First a helmet-tip to Jesus' General, a 12 on my scale of manliness, who inspires me daily. Recently, the General posted a Max Blumenthal "Unofficial Documentary of CPAC" youtube video. Excellent excellent stuff. I urge you to watch it.
If you plan on reading this diary please watch the video posted above first or else this won't make any sense.
CPAC happened just recently, the acronym stands for Conservative Political Action Conference. Notice not one mention of the word Resnuglican in there. Watching this video I saw a room full of conservatives, some zombie ideologues (which the Progressive/Democratic movement has as well), some fakers like Malkin and Coulter but also thinking politicos.
This led me down a train of thought, if I support Progressive causes because they are right and intellectually honest and logically sound then there are votes to be had at CPAC. We have a 50-state strategy? Where? We are a big-tent party? Well we certainly, and by we I mean the Democratic party, made no play to set up a table at CPAC.
Late nights spent at diners with coffee, freedom fries and good political wonk friends inevitably yields talk about balanced budgets, pay-as-you-go, veterans' healthcare, on-going Osama hunting, protectionist trade policy and other bread and butter conservative issues. This comes out the mouth of dyed in the wool Democrats, Working Families supporters and netroots supporters!
I've come to Kos way too many times and read posts by Markos that would play well at CPAC. Markos is a veteran, so is Tim Tagaris who is an ex-marine, as are many other blogginistas and could possibly command the respect of Conservatives. Yet there was no table set up at CPAC by the netroots, by the Democratic party, no speeches given by Libertarian/Conservative Democrats (who do exist!) or even moderate Democratic candidates pandering for votes! Want to tack to the center to win an election? Go speak at CPAC, be booed but speak your mind and find a common ground.
It is shameful to me that we, the latte-drinkers of the world, had to have an "infiltration" of a Conservative (read not explicitly Resnuglican) event.
I challenge this website and everybody reading this diary to vow that next year we will not just have an infiltration but a reconnaissance in force! and the year after that a full-scale invasion to take back those sensible conservatives that belong inside our BIG TENT PARTY!
C-KOS 2008!