"Dear Peter,You and your friend are full of it. Two white men sitting around pontificating on the brown people."
Ralph, from Grants Pass
The political left is fractured. It is busy purifying itself of loathsome "centrism."
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| Kicked me out |
"Fascist collaborator."
The energy within the political left is with its most progressive flank. These are the Bernie loyalists, the MeToo women, the environmental activists, and the advocates for mass immigration, advocates for Medicare For All, and people who proudly call themselves Socialists. They are busy working out a coherent ideology and enforcing discipline on it. To do this, some people and ideas get identified as outside the group.
That would be me, apparently.
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| Click: Bloomberg |
They have a prescription for political morality and for winning elections: go left, clear and hard and uncompromising There are orthodox acceptable positions candidates must take on immigration, guns, and health care to be within the tribe. They see the Democratic Party as full of people who have compromised and sold out. They are quick to see deplorable thought.
Joe Nocera writes about the problem Claire McCaskill is having in now-red Missouri. She is trying to fit the state, which means she simply is not progressive enough to please the left.
Yesterday's Facebook post is what got me in trouble. Read it. You decide.
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"There have now been 2 complaints." "Too much exposure for his moderate views." "I didn't want this page to become a home for fascist collaborators." "Racist, misogynistic ideas." "Xenophobic racists." "Garbage."
"It looks like you're spreading unfiltered manure. You're jut another white person afraid of people of color. Your attack against people of color is racist and vile."
"He's got a bit of that Joe Biden, old school thing going on that isn't real compatible with how we do it."
"There is no Third Way. That is a false path of compromise."
Comments like that.
My critics are right about one thing: My blog starts with a premise that Donald Trump--incredibly enough--has appeal to a great many Americans. That is why a person as politically self destructive as Trump--notwithstanding his lies, his personal behavior, his bankruptcies, his comments about women--could still win the electoral vote and become president.
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| Kicked me out |
What do people dislike about the left, that they would actually choose Trump?
The Roll of Heretics in the eyes of the progressive left include Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and sitting Democratic senators who have gotten elected in red and purple states, including Claire McCaskill, Joe Manchin, and in Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Governor Kate Brown.
I observe that they got elected. Maybe they are doing something right.
8 comments:
I've experienced the same thing in some discussions. I don't take it personally, but I do believe there is an unthinking fear that drives some to extreme positions. It's not entirely unjustified, is it?
Idealism is a driver of policy, not necessarily an end in itself. Thoughtful Progressives understand this, and the impatience of many is understandable but not necessarily constructive.
Compromise...from com - "together" + promittere - promise."...an agreement for mutual benefit. Assumes good faith from both parties. Not really where we're at, right?
I don't look at the landscape as "left" and "right". For me it's more "right and wrong". The cynicism and ungenerous nature of those succumbing to the lies and hypocrisy of the current administration goes against many fundamental human values. Money has a lot to do with this, but also a lack of imagination. Those that believe that the predators they have unleashed won't turn on them at some point are sadly mistaken and ignorant of history.
After the election of Obama Democrats became complacent and now the leadership is uncertain. The plurality they thought was secure is at risk so they are in a tough spot, and clearly working desperately to regain the high ground.
I think they, and we, will.
Peter,
This old saw again? Yes, the progressive left is fired up and they are uninterested in the flaccid impotence of moderates (new Democrats). Perhaps young people with their undeniable grim future don't have the patience. Though I would argue that not as young (46 years) people like myself have grown weary of the rightward march that politics has taken in this country partially due to Democrat complicity (observe that those folks were elected too). The point I really think you miss is that a populist progressive platform sells to people on the right in many cases - who doesn't like Medicare for all or a $15 hour minimum wage that the Dems were initially against. Recall that polls had Bernie beating Trump by 11 points during the primary while Clinton and Trump was a toss up. It is true that some Obama voters abandoned Clinton but many people on the right who were willing to vote for Bernie, knew they would never vote for Clinton and ran into the arms of that lumpy sack of moldy oranges - they wanted their populism. As for getting roughed up on social media forums? Hey, In the same month I was kicked off of indivisible and the local right-wing WARS! group. Yet here I am, out canvassing for Democrats and non-partisan candidates and trying to provide a positive impact in my community. And doing this as a progressive, Democratic socialist and critic of weak Democratic party behavior. Peter, come down off the cross we can use the wood.
The biggest problem I have with the neoliberal "left" (more right/wrong than left) is the fact that they cheated and rigged the primary against Sanders and his platform. They preferred Trump. Cinton told her news network to elevate him. No single payer healthcare or a livable wage on the Democratic platform. Those of us who lean socialist/progressive----some are working within the party to change what can be changed. I applaud them. Others, like myself, are no longer registered Democrats. I won't vote blue no maatter who. Once a narcissitic cheater, always a cheater. I won't vote for a lying cheat. Cheaters like Trump and Clinton are a dime a dozen. What difference does it make...evil or lesser evil. Voting for the lesser evil is what brought us here...to Trump. I plan on voting for the greater good from now on.
Brenda, thanks.
Very useful comment.
Thank you Peter. I may not always agree with your blog but I do respect your knowledge and experiance. Thank you for your hard truth input.
So who/what is Brenda voting?
I was surprised by prior comments that basically endorsed righteousness, rage, revenge.
I should have added...kicked out by the Christian Left and the Beer Party for holding Obama accountable of drone bombing children in the middle east. He also extended the Bush tax cuts and handed us to the health insurance companies on a silver mandated platter. I voted for Jill in 2012 ad 1016, after a perfect voting record for Democrats since 1981, when I turned 18. This divide has been coming for awhile. It solidified with the rigging of the 2016 primary.
Once again, the left turns on its own. I read through the comments written by those in the “progressive” group and was infuriated. When you have someone working hard and doing some good for the causes you care about, you don’t go in to attack mode when the approach isn’t identical to your own or you don’t agre 100% of the time. Embrace the diverse opinions. Just be glad you’ve got people on the same team and not on the team that is radically different from ours and thoroughly destructive. Yet once again, we divide and conquer EACH OTHER. Find fault amongst our friends instead of defeating our foes. How typical.
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