Daily Kos

Winger sees the light! Time for a new Left/Right Alliance?

Wed May 10, 2006 at 07:43:03 AM PDT

Many Democrats have known for a long time that George W. Bush and his cohorts are dangerous and foolhardy men. We are acutely aware of the assaults on our Constitution, even on common sense, that they have undertaken. We have lately been cheered to see some on the other side of the spectrum now coming around.

A column by a winger so pure that he's a lifetime Bircher - former staff member there - raises an interesting question and offers some historic examples of times when left and right cooperated to good purpose.

More in the foggy otherside...

This rightwing radio host, by name, opens with opinions about Air America. You may be surprised:
So why should any left-winger reading this care a fig about what I have to say?

Because of a conversation I had with another conservative magazine writer recently. In frustration at the unconstitutional excesses of the Bush administration, I blurted out to him: "The only people doing any good out there are the people at Air America." I expected to shock him with the statement, but his two-word reply shocked me: "And MoveOn.org."

Eddlem goes on to say:

We were both exaggerating for effect, but fact is, as my journalist friend continued, "We probably only disagree on, maybe, 25 percent of the issues." I'd have put the percentage a little higher, though I tacked an ending onto his sentence: "...and those issues aren't especially important right now."

He talks about a Rebel Alliance in the late 1980s that formed to prevent holding a very dangerous new Constitutional Convention:
An odd coalition formed that paired Common Cause with Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum and the AFL-CIO with the John Birch Society. Conservatives got resolutions condemning the convention from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Legion, and even the National Rifle Association, which feared that the convention would tinker with the Second Amendment.

Read the article. It's worth it. Then tell me: is this guy on to something,
or on something? Seems to me we have to get there somehow. Is there anything we as bloggers could do to facilitate a new Rebel Alliance? Could we even help, given the bloody mindedness of left and right bloggers toward each other?

Tags: left, right, cooperation, Constitution (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

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