Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to The difference

I'm not sure I agree
ER — (archived)

Humiliation and insult of the Other, no matter how well-deserved, only reassures the faithful, it does nothing to convince those on the fence or make converts on the other side. That kind of abrasion only provokes a counter-reaction, a feeling that those who exploit it are not just an honorable opposition, but mad dogs that need to be put down. It is probably the single biggest tactical mistake the Conservative movement makes, because it gives them an acute misperception of their infallibility, and a chronic underestimation of their opponents.

Only events can bring about long-term changes in attitude, as people see that their interests are threatened by those they once followed, or that the groups they were once proud members of have been hijacked by sleazeballs. The reason Obama won this election is that enough moderates and conservatives were screwed by Republican policy that they realized they had to vote for a change, even if it was a vote they were really hesitant about. The Democrats didn't win this election, the Republicans pissed it away because they never learned to say "no".

This is why our conservative friends here were so eager to cover for the Bush gang, no matter what they got caught at or how badly they screwed up, and even if they had second thoughts personally about the ineptness and arrogance (a great combination, eh?) of their champions, they kept them to themselves (at least, until AFTER the election).

They could not allow any deviation from the party line because they feared that with the slightest crack in their united front the whole rotten ideological edifice would cave in. Right up until the end every thing was just hunky-dory, remember? "No problema". Not only is that bad Spanish, it's an easily demonstrable fallacy. They told us not just that they had the right ideas, but that it was impossible for them to have the wrong ideas because they were conservatives. Their rout was total, their humiliation was complete, and now they want revenge.

After Obama has a chance to prove his policies, (at the very least, after the traditional 100 days) Democrats must be ready to offer constructive criticism if he doesn't measure up. To do otherwise would be for us to destroy our credibility like the Republicans did. And if we haven't seen the ship of state start to settle down on a new tack by the next Congressional election, then we should be willing to take him to task, or we will make just a big an ass of ourselves as the right did for the last eight years.

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