I have to admit, sometimes the dynamics of this site amaze me. A month ago we attacked, with seeething anger, Speaker Pelosi for her refusal to consider impeachment as an option in dealing with the Monkey Prince. There were a lot of people espousing some pretty extreme tactics in order to force the democrats to listen to the American people. There were also a lot of very hurtful, unconstructive things said by people, who in the end were really just reacting to their frustration; a frustration which I share.
At the time I was frustrated myself, both by our elected representatives, and by the seeming inability of this community to recognize their strength as a political force. I was often angered by comments that could have been taken directly from the transcript of an Anne Coulter interview. Pelosi has personally appealed to this community many times, why couldn't we come together, realize strategies that would genuinely push congressional and senate dems to heed our opinions? Pelosi, especially, is not our enemy. While I dissagree with her on the issue of impeachment, I believe that she is a true progressive, and that she does share many of our values. I believe that she can be influenced, and that we can play a large part in exerting that influence.
Pelosi, however, could take our abuse.
Cindy is another story. I dissagree with Cindy's plan to take on Speaker Pelosi. I don't think it's the right move. I've got to admit, though, that she is doing what most of us have only threatened. She is taking extreme measures to force our Democratic leaders to recognize our priorities. She is Crashing the Gate, by anyones standards. She may be crashing the wrong gate, or perhaps just in the wrong way, but her motivation can't be denied, and the need to take drastic measures has become obvious. Cindy is Crashing the Gate, while most of us are working up the nerve to knock on the door.
I'm not suggesting that people support her idea, but this woman isn't a politician. This community was livid when republicrackers levelled vicious insults against her as she camped outside of Dubyas ranch. How can we treat her with the same scorn now? I know that she has skin thick enough to deal with insults from Anne Coulter, but to hear similar comments from a community that she's been a part of for several years must be very hurtful. Given our frustration with Pelosi, she's also probably very surprised.
If you don't agree with her, that's fine. It's justified. The vitriol is one of the most frustrating aspects of this community, but it does have it's place. When levelled against Pelosi, Reid, Obama, or any of the politicians who have diaried here in the past, it's acceptable, if not always helpful (when was the last time we heard directly from Obama? Perhaps if we didn't attack him quite so brutally for telling us the truth, we'd still have a direct line).
Cindy is a regular woman, and a member of our community, who lost a son, and devoted her life to fighting the war that killed him. She has suffered a great deal for her beliefs, and I would like to think that even when we don't agree with her, this place is safe for her to espouse beliefs without having to deal with personal insults.
I may not be the most active member of this community, but I've been coming to this site for almost five years. This isn't the first time I've appealed to Kossacks for calm, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Usually, I just don't think it's warranted or constructive (as with the Obama/Edwards flamewar), this time I think it's cruel. The two things that really separate the progressive community from the right wing are logic and empathy, neither of which seem to be in abundance here right now.
Nothing more to say.
Just a quick update, if anyone is still listening. The point of this diary is just on the nature of our discuccions here, and how often we let our passion and anger devolve into bickering and insults. This isn't a new frustration for me, and it isn't the first time I've tried to make this point. For the record, though I believe some of the Attacks again Cindy cross the line, and I believe that her loss, and her efforts against the war entitle her to some real empathy, this doesn't justify her own comments. Everyone has a responsibility to try and be civil. Her comments certainly crossed several lines.
For those who feel that this diary is needless, silly, or disingenuous, Cindy herself proved my point best of all. She could have written a diary that voiced her anger without alienating this community. Had she reigned in her own arguments, she might have been able to explain that what she is trying to accomplish is exactly what many of us have been looking for, a way to influence those politicians who are most likely to heed our opinions. She would still have been attacked, but she might have found some support for her plan, or at least her motivation.
She didn't do this, she attacked those whose support she was looking for.