[Dean's World] Aziz P: ideas trump politics

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Aziz P:
ideas trump politics
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1153845145.shtml


   since people who don't casually surf the leftsphere, let alone
   consider themselves members, have a very skewedperspective of the
   Democratic partisan mind, I wanted to point out [1]a post at activist
   site myDD.com that gives a little more depth into the netroot
   mentality.

   The basic issue here is that liberal voters - and this is especially
   true of the netroots - are proud of their beliiefs with respect to
   whether government can be a force for good, whether there is such a
   thing as a societal commons, whether there is a moral obligation upon
   those in society to help provide for those who are less capable by
   dint of circumstance or ability.

   They are proud to be Democrats and believe that what Democrats have
   stood for over history is something to be defended. And I agree,
   though I am not a Democrat myself.

   That is the true reason why, to take an example, Joe Lieberman is so
   hated. Because like many of the politicians in the DLC, but far more
   egregiously so, he advances his own political career at the expense of
   other Democrats. He deliberately embraces and validates the common
   theme promoted by Republicans, that Democrats stand for nothing and
   have no ideas, in order to distinguish themselves and claim that they
   do have ideas.

   In that context, I want to highlight [2]myDD's critique of the DLC
   meeting at which prominent DLCers like Clinton and Evan Bayh got up on
   stage and talked about [3]how they plan to win elections. The answer
   in a nutshell: by announcing they would "move" to the center, implying
   that there is nothing in the broader Democratic platform that already
   occupies that space.

   The key comment:

     If you tell the country that your ideas are designed to win
     elections, then they won't think you stand for anything except
     winning elections. And then, well, you probably won't win many
     elections, because Americans don't like politicians who only stand
     for winning elections. If you want to do something, then just do
     it. Throwing the "this will get us elected" qualifier in front of
     your statements just makes us all look like spineless jackasses who
     are trying to pull one over on the electorate. If you want to talk
     faith, or be a centrist, or be a hawk, or stand on principles, then
     just go for it. Stop wasting our time and making us all look bad by
     telling us you are doing it in order to win elections.

References

   1. http://mydd.com/story/2006/7/25/11745/9233#commenttop
   2. http://mydd.com/story/2006/7/25/11745/9233#commenttop
   3. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14011125/