A core concern of the political right is “otherness” and the GOP’s base is easily manipulated, at the slightest suggestion, that some group is benefiting in some way, at their expense. It is becoming increasingly clear that liberals have a similar weakness about the idea of “legitimacy.” Hillary was said to be too close to Wall Street, Bernie was said not to be a party member. And yet, Hillary or Bernie on their worst day would be better by orders of magnitude than what we have today.
I posted earlier about the possibility of counterfeit liberal groups trying to poison the political dialog and using the notion of legitimacy is apparently so easy that I don’t doubt that the Russians and others sinister groups are already responsible for some of the venal Hillary and Bernie bashing underway. It’s beginning to appear to me that we liberals are every bit as easy to incite into a divisive meltdown mode as are conservatives.
For some perspective, remember how Hillary’s connection with Goldman Sachs was such a big concern, but look at what we’ve got now? Bernie was said not to be a real Democrat, but in my view, it’s been decades since the Democratic Party was run by real Democrats and Bernie has been more aligned with the politics of FDR, a true Democrat, in my view, than anyone who has come along in years. With Donald Trump in the White House I have no trouble, whatsoever, defending Hillary, or Bernie.
If you were an adult in the mid-1970s you might recall the cultural surprise David Carradine brought to television in the Kung Fu series, the Eastern shocking cultural dynamics of which, were to redirect the force brought against you, so that it works against your opponent.
Too many liberals are engaged in doing the opposite. We should meet each charge from the GOP with a simple, but crystal-clear declaration of what we are striving for, because this highlights what they aren’t doing, can’t do, or won’t do, and it resonates with everyone who knows what should be done. We should do the same, when members of our party double-down on their own post-election angst, needing someone to blame, while driving their ideological differences with those whom they have slight policy disagreements deeper and deeper.
We need to redirect past negative mistakes toward a positive future, or we will wind up with another malaise election, when too many citizens don’t bother to vote.
Does anyone really believe that those who are barricading themselves in a Hillary or Bernie camp are going to respond positively to criticism that just keeps getting more strident and hostile, or that constant bashing is going to suddenly produce converts?
So, here is the thing, if we can’t get past the hopeless infighting, we are going to blow a once in a lifetime opportunity. The over the top incompetence in the White House and the Congress today, is unprecedented, and to lose again to this group of dysfunctional bumblers would be cataclysmically irresponsible.
We are always generous to a fault in questioning the intelligence of Trump supporters, but if we blow 2018 and 2020 in what should be slam dunk elections because of internal backbiting, then, it is our side who is not so bright.
Please stop taking the bait, if bashing Hillary or Bernie persists, we are going to wind up with an ideological split, so severe that our opposition (and the Russians) will be celebrating, because a significant percentage of our party will have become fanatical about a Jill Stein, or a Ralph Nader type candidate (who has no chance of winning) but whose appeal will ensure another wingnut in the White House.
Surely, a George W. Bush and a Donald Trump winning elections is enough for us to figure out how this works. Sad, grasshopper, sad.
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