Liberals are, by nature, idealists.
We believe that humankind is intrinsically capable of goodness — if only society would evolve to cultivate it.
The Democratic Party, the more liberal of America’s two major political brands, continues to break the hearts of idealists.
Last time we had a Democratic president, he embodied compromise. As the Overton Window has slid far rightward, half-a-loaf compromise has given way to scraping for a few crumbs.
Shortly before the most-recent midterm elections, several Democrats voted with the GOP in favor of torture and against habeas corpus. And what I said then is what I’m going to say now:
So tell me, friends, is voting for your local Fidel McEarthshoe from the Free-Range Hemp Party going to help? It isn’t, it isn’t, it isn’t, it isn’t, it isn’t. You’re throwing your vote away, and by gum we need it to help get these motherfuckers out of office.
These fucking fascists don’t throw their votes away on symbolic gestures. And in so doing, they’re consolidating power to an absolutely alarming degree.
That said, I’m not through being pissed off at the Democrats…
Let’s do the math here. Last night’s House vote on giving the Lawbreaker-in-Chief even more latitude to spy on Americans was as follows:
Democrats: 41 for, 181 against, 9 not voting.
Republicans: 186 for, 2 against, 14 not voting.
Are there yet enough Democrats of conscience and guts in national office to make a tangible difference? No.
We should make every effort to shame those 41 and to vote them out in next year’s primaries. And we should scrutinize the 9 non-voters to see what was more important to them than holding the fraying line of constitutionality for another day.
But if we wallow in “they’re all the same” smugness and don’t vote Democratic in 2008, we’re handing the keys to the kingdom empire to the party of near-unanimous support for authoritarian lawlessness.
Answer me this: do we want more like the 186 Repubs, or more like the 181 Dems?
Speaking of breaking laws, fuck Godwin’s. If it’s authoritarian like a fascist, sticks together like a fascist, and starts wars like a fascist….
There were lots of reasons to critique the Allies. Any group that contains mass-murderer Stalin might have some ’splaining to do. And how about America’s shameful delays in aiding European Jews and other victims of the Third Reich — including our close ally England — and our internment of Japanese-Americans? How could anyone side up with that compromised bunch?
Criticize Democrats, pressure Democrats, promote better Democrats, but at this delicate moment, don’t fall for the “can’t tell any difference” meme.
Our opposition is single-minded. They care about nothing but authoritarian, corporatist tribalism — power to the powerful. If we go all People’s Front of Judea and Judean People’s Front, we’re riding with fascism.
Until the corrupt, valueless GOP is small enough that it will drown in a tub of caviar, and we have the luxury of entertaining third-, fourth-, and fifth-party candidates, we’d best ride that donkey as far as it will take us.
A compromised position, no doubt. But the alternative has made itself quite well understood. Hasn’t it?
Front page
Not my job
I used to say all these things you’re saying, VL, and what bringiton says, too. But the Iraq capitulation pushed me to the edge, and this pushed me right over.
Let Kos and the new netroots consultants and the wannabe consultants do the electing more Democrats part. He says that’s his job. Let him do it, and good for him.
My job is to shove the Overton window left. Probably that will elect more Democrats. If so, good.
Seems to me it’s like this. Suppose:
1. We have no influence or power. Then it doesn’t matter what we do, and we might as well give ourselves free rein in the hope that good will come (probably off the grid).
2. We have some influence or power. If so, then let the gutless, feckless Beltway Democrats take account of it and represent us!
NOTE My personal solution is going to be to hold my nose and vote Dem nationally—heck, my reps voted against the FISA abomination—and give the Greens money at the state level. My state Dems totally fucked me over on a pollution deal, so Fuck
them.
No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.
Lambert,
I don’t find much of anything to disagree with in your comment.
I thoroughly support your agenda to hold Dems’ and everyone else’s feet to the fire over constitutionality, mindless war, etc., etc. But when I see people respond with the disempowering and destructive “there’s no difference” line — and they do — I think the above needs to be said.
There are weaklings, fools, and turncoats among the Dems that need to be replaced or straightened out every chance we get.
But whether it’s a hold-your-nose situation or not, I’ll use my vote and netroots advocacy to help make sure the GOP loses its DC privileges, and in today’s reality that means voting solidly blue at the national level.
Vote blue at the national level, agreed
Re “holding feet to the fire”—it’s like the Republicans don’t even have feet. Maybe their feet have been surgically altered to jackboots, or something.
The Dems, as gutless and feckless as they have been acting, at least have feet. And that’s good news, because we can inflict pain on them until they change their behavior.
No work, no help, only attacks, and money only to blogosphere OK-ed candidates, ideally to challengers in Blue Dog districts, fucking traitors.
NOTE Although, I have to say, the only one who comes out of this with any diginity is Dodd. So, maybe he gets a pass. He could help out by immediately standing up for the Constitution.
No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.
With the MSM toting the GOP about in sedan chairs...
… the Repubs’ delicate, bound feet will never touch the dirty earth or be brought anywhere near the fire.
Lambert: Though you will take no comfort therefrom,
i agree with you.
if “we” have power, then please provide me some token thereof—perhaps some stiffening of the backbone and the delivery of an occasional ’victory.’
(need i say, i did and do not take the results of the ’06 ’election’ as evidence of ’victory’, given the subsequent performance of so many of the ’victors’ on the spying and funding issues?)
"we" do have power, but not the will to use it
that’s what i believe. i spent some seriously quality time with other actual radicals at the margins of koschicago, and it felt good. when other people are ready to join us, we’ll be very happy and bursting with the desire to exercise that power.
i’m with Lambert- i’m a window pusher. you all go and have fun electing democrats and believing that the process has value. myself, i’m poisoning people’s mind, one at a time, with the idea that they have to think of themselves as not only “outside” the box, but permanently. sorry, i’m not being articulate because i’m distracted with a phone call, but more later.
Not voting out the GOP=death
You don’t have to stop pushing the window in order to recognize and deal with that fact.
Being too good to vote for Democrats doesn’t vote out the GOP.
It's Shystee's tug of war metaphor
We’re still pulling left.
And, er, maybe if the Dems had some party discipline of their own they could talk to the blogosphere about it.
No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.
Votes like last night's...
… show it’s time to put down the Blue Dogs. The best way for us not to have to hold our nose at election time is to stop nominating DINOs for their supposed advantages in red districts.
As you, say Lambert, it’s time for some party discipline, and not of the accommodationist kind that comes from the DLC and the Blue Dogs.