The Politics of Cruelty and the Left

Reading the diaries and comments that have appeared in the last two days, I'm reminded of one of Clinton's stock lines, one that I believe Obama also uses.

To paraphrase, it is "We need to return to that time when we all felt like we were in the same struggle together.  To that time when it mattered to an Ivy League White Kid what was happening to a poor black girl in Selma."

Sadly, it seems that many of us would rather watch our fellow citizens suffer in order to make a political point: that Republican government is bad for America.

To me this is a moral abomination.  We already have one political party that has made it quite clear that they are only interested in governing for 50% of the country.  We detest them for it.  We fear them for it.  

So why are we now acting like them?  Since Nov the 2nd I've heard suggestions that we essentially let the red states fall under Taliban-like conditions, as it "serves them right", and any blue-sympathizers in red states can just get up and move.   I've heard suggestions that Democrats should force the Republican agenda by demanding votes on imprisoning gays and women who have abortions.

In other words, I have heard calls that we engage in the politics of cruelty and inhumanity, in the ill-begotten belief that this will prove a point and sway the masses towards the Democrats.

Not only is this politically naive for assuming there is a mass-psychology breaking point at which the public will recognize the danger of republican rule....

Not only is this morally repugnant in treating our fellow citizens as expendable means towards a political end...  

It is ALSO a complete betrayal of the very essence of liberal, progressive, democratic values - that we are a nation only as strong as the weakest among us, that we are all in the struggle for a better world together, that we are better than our base instincts of vindictiveness, pettiness and divisiveness.

No more gleeful plotting at how we're going to fast-track the Republican ruin of our nation.  Doing so is treasonous to the principles we're supposed to hold dear; you are aiding and abetting the cruelty and divisiveness that we need to stand boldly against.  You are ignoring Dean's dictum that we'll never win by imitating the Republicans, we'll only further empower and embolden them.

So please, take a page from Clinton, Dean and Obama - the past, present, and future of our party.