IF we all agreed, THEN no one could stop us.
IF we all worked on the same issue, THEN no one could stop us.
IF we all just phonebanked OR just doorbelled OR just leafletted OR just protested FOR / AGAINST some issue or some candidate, THEN that issue or candidate would win.
yawn.
IF everyone was nice, THEN the world would be nice.
yawn ... yawn.
IF we were all on the same page, IF people would understand our message, THEN we'd win!
yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...
What a great Myth, What a great Trap.
For decades, "Solidarity" and "Civility" have been defined to appease the upper middle cla$$ inhabitants of leafy neighborhoods, and for decades we the peee-ons of the community have been getting our asses kicked by right wing lying thieves.
How about a little "Do Unto Others as You'd Have Them Do Unto You"?
YOU don't want my hardball message pushed on you, WHY do you push your stuff on me?
YOU don't want hardball strategy and hardball tactics shoved down your throat? Well, I ain't kicking my time into your weenie whiny losing sniveling.
YOU don't want to fund my stuff, WHY should I fund your stuff?
How about having Diversity of speech and message? How about having Diversity of tactics and of strategy? How about having something beyond the upper middle cla$$ salon speak of euphemism and obfuscation with its imposed insipid "Solidarity" and wimped out salon "Civility"?
What a great Myth, What a great Trap..What a Lie.
As a working stiff, as a campaign grunt, as a 12 year old in '72 living in the Western MA. woods with his vet uncle and vet friends, I've been on the sidelines of these wars over Solidarity and Civility for a long time. This is what I've seen - those fighting for the community have gotten their asses kicked, consistently, by liars who MUST lie because the liars are working for the benefit of the top 1% and the detriment of the bottom 90%++. The debates are always the same:
What is Solidarity and What is Civility, and
How we can have Solidarity and How we can be Civil, and
How we should behave to be Civil and How we should behave to have Solidarity ...
One of the BIG problems with all these discussions and arguments is that there are a LOT of really nice people who will doorbell, or who will phonebank, or who will leaflet, or who will protest, or will do some of or all of the above - ONLY as long as THEY are comfortable with what passed for Solidarity and Civility.
THE MYTH. After every loss, there is a mountain of analysis, and consistently the Solidarity and Civility crowd crows that there wasn't enough Solidairty and there wasn't enough of the Civility thing, because we did something, the other guys LIED, and consequently we scared the centerly middle independetly swinging moderates.
THE TRAP. We gotta try harder with that tried and try losing upper middle cla$$ obfuscation and euphemism for next time!
THE LIE. See THE TRAP.
THE PROBLEM is our gutless and or sold out "leaders" who can't manage different factions, BUT, who manage to keep their "leader" jobs sucking all kinds of money out of the system while we the peee-ons keep losing to lying thieves.
How about having Diversity of speech and message? How about having Diversity of tactics and of strategy? How about having something beyond the upper middle cla$$ salon speak of euphemism and obfuscation with its imposed insipid "Solidarity" and wimped out salon "Civility"?
How about ONLY supporting leaders who use Diversity to BEAT the right wing, instead of using it as another sappy sentiment.
(p.s. hats off to Madison & Federalist #10, The Prince and whether it is better to loved or feared, and to bobswern's krugman diary this week.
Krugman - Lets Not Be Civil
)