There is a lot of talking about how Republicans will eat each other because their excessive power will inevitably leads to further excess and open corruption, and because their moderate wing is weary of its neglect and some will be bolting towards our ship.
This idea may sound logical because after all, it usually happens that when predators do not have fresh meat, their own kind start looking quite tasty, and thus cannibalism initiates among them. What's more, Republicans are not as united as they seem; they are assorted patches joined mostly by misinformation or unashamed exploitation.
Furthermore, moderates that used to be the strongest political segment of the Republican Party have been purposely shoved to the side. The Bush administration has consistently ignored them publicly to the point of compelling one of them to overtly accept he was not going to vote Bush this election cycle (Read Lincoln Chafee).
So, it is no surprise that as disillusioned progressives and Democrats we find some hope that the party in power
will fractured and leave an opening for us even before the next election cycle. If something of the like happens it would prove our message correct and vindicate our efforts and sacrifices.
Yet, despite the possibilities of a fracture in the Republican Party, there is another likely crisis lurking to bite us. We may think that we have reached the lowest of the low after our defeat (after all, when was the last time you saw so many progressives working together?), and that we cannot go lower.
The reality, however, is that there are further steps down the ladder of setbacks into which we can fall. These steps further downward are marked by labels like, "infighting," "paralysis," and "schism."
I have stated before that I believe in dissension as a way of life, and that this trait makes progressive more trusting in their message and the best medicine against the status quo. Yet, I am starting to see how this same quality can be the source of our further downhill.
I am very worry of cannibalism among ourselves when we choose to destroy a democratic leader's name, reputation and life-time record of service when such person does not agree with us. Cannibalistic criticism of Liebermann, Kerry and others who have failed to win national victories and that at moments seem to stand on the right side of issues is self-destructing for us.
I have never been attracted by Liebermann's version of progressiveness. Yet, I do not think that cannibalistic criticism toward him does any good to us. I do not mean that we should be silent, and ignored much needed self-criticism. But let's not follow the same approach, the same words, and the same aversion that Republicans would have against our own.
Times are really bad for our country. The party in power is becoming increasingly fascist. The reverses to progress at the end of this presidential tenure will be either irreversible or really hard to invalidate. Don't you think we should find better ways to clean, empower, and self-criticize our party than becoming ourselves our worse enemies?