What I tend to respect about the intellectual "left" is the ability of some of its members to hold on to consistent principles, and not to be ostracized by the party as a whole.
With the implosion on the right, you see the pure sophistry of a political party. The strict and strident adherence to a party line even in the face of an absolutely discordant reality. The GOP is is tossing out its moderate members and doubling down on bigger defense, tax cuts, and no gay marriage. Furiously masturbating to old pictures of Ronald Reagan and yearning for yesteryear.
But on the left, you have many who spent years railing against the gross excess of the previous administration. Diligently chronicling the perfidy, malfeasance, and generally venal nature of those that worked in the Bush administration. It is clear now they are not giving up simply because there is a new boss, or ignoring inequities simply because they happen to support some of the same policies. I would say, in fact, that it is more important that the critiques come from the 'base' in this regard.
I think this may be the most damning comment about our political culture (I recommend reading the post, it is cringe inducing):
What is most damaging about all of this is exactly what Goldsmith celebrated: that Obama's political skills, combined with his status as a Democrat, is strengthening civil liberties extremists -- could possibly object to any of that.
Now, much of the other half of the country, the one that once opposed those policies
-- Democrats, Obama supporters -- are now reciting the same lines, adopting the same mentality, because doing so is necessary to justify what Obama is doing. It's hard to dispute the Right's claim that Bush's Terrorism approach is being vindicated by Obama's embrace of its "essential elements." That's what Goldsmith means when he says that Obama is making these policies stronger and more palatable, and it's what media stars mean when they describe Bush/Cheney policies as Centrist: now that it's not just an unpopular Republican President but also a highly charismatic and popular Democratic President advocating and defending these core Bush/Cheney policies, they do become the political consensus of the United States. Bush/Cheney terrorism policies and solidifying them further. For the last eight years, roughly half the country -- Republicans, Bush followers -- was trained to cheer for indefinite detention, presidential secrecy, military commissions, warrantless eavesdropping, denial of due process, a blind acceptance of any presidential assertion that these policies are necessary to Keep Us Safe, and the claim that only fringe Far Leftist Purists --
This is disappointing, to say the least. Of the things I hoped for the most, it was the dismantling of the national security/terrorism policy of the Bush/Cheney regime. Strengthening it with a coat of new paint and a more polished spokesmen, is not what I signed on for. You can't polish a turd and this stinks to high heaven.
In further depressing news. Democrats have no spines.
THEY NEVER LEARN.... At some point a few weeks ago, Republicans decided that the closing of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay was a political winner. They'd rant and rave about the Obama administration putting terrorists in U.S. "neighborhoods," and Democrats, the theory goes, would back away from a sensible policy.
The argument was absurd, of course, and I'd hoped congressional Democrats would ignore the fearmongering. It looks like the minority party still knows exactly how to push the majority party's buttons.
You know what, this some of the worst sort of demagoguery. I have wrote it before, other commentators have made the case: if there is one thing Americans excel at in this day and age, it is putting people in jail, and keeping them there.
Our prison system houses some of the most dangerous people in our society and nary a one escapes. During WWII we housed, on American soil, over 400,000 enemy troops/POWs, and boy did they run rampant all over the country. Oh wait they didn't.
And we are honestly to believe that 250 individuals, that may or may not actually be terrorist pose more of a threat then Imperial Japan and Nazis Germany?
This does more then strain credulity. It fucking brakes it, bends it over a buffet table and sodomizes it while its small children are watching, all the while kicking puppies and eating kittens.
Let us repeat on more time. They are not not Super-Villains!-Cheers
