorite safe space. Thank you!

[Stuart G]

14. My favorite too. The VERY BEST SPOT IS AT THE VERY TOP!

[CentralMass]

16. Thank you Gentlemen.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

17. 👍🏼

[Peacetrain]

18. Thank you!!!!!

I need to re-up my star (note to self). been here for almost 14 years .. and really shared some important life experiences with people I have never met.. congratulations you two!! and David.. for setting up a place for Democrats of all stripes and liberals and independents left of center to gather.. we appreciate you more than you know.

[nolabear]

111. Valentine's Week will be here soon!

I love renewing then. ❤️

[Peacetrain]

125. Oh what a good idea!!!! and a good reminder for all of us

[Oldtimeralso]

19. Best site for TRUTH on the internet 🥰

[lamp_shade]

20. Thanks, fellas, for creating this place and, in turn, keeping me sane.

[highplainsdem]

21. Congratulations! And thank you!

[malaise]

22. Yes indeed

Big up DU and all who were involved in its development and growth

[malaise]

23. Yes indeed

Big up DU and all who were involved in its development and growth

[Wild blueberry]

24. Thank you!!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. Thanks to you both (and to Skinner too) for your important contributions to our sanity!

DU is a refuge, a safe harbor, and my electronic family...

[WinstonSmith4740]

26. Thanks, gents!

You guys have saved my sanity more than once. Thanks for all you've done.

[Hekate]

27. Congratulations to all three of the Original Founders, with love and thanks

[Glorfindel]

28. Proud and honored to be able to give this post its 50th K&R!

Thank you, EarlG & Elad, and thanks to you, Skinner, wherever you are. I can't even imagine life without Democratic Underground.

[Elessar Zappa]

29. Thank you!

I’ve been on DU since I was a 19 year old youngster.

[tishaLA]

30. Thank you for what has to be sometimes thankless work

(and to Skinner, too, for all he did)

[ShazamIam]

31. Yes I am very happy this site exists, it must be a challenge to keep it going.Thank you EarlG & Elad

[CaptainTruth]

32. A big THANK YOU!!!

[KS Toronado]

33. Congrats on 21 years of selfless service to democracy. I'll throw a party for you guys.

[ProfessorGAC]

34. A Most Enthusiastic K&R

[AKwannabe]

35. Here here!

[JohnnyRingo]

36. Has it been that long?

They seem to grow up so fast at my age.

[camartinwv]

37. I have loved DU since I first found it in 2001!

I agree with oldtimeralso, it is the most truthful news site. DU is the highlight of my day and I often visit several times a day. Thanks so much for what I know must be a great deal of effort administering this site.

[pandr32]

38. You guys have done good!

You've created a home away from home for Democrats and those from far to center left.
Thanks to this place you've created many of us managed to keep our sanity during TFG's time in the White House.
This is a wonderful quick check-in for news that matters.
This space helps keep feelings of sociopolitical isolation at bay.

Cheers to you!

[dlk]

39. Congratulations!

Your hard work has made an enormous difference for so many of us. Well done !

[demmiblue]

40. Obligatory: "Seven Days Underground"

Democratic Underground had its official launch on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2001. Much has happened since then. To mark the passing of our first week, we felt that our faithful visitors might like to read a SLIGHTLY EMBELLISHED first-person account of the highs and lows of launching an underground political website. by Skinner

DAY 1 (SAT) - A GIFT FROM MSNBC
On Friday night, we were up until about 3:00am getting ready for the website's big Inaugural Day Launch. We were hoping to be in bed by midnight, but our intern — a young radical from one of the local community colleges — spilled paint all over our banner at around 11:30, and we had to start from scratch. EarlG thought the intern was trying to sniff the stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were true (he kept mumbling something about how "acrylic lasts longer than this latex crap", but we weren't clear on the context). The rest of us are too old for that sort of thing, but we'll keep him around because he is the only one here that knows anything about programming perl. (Fortunately, he got the "Nuclear Button" script working by 10:00pm, before the can of paint arrived.)

On Saturday, we met at our makeshift "office" in Northwest DC sometime around 11:00am. We were supposed to meet at 9:30, but the intern overslept. He showed up with his own homemade "George W. Ass" sign, but we wouldn't let him bring it to the protests — Newshound thought it was "off message."

We got down to Pennsylvania avenue around noon, and were fortunate to claim a prime location right in front of the press bleachers. Protesters were confined to a few "designated protest areas," and it seemed strange to me that one of those spots would be right in front of the media. I guess the communications geniuses in the Bush camp didn't think of everything. The other protesters seemed to be a mishmash of left-wing types: Some dancing polar bears to protest oil drilling in ANWR; Some free-Mumia folks; Anti-death penalty activists; A pretty large contingent of Seattle-style anti-globalization college kids; and even a guy on stilts to protest, well, I don't know what he was protesting. Like us, lots of folks were protesting how Bush stole the election, but there were far fewer of us than I expected. A sizable chunk of the protesters I spoke with voted for Nader. I thought, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be out here freezing my ass off in the rain. But I digress.

While ostensibly there to protest, our real motivation for attending the event was to get our banner on television. (We have no money, and this was the cheapest national advertising campaign we could come up with.) The banner was eight feet long by 3 feet tall, white canvas, with the words "DemocraticUnderground.com" painted in big, black letters. With luck, some Good Democrats would see it on TV and stop by our website, which at this point was sitting unused on a server somewhere in Atlanta (I think).

Sometime between noon and 1:00, EarlG's cell phone rang. His wife yelled into his ear: "Stop shaking the banner!" She, and about a million other people, were watching us on MSNBC. A preliminary count turned up exactly four messages on our discussion board. The first one: "Nice f------ discussion board. There's nobody here." By the end of the day, there would be nearly a thousand posts.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/01/010127_7days.html

[SheltieLover]

56. Wow!

Amazing!

Thx, guys!

Ty for posting!

[Hekate]

71. Thanks! This always makes me regret I wasn't at DU at the beginning, but I had other pressing...

…obligations that year. By the time a friend talked me in to looking you up in 2002, this place was going strong.

[mopinko]

131. how have i been here this long and never seen this?

daaammnnn.

[Tracyjo]

41. Thanks guys

I'd rather hang out here than just about anywhere.

[CottonBear]

43. Thanks to EarlG, Elad, & to Skinner too!

You created a unique online community.
It hard to believe it’s been 21 years!
DU has kept me informed, educated, amused, and sane!

[MoonRiver]

44. Congrats EladG, Elad, and Skinner! This place kept me sane more than once!

[gademocrat7]

45. Thank you, EarlG, Elad and Skinner!

I appreciate all your efforts in making DU the site for news and views!👏👏👏💙

[dchill]

46. THIS is the best place!

[judesedit]

47. Thank you so much, EarlG, Elad, & Skinner. We couldn't have survived without you

Last edited Thu Jan 20, 2022, 11:12 PM - Edit history (1)

I've been here since the 2000 debacle. Just didn't start posting til later. This site has been the saver of my sanity. Thank you to all members, too. I have learned so much. There is so much intelligence and talent among you. Wish I could meet each and every one of you. Stay safe. Keep fighting the good fight.

I know Skinner isn't there anymore, but he was for a good portion of the time. Wanted to include him. Thanks DU!

[Evolve Dammit]

48. Kept me sane during the shrub/ Voldemort years. Thank you!

[LittleGirl]

49. All the Best Guys! Nt

[FuzzyRabbit]

50. Thanks for providing a safe place for us.

[likesmountains 52]

52. Thanks!

[BadGimp]

53. One for the both of you...

[NNadir]

54. By far, the best blog for Democrats on the internet.

Superbly managed and maintained throughout its history.

[Piasladic]

128. +

completely agree!

[Maeve]

55. It has been a long, strange journey

Here's to the future as well as the past!

[ailsagirl]

57. Hear, hear!!

[AllaN01Bear]

58. indeed .

[HAB911]

59. Kudos!

[EarlG]

60. Aw shucks, thanks everyone

[SheltieLover]

82. ...

[LoisB]

61. Indeed. Well done.

[greatauntoftriplets]

62. Thanks, guys!

K&R

[SergeStorms]

63. Hooray!

I would have been completely lost after Baby Bush stole the election in 2000. My chads were hanging very low at that point, and finding DU was a Dog send.

Thank you, Sirs!

[liberal N proud]

64. You donee good!

[solara]

65. You have created a masterpiece

I really don't know what I would have done without this safe harbor you all created.

I may not post that often, but I am here every day, reading and learning.




Thank you for this beautiful, inspiring space.

Bravo! You are much appreciated!

Love,

Solara

[hermetic]

66. With eternal gratitude

I don't know how I would have managed to survive through all those dark times without you. DU truly is extraordinary.

[Duppers]

68. Indeed!

I would have had to spend 💰 on therapy if it were not for DU & the friends I've met here. Living among right-wingers can do that to a person.

I owe EarlG & Elad...& Skinner
Big-time.

[applegrove]

67. You are the best!!!

[oasis]

69. Solid work at the helm.

[BobTheSubgenius]

70. Oh, hell yes!!!

Best site of its type on the Web, and #2 (whatever that may be) isn't even visible in the rear view mirror!

[yonder]

72. Hear, hear!

Thanks for keeping the wheels of this world turning: the fittings greased, belts adjusted, shuttles shuttled, pulleys pulled and the lights on. Thanks of course, goes to Skinner also.

Our lives (and sanity) would've been much different otherwise.

[FakeNoose]

73. Wow 21 years!? You're old enough to drink now

Seriously, thanks guys for everything you do!

[Hekate]

74. During the Great Hack Blackout, I scrounged an email from my records and wrote to the Founders--

“What you do is important.”

Today, as always

[ShazzieB]

75. 21 years? DU is old enough to drink now! 🍾

Please pass the champagne!

To 21 years--and may there be many more!

[SheltieLover]

79. Lol

🥂🥂🥂🥂

[trickyguy]

76. Being at DU is like a life saver being tossed. Thanks guys.

[samplegirl]

77. Two words

real news!

[Grumpy Old Guy]

78. Thank you! 😊

[AndyS]

80. Congrats and looking forward to another 21 or as long an I have to

contribute!

[Generic Brad]

81. Respect!

Thank you both so much for this site.

[BigmanPigman]

83. Thank you!!!!!!!

[Raine]

84. CONGRATULATIONS EarlG & Elad!!! 🎉🍾 👍 nt

[flying_wahini]

86. I think you have made the World a better place for all of us.

[niyad]

87. Wow. You are legal now! Seriously, thank you, EarlG, Elad, and Skinner, for this

incredible space. As I have often remarked, DU has helped maintain what little is left if my sanity lo these many years. I have laughed, cried, screamed in outrage, giggled with joy, cheered at some amazingly wonderful happenings,, ohhhhhhed and awwwwwed, and been fortunate to find an absolutely amazing virtual family with whom to share our lives and adventures, our triumphs and pains.

May all the Multiverse continue to smile upon you.

[love_katz]

88. A huge thank you to EarlG, Elad, and Skinner.

I love you guys, and can't thank you enough for all your hard work in creating and maintaining DU! . You keep us sane and provide my most trusted source for the news. May there be another 21 years.

[Tommymac]

89. Keep On Keepin' On

Thanks for the site.

[Karadeniz]

90. I can't imagine navigating our current storms without DU!

[mahina]

114. Nor I.

Word.

[nclib]

91. So grateful DU was created.

[WarGamer]

92. The internet isn't known for longevity of websites... so HUGE Congrats!

And any hat tip to DU isn't complete without a hat tip to Skinner... the "former guy" ...lol

[mcar]

93. I joined in 2002

Hard to believe so much time has passed.

Thanks EarlG and Elad.

[JudyM]

94. Connecting us, informing us, channeling substantial donations to Dems, etc., etc. Thanks mucho, guys

Oh and yeah

[blogslug]

95. I love this place

Thanks for everything EarlG & Elad ❤️ ❤️ (+ a ❤️ for Skinner)

[58Sunliner]

96. Thank you!!

[mvd]

97. K&R

I don’t know what I would do without DU. And EarlG and elad keep things running so well. Big thanks to Skinner also.

[joshcryer]

98. 2 decades. Time flies.

[byronius]

99. Love this place.

[calimary]

100. Wow, Twenty-one years!?!

DU has gotten me through a helluva lot. I am GRATEFUL-GRATEFUL-GRATEFUL!!!

[Tumbulu]

101. Wow, congratulations!

I e been grateful to be able to come to your site!

[MyMission]

102. Adding my congratulations and heartfelt appreciation

Thanks for keeping DU going for 21 years, surviving and thriving.
After reading what everyone else wrote, I have to echo what's being said.

This online community is remarkable. It helps to keep me informed, entertained, and sane. It provides me with a place to vent, or read a rant with many points I'd thought about, or stuff I didn't know about, and sometimes other stuff besides politics!

When does the Valentine's day hearts fundraiser start?
I'm feeling like I want to spread the love and share some hearts.

[GregW]

103. Well, damn - just checked and I am at 20+ myself!

Seems like only yesterday we were marching in DC against the Iraq war

[argyl]

104. Best online site. Politics primarily but it's got other forums also. Love Music Appreciation

Lurked from the beginning, got the word about DU from BartCop, and the changes have been amazing.
It was obvious from the start that EarlG, Elad, and Skinner were determined to make this place the very best they could.
Site upgrades came in fast and furious. Seemed like every time I opened it an improvement had been made.
And we have so many brilliant posters here. And opinion is backed with fact here. I'm sure a good number of people who post here are famous and choose to be anonymous here. They're just too damned good.
I do think back fondly on some things that have fallen by the wayside: Bob Boudelang(sp.?), the Hate Mailbox, and Top 10 Conservative Idiots of the Week. For the Top 10 you'd need a Top 100 now.

Anyways, thanks for what you do. Hopefully, I'll be around to celebrate a few more anniversaries.

[lunatica]

105. Hear, hear!

Cheers!

[spooky3]

106. Great work for 21 years! Nt

[Mr.Bill]

107. 21!

So DU can buy a drink now.

Thanks to everybody here, I love this place. I only regret that I didn't find it earlier.

[proud patriot]

108. It's been quite a ride Gentlemen

congratulations

[hwmnbn]

109. yes...

[turbinetree]

110. Wado................thank you

[alfredo]

112. What a long strange trip it's been

I first signed on April 2003

Thanks for being here for us.

[mahina]

113. Thank you

?️🙏✨✨🙌🙌🤙🏼🤙🏼

[Yandex]

115. Way to go!!! n/t

[GoneOffShore]

116. Thank you for being here for 21 years!

[MiHale]

117. First place I go to everyday...thanks guys

[Judi Lynn]

118. Doesn't seem remotely possible it has been that long! DU has been a constant daily requirement.

Most definitely have loved this site, the way it has been conducted, the quality, and some outstanding progressive posters.

Life would not be the same without D.U.

Thank you, so much, for your creation. It's the best.

[panader0]

119. You guys have made a lot of people happy and smarter for years, myself included. Thanks!

[bluecollar2]

120. Congratulations!

And thank you for helping me maintain my sanity over these past 21 years...

[wnylib]

121. Thanks for a place to

learn news details and spout my 2 cents worth about it.

And a place to make like-minded friends.

And for humor to brighten dark days.

[Kid Berwyn]

122. DU is a Real Community

A Home for Democrats Sharing Truth.

Thank you, Both. Thank you, ALL.

[farmbo]

123. Thanks Guys... just Thanks.

EOM

[IbogaProject]

124. Thank you

Thank you so much.

[YoshidaYui]

126. ITS not the

GHOST OF TSUSHIMA... but IT works VERY well!!! Congrats you guys!!!

[Paladin]

127. Profound thanks, from another DU Old-Timer.

Keep on keeping on, guys.

[PatSeg]

129. Wow, it sure doesn't feel like that long!

Many thanks!

[crickets]

130. DU is a sanity saver.

This is a wonderful community. The sheer amount of information available here, along with all of the discussions to go with it, is essential - especially in times like these. Thank you, EarlG and Elad! Thanks to Skinner as well for all of the years he put in. Hope he drops in on occasion to say hello.

Thank you, DU!

[ificandream]

132. Thank you guys for this great place!!