My OperaIt's on now..
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 6:52:47 PM
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/betrayal-by-digby-i-have-frankly-been.html
Now, instead of just bashing digby for being afflicted with Hillary just as bad as neoconservatives caught Bush, through making a to them intelligent and reasonable cut through the crap in order to get at the "core" of their candidate's "vision" - instead of that, I'm going to tell you a story.
It's about someone who once used the argument that "the right is using petty personality- politics to shield themselves from addressing the substantive issues at stake". In fact, that phrase, in endless iterations, have been screamed and shouted at cheeto- stained computers for the past eight years. Not just as a gimmick, but as a rallying cry for the new left, the new scum, who were - in their gentle liberal idiotic ways - engaging in what we call "resentment politics".
It's not that this is by definition a bad thing - there are things to feel genuine resentment for: killing of innocent people, torturing people and then use the confessions in trials, to name a few - those are genuinely resentful things.
But that does not matter. In elite- speak, "resentment politics" mean a very specific thing. It means motivating the punters to go to the polls because they hate the other guy. It worked for Clinton, it worked for Reagan, it worked for Nixon, it worked for Bush. And now it's getting out of hand, and for once digby is out of sync.
Because, what is Rev. Wright really doing? He's injecting a second volley of Obama's race- speech into the public sphere, while making it plain that hate - while a terrifying thing to behold for the White Man (read: the elite, black or white) - is nevertheless completely justified. And as such, they generate - like Obama's initial campaign, a sense of quiet disdain for the upper class.
And if digby can't admit that frightens her, and goes way beyond her threshold for acceptable political revolution - then she should probably pack her bags and join Maureen Dowd at the NYTimes. Because not facing that reality - that Hillary has tempted fate with engaging very consciously in the right- wing narrations about Obama's communist and terrorist ties - she has once again painted herself as the establishment candidate. Something which she has, ironically, spent months challenging Obama on, in attacking him for not going far enough with for example health- care. A dynamic which has been curiously absent from any of the analysis from the unofficial experts in the blogosphere.
Now - why is that? It's because tackling the issues - like Wright and Obama did when they told their story, and explained just exactly what they think is wrong with America, and how the direction needs to change asap in order to ever get back to the shores - simply is out of their league. They don't know the mechanisms well enough to talk about how healthcare should be structured, they don't know where to look to find the numbers, and least of all is there any will to really challenge the narratives. At the grass- roots, however, there is fresh meat - where the resentment and dazed hopes generate money for keeping the party machinery going.
Without which no one would have any money to pay for arranging the right fund- raisers, attracting the right groups, and for running the media- campaigns.
But hey - who wants another replay of JFK or Dr. King, eh? Think about what would happen if the defense- budget finally was reined in and properly audited! All those missile- shifting jobs! And what about that chemical plant that the state should build, but which produces nothing the state should use! *gasps* Think if it's not gonna be built! That'd impact the social issues, and it would be a disaster for the Democratic party!
No - better keep your fucking head down, and stick to what you know - opining on your favourite target of the hour, threading carefully so as to not trip the wrong wires. Always aiming for "balance", as we have spent eight years learning from the Republicans.
But this is US politics we're talking about here - so don't expect an epiphany from the media and blogosphere stars until after the issue has been overtaken by the next bowling scandal, and/or correctly targeted frenzy, of course. Instead, we're going to have a sing- song, all round, as the tragedy's main characters make themselves heroes once more - rising from their filth, like born again.
Of course - don't forget: the Republicans done it. Always remember that, and everything's fine.
Betrayal
by digby
I have frankly been a little bit confused by the reaction to Reverend Wright's recent comments around the sphere and even here on this blog. I thought most people in the Netroots were big Obama supporters and yet they defend Reverend Wright, which I find rather surprising considering what he did.
Now, instead of just bashing digby for being afflicted with Hillary just as bad as neoconservatives caught Bush, through making a to them intelligent and reasonable cut through the crap in order to get at the "core" of their candidate's "vision" - instead of that, I'm going to tell you a story.
It's about someone who once used the argument that "the right is using petty personality- politics to shield themselves from addressing the substantive issues at stake". In fact, that phrase, in endless iterations, have been screamed and shouted at cheeto- stained computers for the past eight years. Not just as a gimmick, but as a rallying cry for the new left, the new scum, who were - in their gentle liberal idiotic ways - engaging in what we call "resentment politics".
It's not that this is by definition a bad thing - there are things to feel genuine resentment for: killing of innocent people, torturing people and then use the confessions in trials, to name a few - those are genuinely resentful things.
But that does not matter. In elite- speak, "resentment politics" mean a very specific thing. It means motivating the punters to go to the polls because they hate the other guy. It worked for Clinton, it worked for Reagan, it worked for Nixon, it worked for Bush. And now it's getting out of hand, and for once digby is out of sync.
Because, what is Rev. Wright really doing? He's injecting a second volley of Obama's race- speech into the public sphere, while making it plain that hate - while a terrifying thing to behold for the White Man (read: the elite, black or white) - is nevertheless completely justified. And as such, they generate - like Obama's initial campaign, a sense of quiet disdain for the upper class.
And if digby can't admit that frightens her, and goes way beyond her threshold for acceptable political revolution - then she should probably pack her bags and join Maureen Dowd at the NYTimes. Because not facing that reality - that Hillary has tempted fate with engaging very consciously in the right- wing narrations about Obama's communist and terrorist ties - she has once again painted herself as the establishment candidate. Something which she has, ironically, spent months challenging Obama on, in attacking him for not going far enough with for example health- care. A dynamic which has been curiously absent from any of the analysis from the unofficial experts in the blogosphere.
Now - why is that? It's because tackling the issues - like Wright and Obama did when they told their story, and explained just exactly what they think is wrong with America, and how the direction needs to change asap in order to ever get back to the shores - simply is out of their league. They don't know the mechanisms well enough to talk about how healthcare should be structured, they don't know where to look to find the numbers, and least of all is there any will to really challenge the narratives. At the grass- roots, however, there is fresh meat - where the resentment and dazed hopes generate money for keeping the party machinery going.
Without which no one would have any money to pay for arranging the right fund- raisers, attracting the right groups, and for running the media- campaigns.
But hey - who wants another replay of JFK or Dr. King, eh? Think about what would happen if the defense- budget finally was reined in and properly audited! All those missile- shifting jobs! And what about that chemical plant that the state should build, but which produces nothing the state should use! *gasps* Think if it's not gonna be built! That'd impact the social issues, and it would be a disaster for the Democratic party!
No - better keep your fucking head down, and stick to what you know - opining on your favourite target of the hour, threading carefully so as to not trip the wrong wires. Always aiming for "balance", as we have spent eight years learning from the Republicans.
But this is US politics we're talking about here - so don't expect an epiphany from the media and blogosphere stars until after the issue has been overtaken by the next bowling scandal, and/or correctly targeted frenzy, of course. Instead, we're going to have a sing- song, all round, as the tragedy's main characters make themselves heroes once more - rising from their filth, like born again.
Of course - don't forget: the Republicans done it. Always remember that, and everything's fine.
