Reply #17: I think there's a big flaw in your theory.

[salguine]

When you say "the left" and "the right", shall we assume you're talking about the rank-and-file, or about left and right leaders and politicians? I'm inferring that you're speaking of the latter.

The problem with that is, it makes the assumption—and it's a very, very big assumption—that "the left", by which I gather you're referring to the Democrats, if we want to make a generalization—is allowing these lies and other wrongs to stand because they're just too slow, weak, spineless, disorganized, and/or generally ineffectual to counter them in any way.

Hasn't it occurred to enough people that the Republicans' tactics don't get stopped because the Democrats actually aren't interested in stopping them?

Come on, people. Nobody's that goddamned slow, weak, spineless, disorganized, and/or generally ineffectual ALL THE TIME. It's like those news stories about women who have ten babies who all die by the same freak accident—after a while you start to realize it can't be a coincidence any more.

Democrats come across that way because it's the role that they play in an effort to make it look like they WANT to do something, which is necessary because they and the Republicans need to be able to present themselves each as a foil to the other. Which is why there hasn't been any significant progressive change that benefits all Americans in my lifetime (I was born after 1964). Which is why the Democrats can have complete control of the House AND the Senate AND the fucking White House and still not manage to do anything. This is not an accident. And THAT is why America will not be saved, not because the left "has truth".