Mitch woefully underestimates, purposefully, the number of disaffected Democrats who, while not agreeing with the radical elements and special interest leadership of the party, find the Republican leadership unethical and the views of the party to be equally as repellant as the Democratic leadership shows itself to be. People like Berg revel in calling the middle the extreme. It's an aged tactic but it works just fine.
The bottom line is that the middle in this country is no longer represented well at all. The Republicans represent the rich (first, last and always), some evangelical nutjobs, and gun freaks (those who desire to own field howitzers). The Democrats represent the minority apologists, environmentalist extremists, and gay and lesbian rights groups. Both also have their strengths, Republicans identify well with work ethic (God knows why), with personal responsibility, Democrats with the worker, with compassion, and with just and proper use of the planet.
It used to be, however, that it was the leadership that tossed barbed comments around, that engaged in dirty tricks. But ever since Lee Atwater and his disciples, which include folks like Karl Rove, the drive has been to get the rank and file to vilify, to hate, the other party's rank and file. It's no longer about discourse, certainly not in the right-wing blogosphere, and increasingly less so in the left, it's about flame-barrages, about anonymity allowing for 'crowd mentality' conduct. Blogs are, for the most part, the wasteland of hubris, contempt, conceit, and incivility without bounds. People who would never behave so badly in public, behave like putrid rotting meat on the web, with the authors, ala Berg, Swift, or Bordkorb, leading the cheer and charge.
I hope someday our neighbors and ourselves will begin to understand that this same kind of deviciveness, these same kinds of words, lead to things like our own Civil War. Reading about the clash of cultures, you hear the same language, the same sanctimony and obdurate, infantile denial of the validity of the arguments presented by the other side.
I commend folks like Flash, who pursue civility, advance, and progress over hollow and petty self-proclaimed victory, or worse self-gratifying invective. Would that we would all remember these are our neighbors, our friends, we are talking to. No problem in this country is so large, the divide so wide, that the position of those with whom we don't agree deserves only scorn - delivered without consideration, and for sure, no problem can be solved by staunch, unyielding opposition to even the idea that we may not know it all, by an approach that no comprimise, no quarter shall be given. That path leads only to conflict, not to victory.
So cheers to you Flash - and to readers who will discuss rather than debase.
One of my favorite quotes, Bill Clinton:
"There is nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed with what is right in America."
Good profile. I don't comment here much but I like your writing. Keep taking the high road.
Thanks, Tim.
Don't be afraid to shoot me an E-Mail if you'd rather not throw a public comment out there.
Flash
Great, I stop by to say congrats and you just had to freaking quote Bill Freaking Clinton.
Nice work Flash!
Come on Tracy, even YOU would have to agree with that quote.
Flash
Tracy,
It's hard to not point out Anti-Strib as reflecting a position of incivility in the continuum. You have a better head about you than most in the rightwing blogosphere (e.g Berg and/or Swift) but still, the point is that it is through civil discourse that progress is made, well unless you want to resort to violence I guess. Anti-Strib could do that, but seemingly, isn't intersted. America will do best when we agree that our neighbors aren't the enemy, and they may be right, or near enough, and we may actually need to stop and listen.
I still laugh at the thought of you being called a liberal blogger.. :D
If after understanding what the far left has done to public education, what they have done to American society in general and especially after reading some of their spittle flecked hatred for everything American, anyone thinks that reaching an accord with them is possible or desireable they have the intellecdtual capacity of a piece of putrid, rotting meat.
I've said it a thousand times: I would no more try to "discuss" anything with leftists than would I try to explain Planck's Constant to a blowfly.
I'm out here to mock leftist lunacy and to discredit their feeble attempts to obfuscate that self-same lunacy under the rediculous meme of it having anything to do with "reality based" thinking.
And I do so very well IMO.
The fact that Flash and I are able to remain civil (for the most part) is testiment to his centricity. Congrats.
Me, I think it's strange that anybody would have trouble thinking of you as a liberal, Flash. Nonstereotypical one, sure, but . . .
As to the civility of the local right vs. left, I'd invite folks to check out, say, "Phoenix Woman" and then explain to me how she's somehow more civil than Swiftee at his worst.
Nice Flash, Congrats.
Gee it is kinda funny though I am either congrating you or Trashing you... LOL So much for being Centrist or maybe that IS the point.
GIGI don't worry we (resonable conservatives)still think of Flash as only a few hairs short of Flaming...remember apples don't drop too far from the tree. Although I am sure your apple pies are just right !
Oh and Leftover...a little over dramatic and over simplication of the civil war analogy. First, didn't realize you were that old to remember "hearing" the same discource.Much of what you say makes sense but it is a little funny you calling for civility yet you are doing the same as those you are accusing.
If you have any sense of History, the dynamics of dissagreement in politics have not changed much even on a grass roots basis, And there is long history of dirty pool on both sides, yet we have sustained our Democracy in spite of our difference which in the end gives us much of our strength through reasonable compromise and resolution.
Oh and While I am at it Swiffty I have yet to read a comment by you that is worthwhile, Don't sign up as a Conservative apologetic anytime soon.
"Conservative apologetic"?
Conservatives have nothing to apologise for Doc, and neither do I.
Swiftee: "Conservatives have nothing to apologise for Doc, and neither do I."
Seems like that denial things is still working out for ya!
Good luck with that!
Flash
Swiftee for someone so "smart" you should have been able to understand the term, its context and application. (though your response was very predictable)
Let me simplify it for you. Do not consider yourself as someone who can effectively communicate conservative principals & values and their applications.
You would however be very suited as an emcee for an ALL Star Wrestling match.
Wow...No need to get ya undapants in a bunch, I know what an apologist is Doc.
Looks like you've been hanging around too many lefties; lighten up.
Swiftee,
Sure I will lighten up..... You too?
McCain up by 7 points?! Say it isn't so!
http://www.reuters.com/article/p...0080820?
sp=true
Commenting by HaloScan
