Sometimes, looking at all the anti-Obama, anti-Democrat spume and bile coming out of the computer screen like a firehose from this blog, I wonder if somewhere there isn't a program funded by some Republican think tank to hire bloggers to log on here and egg it on. I wouldn't be surprised. Although, it is an old truth that there is the "liberal firing squad" firing across the center into the circle. There is a reason it is an old, old sarcasm.
To me there is shortage of a sense of history that is really at work in all this. Partly, this is because the internet as a part of this process is so new.
Considering how the past 50 years has gone, which many people thankfully were not around for, it is lucky that there are Democrats in power in Washington and that McCain/Palin wasn't elected. Really and truly a miracle. (Perhaps God actually heard these guys' prayers and was horrified at what was in them.)
The real miracle is actually that it is the Democratic Party which has the intellectual vigor and energy, if you include the netroots in the overall big tent. I can remember a time when the leadership of the Party seemed to really have cobwebs between their ears and the Party seemed to me just intellectually moribund. Now, it is the Republicans who seem to be infected with some sort of brain rot virus.
Politics is like an iceberg. There is what you can see and then there is what is hidden below the surface where it can't be observed. The present is shaped irrevocably by history.
I think the biggest problem, on deep reflection, is that everyone alive is used to the politics of protest to a degree that is possibly so deeply rooted and profound, most commentators can't see it, since they are focused on the surface of things.
This means that many people are thinking defensively and being in the habit of seeking something to protest rather than thinking about building up. This runs through all walks of life and operates at all levels, on and off the internet. It is a paradigmatic condition.
The adjustment from the politics of protest to the politics of advocacy and building up will not be immediate. It has taken nearly fifty years to become so deeply ingrained many people, particularly those who are the most vocal opinion leaders, probably don't see what the difference might be or why it could be relevant.
It will take more than one election and a few months to turn around all that must be encompassed.
If Republicans succeed in overturning the applecart, that time necessary will be lengthened and the danger is that, considering that conservatives are really deep into The Dark Side, anytime they gain power things will get really jammed up. The next time Democrats get a majority again, there will be damage to undo before anything constructive can take place. And Republicans are not shy about blaming Democrats for the damage. The reason for that is that it works. People fall for it. Memories are short and analysis is shallow.
Any negativity in the political environment makes us emotionally uneasy. We can't help but respond to very ancient instincts. If the whole group is uncomfortable there must be danger somewhere and we mobilize, largely by getting angry and adrenalized, ready to fight. It isn't an intelligent response. It isn't about issues.
Republicans know that any black smoke they can pour out somehow will call out that instinct. They know that many people do not stop to think analytically enough to sort out what is going on and spot the black smoke crews. They just get adrenalized.
Including progressives. A lot of us are progressive because we are not interested in staying in the same rut, and we look for more variety in life and some adventure that takes us out of the same old ruts others are satisfied with. We are more given to impatience with the status quo, which makes us more likely to be creative thinkers. We want politics to be more creative and that is why we look for politicians to support who are comfortable seeking new alternatives to old problems. But we are emotionally impatient as well. Many really don't like politics enough to make a long term commitment to politics as a lifeway. We want to see something get done in short order, before we have lost interest and moved on to something else. When things turn out to require the sort of long term steadfastness that conservatives are more known for, we get upset with the whole deal and start casting around for who to blame.
That is why progressives tend to not accomplish much except in short bursts, and why conservatives have tended to dominate politics for the most part. Also, when you think about it, conservatives are more ruthless in manipulating through power plays and even strong arm military approaches when they can get away with it.
What has to change really, is for progressives to adopt a more long term approach. Instead of just looking at the next election cycle, the outlook has to be to encompass the next several election cycles and the greater direction that the whole system needs to be pushed in- over the next 10 to 20 years and beyond.
Perhaps the greatest difference between progressives and what I call "regressives" is the way we view the future of our world. This underlies all the other debates that are proxy for this.
If we view the future as more worthwhile to focus on, and we see the challenge ahead as being a set of realistic problems that must be faced honestly and through a scientific approach to information gathering, then we are progressive.
If we view the past as more dynamic and our ever more speedy departure from it as alarming and a huge, catastrophic error that must be corrected before it is too late, then we are more likely to be regressive.
To me, the regressives tend to be driving down a highway with eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. The prospects of people like that getting elected seems downright dangerous, pretty much in the same way.
So the focus has to be on doing what it takes to win elections, to build on what has been built before, to correctly and honestly assess what the problems are that require public policy action, and to at least threaten to stay involved and remain committed to being a factor through making politics a permanent part of our lifeways.
I think those are the greater issues, and the more immediate concerns are just the sort of stuff that always diverts attention from the real goals and direction-setting we need to be contemplating. The debate really ought to be about what long term governance goals should be worth the fight and our life's energy.