Kos talks of growing pains on his site, DailyKos. I haven't been following the comments section over there, so I'll take his word for it. But in his discussion, aimed mostly at the Kos community in turmoil, there are a couple of paragraphs that seem to me to address, very specifically, what is plaguing the liberal blogosphere:

There's another dynamic that is currently causing a lot of grief -- the desire to close ranks close to an election. "Groupthink". And while I am no paragon of party unity, it's not a desire I'll fight. We should close ranks before an election. Those who insist on fighting those battles now are merely distracting from the ultimate goal. Eyes on the prize, and all.

Once the election is over, we can get back to fighting over policy, whether to tackle the DLC, hating Greens or welcoming them to the fold, being a "Wellstone democrat" versus "Dean Democrat" versus who knows what else, etc.

For now, if you come here and trash a Democratic candidate, expect to be trashed back (just like I get trashed when I criticize the party). If you can't take the heat, then don't write that post or diary. Or consider returning after November 2. It's that simple. This is a Democratic blog after all.

This isn't just a problem in Kos's comment section. It's a problem across the board: Though we feel free to discuss in detail every nuance of Bush's facial expressions, there is a generalized restraint of candor about Kerry the candidate. I am very uncomfortable with this. I go far out of my way to read the Kerry campaign emails and those from allied organizations, looking for things to say to put a favorable light on his candidacy. I don't feel the Kerry campaign gives me much to work with.