The rise of “politics as warfare” on the Right, accompanied with militarist rhetoric, is one that my Democratic Strategist colleagues James Vega and J.P. Green and I discussed in a Strategy Memo last year. We discerned this tendency in the willingness of conservatives to paralyze government instead of redirecting its policies, and in the recent efforts to strike at democracy itself via large-scale voter disenfranchisement initiatives. And while we noted the genesis of extremist politics in radical ideology, we also warned that “Establishment” Republicans aiming at electoral victories at all costs were funding and leading the scorched-earth permanent campaign.C'mon. 'We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it,' 'I won,' Rules for Radicals, 'This war is lost,' the IRS targeting conservative groups, Fast and Furious....
All I’d add at this point is that it’s not terribly surprising that people who think of much of the policy legacy of the twentieth century as a betrayal of the very purpose of America—and even as defiance of the Divine Will—would view liberals in the dehumanizing way that participants in an actual shooting war so often exhibit
There's a war coming, maybe. Maybe it's already here. But don't lose sight of the fact that, if we do find ourselves at war, it's a war you wanted all along.
10 comments:
The comments are depressing. Don't like to think that people are that dumb.
They're not that dumb, Eric. They know exactly what they're saying, and they know their history; they created it:
--Democrats abandoning Wisconsin and shutting down government when members of that minority party couldn't get their way
--Democrats abandoning Indiana and shutting down government when members of that minority party couldn't get their way
--Democrats shutting down the Federal government rather than even vote on any bill that funded it because the bills contained some things of which they disapproved
--Democrats filibustering bills passed up to them by the House by refusing even to discuss them: some 200 bills, including 40 or more jobs bills in this session alone
--Progressive press blaming the shootings of Congressman Gifford and others on Republican supporters
--Congressman Lewis and others accusing Tea Partiers of racist activities in the aftermath of Obamacare's passage
--Progressive press, pundits, and politicians insisting that every criticism of Obama and/or his policies can only be racist
--The Senate Majority Leader accusing Republicans of denigrating the country
--The President routinely blaming Republicans for everything that's gone wrong with his policies
--The IRS attacking groups of which the Progressive government disapproves
The list goes on; I've only scratched a small part of the surface. Again, these folks know what they're doing. They're not stupid, they're not dumb, they're not ignorant.
Eric Hines
They have been taking their lessons from the Palestinians. When they they are in the wrong, they simply accuse others of doing what they have been doing.
Call them on it, every time.
Valerie
I've long thought that, up until recently, one of the key differences between the American left and right is that the right always saw its real enemies as foreign, while the left always saw its real enemies as domestic. I think the right is waking up to that now.
That's an interesting thought. What are you going to do about it?
Thomas for Senator
Eric Hines
What am I doing? On this topic specifically, I'm not sure what to do.
In general, however, I do act. I work in an overwhelmingly lefty environment, so I have the opportunity to talk to them all the time. I make a point of being competent, friendly, and helpful at work mostly because that's who I am, but also because I want to be seen as respectable and I want to be liked by my co-workers. In conversations over lunch and what have you, I gently try to get them to reconsider their beliefs and see other possibilities. I also point out demonization when I see it.
Do you have other suggestions? I'm certainly open to them.
And thanks for the endorsement, Mr. Hines! Though I'm not sure I would have the patience for it.
Tom - true. The events outside of DC/NY/LA, and most emphatically those outside the country, are regarded as mere counters, boardgame pieces in the struggle for power
The US Civil War didn't finish the war with Democrats.
Maybe the Second US Civil War will.
It's not a good idea to tell Eric Blair or anyone else on a public area, what you are going to do about it. Other than laying disinformation trails.
Years ago at VC and maybe here, I said something about purging the Republican party. The civil war shouldn't be fought between Republicans and Democrats, more like humans and Demoncrats.
Somebody has to raise the zombies for us to shoot.
If Eric Blair has a suggestion for something positive, it'll be the first time I ever witness it.
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