Discussion of the Somali pirates has once again brought to the surface the deep disagreement here at the Daily Kos that reflects the deep schism in our party at large. The point of contention is over the role of US power in our world. One way to frame this issue is to ask: is the US on the whole, a force for good or or a force for bad?
I understand there are possible objections to putting it this way, the first and foremost that it is too simplistic, too binary, too moralistic, too deeply steeped in Manechian dualism, to be of help. To this objection, I reply it need not be any of those things if you consider that a lot of nuance and meditation on the myriad of permutations goes into beliefs and actions that, in the end, are either/or. Should I take this job, move to this town, marry this guy/gal...? In the same way that there is no such thing as being kind of pregnant, I am asking you to throw in on one side or the other. Do you think the US is a force for good, or for bad?
Before taking the poll, kindly read a little more below the fold
Notes:
- Though the poll is an up or down proposition, your comments are welcome. When you comment, please indicate which way you voted, and explain your thinking.
- One problem, as I see it, is at the Kos and in our Party, we have a strong and vocal group of people who view the US as an Empire, and a bad one to boot. Two things about this:
A) In our society at large, these what I hold to be Far Left people are counter- balanced by the war-mongers on the Right. No such balance exists at the Kos, so the war-is-always-bad meme is IMO overly represented in our discussions compared to what goes on in our country.
This is relevant to the fact that Kos is a democratic blog, a parstian blog, that is about putting better dems into power. And the recent widespread triumphalism across the country about shooting three dangerous Somali teenagers dead tells me that kicking ass, no matter how minor, is a vote getter.
B) If you mention the US is an empire, be prepared to support that assertion with a cogent argument.
Here is the place to do it.
- This poll is meant to lead to a good-faith discussion about the role of US power. Abuse will not be tolerated, though it may be scorned. Address others substantively, or not at all.