I have believed for quite some time that, at least on a national level, Republicans don't merely believe in Reagan's thesis (government is the problem, not the solution), they work actively and consciously to make it true. No other organization would continue to employ persons working actively against the efficient functioning of that organization. Only in government in this country will you see that. In our political world, election after election, huge numbers of people vote for individuals they know will do little other than undermine and sabotage and cripple the functioning of the organization to which they aspire. They consistently damage the organization, and, worse, our trust in it.
Less than a week ago, speaking at the National Right to Life Convention (the very name turns my stomach), Rick Perry attacked Wendy Davis for her incredible work for choice and women’s rights. I know that isn’t a surprise, particularly on Daily Kos, but his closing remarks surprised me, not because of their content, but because of how brazenly he delivered them. He said:
The louder they scream, the more we know we are getting something done.
(Of course, the story is available in countless stories. I copied them from this
HuffPo piece.)
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It surprised me because most Republicans don’t wish to suggest that they don’t care about accomplishing anything in governing. Perry states it explicitly, as if making political enemies scream is what voters should expect from their elected officials. And, if you watched the video (also available lots of places online, I am not linking it tonight), the applause he received for the line, in his flagrant appeal to Schadenfreude, indicated that his supporters at that convention are more interested in hurting political enemies than they are in progress in their anti-abortion agenda. They hate us, and they’d much rather hurt us, and women acting lawfully in our country, than they would in achieving their supposedly more important objectives.
Mr. Perry, making people scream isn’t a legitimate government objective. And making people scream isn't accomplishing ANYTHING.
I have studied ‘Schadenfreude politics’ for a number of years, and I do not like them. I’d be the last to suggest that our champion in the White House has done all I’d hoped he would before his first term began. But one thing I like a great deal about him is how he doesn’t stoop to appeals to Schadenfreude in motivating voters. He cares about achievement, about doing things to help our people and our country, not about sham victories like making people scream.
Yes, I am aware that Republicans DO scream about Obama’s presidency, about his healthcare initiatives, about marriage equality. But I don’t think he took those paths to make people scream. I think he did it because he cares about national health, about justice and fairness and equality. Heck, sometimes he makes US scream! But even when that is so, I don’t believe that ranks in his priorities. Nor do I think it is important as a goal in and of itself for most Democrats.
I am also not suggesting that I am above experiencing Schadenfreude, when conservatives do things to illuminate their hypocrisy, their double standards, the bottomless flaws in their policies and their practices. But my preference is to find motivation in achieving things politically. Equality in marriage, in opportunities, in fairness, in justice. I prefer to fight for things, not against them.
It is no accident that the attacks on choice are so intense during a Democratic administration. It is frustrating for us, that we have to spend time ‘defending,’ instead of working FOR important causes. If we’re on defense, we can’t be on offense. No accident.
Why didn’t they achieve more on the anti-choice score during Dubya’s era? For a time they had significant majorities in both houses. And, by and large Democratic Senators were intimidated out of using filibusters to stop Republican adventurism by the nuclear option. They could have achieved more, by their standards. So why didn't they? Why was so little achieved?
There was a West Wing episode (Manchester, Part II, Season 3, Episode III) I wrote about once before in which Josh got into an argument with Bruno about money Josh obtained for fighting Big Tobacco. Bruno argued that Josh didn’t want the money, he wanted the issue, for dramatic political advantage. In many respects, Republicans do precisely this with their anti-choice initiatives. They seek a never-ending series of incremental changes to choice. Outright victory, very frankly, would be the worst political calamity they could imagine. Because all of the momentum, in terms of emotion, fund-raising and activism, would switch to us. It is one of their greatest fears. All they care about is that their voters perceive them as effective anti-choicers. If they can frame ‘achievement’ toward this end as making their enemies scream, so much the better.
On to tonight’s comments!
From ZenTrainer:
This was a good one from Glen The Plumber and Dragon5615.
(Ed. note: One of the briefer Top Comments we've ever seen!)
From Youffraita:
If this one doesn't make the picture Top Comment list, it should. But I nominate it for the written Top Comment list anyway:
From Horsefeathers, in triciawyse's pootie diary.
From BeninSC:
Flagged by rubyr and bruh1, this comment by Mylies Voice gives reasons for Zimmerman's guilt. I think there are more, too, and I hope that's the way the verdict falls.
Flagged by politik, this comment by Onomastic just contains a live feed link for marching in Austin. Such links may be dated, but there is huge value in real-time enabling of political activism.
Top Mojo, graciously provided by
mik!
1) Go for it, fellas! by Bob Johnson — 154
2) Notice the 'when did you stop beating your wife' by Heavy Mettle — 145
3) Says it all. by dkmich — 115
4) I live in Prescott by midgebaker — 111
5) Perry, Dewhurst, & Abbott seem determined to by blugrlnrdst — 109
6) It's pretty obvious from your first photo... by Meteor Blades — 104
7) what can i say? by pfiore8 — 96
8) I commented on these exchanges in OPALs diary by Kayakbiker — 91
9) The media was their previous target on... by peacestpete — 85
10) I see that the corporate media by gulfgal98 — 84
11) Do you know what they do, as a last resort to by teresahill — 82
12) OMG :( awful by Jimmy D 84 — 81
13) The best thing that could happen to women by Jeff Y — 74
14) Looking forward to reading Shanikka’s by Denise Oliver Velez — 73
15) If she isn't already talking to the ACLU by Youffraita — 70
16) omg by mollyd — 69
17) jeez by Karl Rover — 69
18) "disturbing the peace" is one of those by entlord — 68
19) And clearly sticking to the Attack the Messenger by Puddytat — 68
20) Steph was doing his best to politely talk over by Heavy Mettle — 67
21) : ) by Athenian — 66
22) My heart goes out to their families and friends by cfk — 66
23) Forget the makeup, Baby by Keith930 — 65
24) Yes, honoring is the right sentiment. by Eileen B — 64
25) Yep. Those devices are called fire shelters, by jan4insight — 64
26) Nothing like by lunachickie — 63
27) Don't Be So Hard on Uncle Sam ;) by JekyllnHyde — 61
28) Worth a Repost by JekyllnHyde — 61
29) People in power hate real patriotism. by Superskepticalman — 59
30) Wisconsin: been there, done that. by AnnieJo — 58
31) We certainly know provocateurs by pajoly — 58
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g>jotter!