A diary on the rec list make a preposterous sub-argument in support of its thesis. Though a fallacy, the argument seems to have currency with quite a few of us here, and thus demands a full response. The statement is:
Yesterday, I wrote a diary titled I demand PURITY!!!!!, and though it was more focused on the right's search for ideological purity, it was intended to be critical of those of us on the left as well who would live in a "You're with us or against us" kind of world. That approach simply DOES NOT WORK. Either extreme only appeals to those who already agree with you, and it makes you irrelevant to those who do not agree with you, even if you are right.
This is, simply put: balderdash. Our problem is not that we have too much purity; its that we do not have, and never have had, enough party discipline.
Follow me bellow the fold for more.
One would have to be far gone in utopian speculations to to entertain the conceit that one of main problems in the Democratic party is too much party discipline. Resurrecting this "concern," yet again, disregards the uniform course of our party's history, and sets at defiance the accumulated experience of the past 180 years. In truth, we have since our inception been a Big Tent too big: one that lamely and ultimately failed to bring and hold together free soilers from the North and Slave holders in the South.
Though the Civil War destroyed slavery, it destroyed neither racism nor the (in no small way, think Dixiecrat) abundant multiple personalities in the Democrats national party. By 1935, our schizoid character was old news, as shown with Will Rogers famous quip: "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat." And today'sdoughface Dems (Blue Dogs) on the right, go back to the mealy-mouth men of weak will who wouldn't take a stand against Southern Slave power.
The problem with Democrats, if there is one, is not too much purity. Its that we do not have enough party discipline. A prime example of this is our party's inability to rally behind the flag on defense. The partial immolation of our party during the Vietnam war brought to the fore the split between the so-called "hawkish" and "dovish" wings of our party. This wound has been ever-present since the 1960s, has prevented us from running convincingly strong-on-defense presidential candidates. Every time the US uses force, the far left cries "Another Vietnam." While we may have worked out an uneasy alliance in our own Tent, at what cost? We FAILED to persuade the center, LOST membership and LOST the much-coveted independent vote. All this hurt us deeply in containing the increasingly idiot bellicosity of Republican right. We ceded an entire field of contest to the other party, the field of national security. And still do.
So enough with these concern diaries about purity tests and such nonsense.
As for Purity? Give me a break.
This is a partisan democratic reform blog. Link. There are many places you can go on the net for whatever reason you wish. This site is for Partisan Reform Democrats.
Partisan means an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause. Our cause? Putting better, reform-minded Dems into power.
Obama is a better, reform-minded Democrat.
As liberals, conservatives, centrists, and progressives, we fight it out in the primary to put up our guy or our gal in the general election. Then, we all come together and put the Democrat we selected into power. We get him or her elected. And then we back them, and pressure them, and cajole then to get our policies through.
We do not threaten to take our ball and go home.
We Dems got Obama elected. Now we Dems need to help him get his policies through. Do I agree with all his moves? No. But I'm a member of a team, Team Democrat. And so I support him unless I have very good reason to think that he is not doing his level-best to govern well and to affect refom.
I do not think that is the case. I think it plainly obvious but to the most ideologically driven that the opposite in indeed the case: that Obama is working his ass off to do right by America and do right by the Democratic party.
So, I think all this is what it means to be a partisan reform Democrat at a partisan reform Democratic blog. This is what it means to to put your party before you, and your country before your party.
That is not purity test. That is common sense.