We Eat Our Own, Don't We?

[Vyan]

We eat our own around here don't we?

This is why the right-wing thinks were a joke. But at the same time, it just might be why we're a perfect antidote to their knee-jerk lock-step dance of doom.

If the wake of the "great cave-in" of 2006 by Congressional Democrats Cindy Sheehan has now officially resigned as the "Face of the Antiwar Movement". BBC reporter Greg Palast has seen fit to blast back as Dkos having learned that it's "Hard out here for an Internet Pimp"

No shit, dude.

Hannity's gonna have a field day with this one.

Pardon me while I ramble a bit, but I have a point to make in here somewhere.

The other day I wrote about the sociopathology of conservatism, but it's not like Liberals are free of their own self-destructive pathologies is it?

We have a tendencies to be our own worst enemy. Republicans accuse us of being "cut and runners" and what do we do... Cut and RUN out on our principles. Jimmy Carter stands up and tells the truth, then immediate backs down and scampers away like a beaten little mouse.

Oh - "I didn't mean it". "I was mis-interpreted" "Taken out of context"

Oh, Bullshit.

I know it can be enough to make you pull your hair out even if don't have any hair.

Cindy Sheehan bitches out Congress for backing down against the President, then she backs down.

Oi vey.

Look, I don't blame Cindy for making this decision - she has to live her own life and frankly she's given far more of herself to help to protect the lives of so many other people's children than anyone should ever ask or expect. She deserves a chance to rotate back from the front lines of the War against the War.

It just looks so bad...

Hey guys, remember that We Won the Congress just few months ago? There's still hope that we can end this war, there still hope that we can undo at least some of the damage that George Bush has inflicted on this nation and the world.

Everything we hear about Gonzo-Gate just looks worse and worse. Trying to punk Attorney General Ashcroft into allowing an illegal wiretap program while he's hopped-up on meds in the hospital? Caging African-American Voters? Setting up ideological litmus tests for the DOJ?

There isn't one part of this that doesn't stink like a shit-bomb.

We have a LOT. of. WORK. to. DO.

Now really isn't the time to fold and leave all our chips on the table.

Henry Waxman is going after Lorita Doan with a torch and a pitchfork.

Wolfowitz is out on his ass, and making excuses.

The right-wing is having conniptions fits over whether September will or won't be the next turning point in the Iraq war.

Yet another Rove Lackey has bit the dust.

Olbermann is driving Drudge bat-shit crazy.

We should be doing the high-fives times 1000, yet we have all this pissing and moaning from the guys on our team!.

But...

But, this just might be the greatest thing about our side of the fence. We keep each other honest. We don't do the crony shuffle. We don't do the lock-step. It can be tough to be in our camp, it can be brutal. We've long ago run off Bev Harris. Barack says that places like Dkos are "pretty much what he'd expect."

Sure, whatever dude.

This is what seperates us from the other side; they get their talking points from punditocracy and regurgitate them without ever digesting them - but we really are having a duel of ideas and ideals on sites such as this. We don't accept orders from on high. Kos, Skinner and Koll are not my Kommandants.

They aren't the boss of me.

We're all just trying to figure this ongoing American experiment out, one person at a time, one argument at a time. It's a knife fight, not a mud-wrestling match. It can be painful. It can hurt. We can shed blood. We can leave a scar - but that's the way it has to be.

We literally are the pre-verbial "herd of cats", and we aren't all going the same direction anytime soon - Thank God!

Just as the founding fathers used the printing press and publications such as "Common Sense" to spread their ideas of democracy, to further the enlightenment of the new world as they crafted the struts and applied the mortar to our democracy, so must we - the citizen media - use the new publishing technologies of the Netroots to continue to carve and shape that democracy into a more perfect union.

Democracy is real hard work, but worth it.

So I salute, yet mourn our fallen soldier Cindy. Hopefully as we pick up the flag and carry it forward we'll try not to let some of the various slings and arrows of criticism and ridicule coming our way at light-speed - even from our allies - sting too deeply, or dim the fire that drives us forward to save this nation from itself.

God, Jehova, Muhammad, Shiva, Chrishna and Buddha bless America.

Vyan

Crossposted from My Blog.

[MH1]

1. Great post, Vyan.

:patriot:

[hlthe2b]

2. Yup... keep us grounded, Vyan.... We need it.

[Ninga]

3. Not only do we eat our own, but we dine on self-gratiicaion, and drink at the cup

of excessive bloated self promoted opinion.

I have said over and over and over.

Until we are willing to take to the streets, on a Wednesday, or any other work day to stop traffic, stop business, don't buy gas, etc, we will never be respected or heard in DC.

Letter writing, waiting for this administrastion to implode, emals, phone calls......etc etc etc.......and the vote is the vote is the vote...........and 8 more have died.

Hello people......the egg can not be unbroken.........

When shall we take to the streets????

[Vyan]

4. We have been in the streets

the corporate media simply hasn't reported it.

Thankfully - System of A Down has.

And we'll be back, again and again.

Vyan

[nashville_brook]

14. before the invasion the whole world took to the streets, and it was reported in MSM

It was amazing and effective. What happened to that? It wasn't like the protests went down with any sort of hitch. They were well regarded. I attended a couple and was pleasantly surprised at the sociology -- more senior citizens and "adult" professionals than I had ever seen at actions during the Reagan and Bush Sr administrations, suggesting that the idea of protest had become somewhat mainstream itself. It seemed to me that real meaningful mobilization was possible.

I feel like the world is in shock. It's like we're paralyzed by the brazenness of the Bush Regime. We'd be in the streets every day if we were to give EVERY outrage the attention it deserved.

I think people feel like it's futile to "take to the streets" -- not because of the enormity of the issues we face, but because of the critique that is ALWAYS leveled against groups who organize protests. Cindy Sheehan is a good example of the phenomena on a smallish scale. Code Pink springs to mind also. But, go back and read the threads about the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and Ramsey Clark for insight into the mechanism of silencing the largest masses of "street takers."

This thread hits the nail on the head with a caveat -- "our own" get eaten -- but I'm not sure "we" are the ones who do the actual chewing. After every positive action there's a contingent of LOUD and belligerent nay-sayers. They beat the drum over some little flaw (what they argue is a flaw) and Voila! No more pesky peace movement.

We fall for it every time.

[blm]

5. Excellent post, Vyan. I think the 'strategist' class is fomenting the divisions

so they can exploit them in a way more profitable to those who make sure their expensive dining bills and DC mortgages get paid.

[Demeter]

6. Jimmy Carter Was Just Being Jimmy Carter

He was always like that--ridden with unearned guilt.

Cindy needs the break, and God knows she's earned it. She'll be back.

Greg is rightfully ticked off--he actually gets paid for what he does, and he actually does what he gets paid for, a novelty in journalism.

These are all individuals, not corporations of Bushbots. They are human. If they can't complain among the family, where shall they go? Also, if the family treats them like shit, they have a right to complain.

Live and let live, and remember, it's the GOP that's killing us all.

[ShortnFiery]

7. It's all a "big game" to the Wealthy Elites throughout the World ...

Keep us "little stupid people" mis-informed, dumbed down (Does anyone truly care that Miss. Japan won the Miss. Universe contest?), or at each other's throats with B.S. social-moral issues while THEY (the investor classes) ROB US BLIND BY SPENDING BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS ON PERPETUAL WAR!!!

Dammit people, stop fighting long enough to SIMPLY ----> FOLLOW THE MONEY!

International affairs are not all that complex when you choose to follow that mean green ... BTW we sent blessed killing tools (weapons) to Lebanon this week. God bless our KILLING MACHINE CORPORATIONS and it's greedy investors ... many of whom are our Congressional Representatives (Democratic and Republican). :grr:

[blondie58]

22. great post, Vyan- I appreciate your writings

ShortnFiery is right- FOLLOW THE MONEY! I strongly believe that we need to work towards having publicly funded campaigns. Everyone will be on the same level then.

It should not be the one who has the most money who wins- and when they win, they will work towards whatever benefits them, via war profiteering, highway construction on a very profitable piece of land, whatever.

We need more regular people in charge of OUR country. More Jim Webbs. More Claire McCaskells. More Ned Lamonts.

Heck, Hillary had something like 10 million in her coffer before she had even announced her run for presidency. Something is wrong with that. I get the feeling that she doesn't care so much about helping the country, but in helping herself.

[poverlay]

8. Excellent --- Thank You. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. If South Park comes up with an episode on this phenomenon, it would

turn into a classic.

[aquart]

10. Democracy has debate. Tyranny has unanimity.

And you prefer....which?

[Kurovski]

16. That's it in a nutshell.

Arguing and criticism has been the hallmark of America since its inception.

Democracy is a failure without it. Tough break, that.

People are capable of holding more than one idea, as well as others' views for consideration, if they actually attempt to think.

[Le Taz Hot]

21. There ya go!

Be expecting the "unity" threads 3-4 times a week now. The closer we get to the General Election it will be 3-4 a day. Now, quit thinking, shut up and vote! But first, send money. :P

[Perry Logan]

11. Herd instinct

I don't think we exactly "eat our own," but I agree that liberals are far more self-critical than wingers.

The political right in America have an incredibly overdeveloped HERD INSTINCT. They would obviously vote for a lamppost if you told them to. This is a tremendous political advantage for them--but it has led us directly to the mess we're in.

And of course, liberals in general possess a very modest herd instinct. We delight in criticizing ourselves and our leaders. Mindless loyalty to party is not very characteristic of our tribe.

In saying these things, I intend no criticism. On the contrary, I agree that our tendency to question ourselves is what helps keep us honest. Recent events make it clear that the "herd approach" to politics leads to incredible corruption--and ultimately backfires.

[eridani]

12. Re the herd of cats analogy--

Regular Dems are at least domestic cats ("No I don't belong to any organized political party--I'm a Democrat.") When you get farther out to the left/populist end where I hang out, the tendency is to go feral. ("Cross me on any of my issues just once, and I'll shred your face. And don't bother me with that 'Heeerre kitty, kitty' bullshit during election years either.")

[elocs]

13. Yes, great post. We DO eat our own.

It finally comes to our attention that Congress is imperfect (in our eyes) like everybody. They don't jump through the hoops like we want them to do and they do not do it as quickly as we like. Therefore they must be cowards and spineless. We curse, jump up and down, shake our fists and threaten them that we are going to quit the party. This only benefits the Republicans who must love seeing us attack and eat our own. Certainly there can and should be differences of opinion and open debate, but that also means that we do not march in lockstep with latest vitriol against Congress. Like it or not, this Congress will stop this war if it can be stopped. It won't be stopped by those who walk away or simply rant about things.

[rudy23]

15. Democrats are critical thinkers. Repukes are mindless drones.

It's a double edged sword. It's great to be in a party of critical thinkers, but there are some times when you have to be lock-step to have the numbers to get anything done. Repukes aren't good at anything except working together to play the political numbers game, a game that Democrats want to pretend doesn't exist. We have to put ourselves in situations where we can win, THEN implement our critical thinking skills--instead of using those skills to shred each other before we can get out of the starting gates.

[PurpleChez]

18. You're right, it IS a double edged sword

I am proud that Dems are critical thinkers and not mindless drones. It's just that sometimes we're too critical. I just can't tell you how many times I've heard conversations among Dems/progressives/liberals that went something like "I won't support him...yes, he's pro-choice, but he's not pro-choice enough." It's like shopping at the co-op and listening in on a couple of undergrads getting into an I'm-more-vegan-than-you pissing match. I'm glad that we don't march off the cliff for whoever the DNC puts up as a candidate, but it puts us at a distinct disadvantage, given that the repugs would vote for a Mr. Potato Head, as long as Mr. Potato Head professed faith in the lord Jesus and pledged to end gay marriage.

On edit: "sword" isn't spelled with an "a"

[rudy23]

23. That's so true. All Repukes need to know is "is this person on my team?"

It's a horrible way to generate any good ideas, but it's a great way to organize a bunch of people for maximum effectiveness in winning elections and accumulating power.

Maybe we just need to learn when to fight and when to team up. Primary season--it's time to debate. After the primaries, we need to be a little less critical of whoever gets the nomination, and look at what's at stake this time.

[PurpleChez]

24. I don't even think they ask "is he on my team?"

I'm sure some do, but I think that the 30% or so who supposedly still support the fucktard apply even that degree of critical analysis. Whether the marching orders come from the RNC or their local church or wingnut radio or whatever I think they just obey. We joke a lot about how "The Repugs could run ________ and they'd vote for him," and we'll insert Hitler or Nosferatu or Mr. Potato Head or whatever, but I think recent history has shown us that there is an incredible amount of truth behind the joke. Just look at the hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance of the repugs regarding mililary service as it applies to Clinton, Kerry, and aWol. If the GOP ran Larry Flynt on the national ticket the faithful would be able to find a justifcation to vote for him.

[Mister Ed]

17. Great post. I'm with you all the way. Except, um...we're not "literally" a herd of cats

See, if we were literally a herd of cats, then we'd really, actually be cats and not people...

In the spirit of DU give-and-take that your post sums up so well, I sheepishly beg you to forgive my annoying, compulsive pedantry.

:hi:

[Pale Blue Dot]

19. Very thoughtful post. Thank you. nt

[JNelson6563]

20. A welcome voice of reason.

Nicely done Vyan. :toast:

Julie