I know this is a Democratic Party site. In the leadup to the RNC, there was endless slagging of "anarchists" here. How ironic then that I offer for your consideration the intellectual framework for countering the rise of fundy/neocon Republicans based on the work of one of the great theorists of anarcho-syndicalism.
His name was George Sorel, his masterwork was a book entitled "Reflections on Violence", and what we saw played out in this election was confirmation of his theory of the power of social myth to drive political behavior.
Sorel held that even in the most rationalistic of cultures, the greatest motivatorto human oplitical action, the great bond of human political identity, resides more in the realm of myth than of reason.
We wonder, after Thomas Frank, why do so many vote against their own self-interest? Why, with a war degenerated into quagmire, a rickety economy, a government of profound cynicism and amorality was returned to power on the basis of "morality"?
It's quite simple. Through carefully coded language, Bushco associated themselves with the central religous mythology in our society, despite a record of practical action quite at odds with basic teachings of Christianity. It was the mythic framework, not the substance, that mattered.
If we are to compete with the republicans, we must also bundle our critique with a generally accepted and pervasive American social myth. Some here are arguing a rather simplistic approach, that we need to be more like moralizing Christians ourselves. My response to that is that just as Bush-lite doesn't work, neither will Falwell-lite.
However, as due to their reactionary conservatism, the neocon/fundy alliance moves further awayfrom the basic principles of Liberty and Justice on which this nation was founded, they offer us an opportunity to secure for ourselves and our posterity our great national civic myth, the American revolution. We can confront their sacred social myth of dominionist Christianity with a myth of at least equal power and acceptance. We can think in terms of blogs being Committeef of Correspondenfe. We can embrace the broad definition of Liberty (always capitalized) that moved our founders. We can shake our fists at the oppression of King George, and bellow like true Sons and Daughters of Liberty, "Don't Tread on Me!"
Some of the most powerful elements within the Dean campaign arose from embracing this framework as our self-definition. The powerful piece of literature named "Common Sense". The rallying slogan every Deaniac will remember many years from now, as rich with mythic symbolism as it can be, summarizing the spirit and purpose of the Dean movement, and placing it squarely within the context of our great civic myth:
The tea is in the harbor!
Our myth can beat up their myth.