Do Progressives Have What It Takes To Win?

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean.
My fist got hard and my wits got keen.

- from A Boy Named Sue by Shel Silverstein

Maybe it is something congenital about the left. Faced with lies, propaganda and intimidation, liberals go to Google to arm themselves with more and better facts.

Here! See my data?

Writing on Philly.com, Dick Polman wonders "whether there is some fundamental flaw in the Democratic gene pool ..." that the Democratic leadership was caught off guard by the conservative backlash against health care reform.

Recent town hall displays -- including the swastikas and death threats, explicit and implied -- prove again that it's past time that progressives got a clue and stopped bringing letter openers to gun fights.

Rank and file conservatives may not, but their leaders know exactly what they're doing with the storm of distortions and lies. They are playing hardball. Fights like this are not about political philosophy or experts disagreeing over facts. Conservatives love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like ... you know.

Ask Sen. Dick Durbin. The GOP's torches and pitchfork brigade went after him in 2005 after he held up FBI documents detailing treatment of terrorist suspects in U.S. custody. The accounts evoked images of concentration camps and gulags, Durbin suggested.

How dare he dishonor our troops? conservatives screamed. They hit the TV, talk radio and blogs. They were relentless. They called for Durbin's immediate resignation. They demanded an apology.

After a week of intense criticism, Durbin dragged himself onto the Senate floor and offered a tearful one.

Afterwards, the GOP leadership must have returned to their offices, closed the doors and doubled over laughing. (The infamous torture memos came out much later.)

And what was the point of the torches and pitchforks ritual? Truth? Honor? Principle? Hardly.

The point is dominance. Nothing more evolved than alpha dog behavior. Bark fiercely enough and get the other dog to roll over and pee in their air just to show who's boss.

Rick Perlstein related another illustrative story after attending a conservative conference in Princeton later in 2005:

Karl Rove showed up for a surprise after-lunch briefing and Q&A, in which he defended his conservative purity by boasting of how he pressured a reluctant Republican into voting for a free trade bill ("That sombitch was cryin!").

More and better facts are irrelevant in an alley fight, as Polman observed. But as a group, liberals and progressives have yet to figure that out. It may cost them dearly this time if they cannot awaken their inner George McFlys. (I'd settle for a few more Barney Franks and Bernie Sanders.)

At Netroots Nation last weekend, Darcy Burner urged the netroots community to throw everything they have into the health care fight. The question is whether they have what it takes.

Conservatives believe -- with justification -- that if they get angry enough and loud enough that liberals will back down from fights like this one. If so, conservative leaders will go somewhere and have themselves a good, long laugh.

They got game. We got Google.

The left needs to learn how to throw a few elbows. Every minute the right spends on defense is one less minute they have for lies and fear-mongering. Knock them off their game. Break their rhythm. Make them play defense and our jobs get easier.

Yes, debunking the lies and distortions is critical. They must be knocked down swiftly. Dukakis, the Clintons, Gore and Kerry let them fester, unchallenged, believing Americans would never believe such tripe, and they paid for it. Mencken and Barnum would not have made that mistake, but modern Democrats make it over and over.

But until progressives figure out that they are up against political opponents whose core view of the world is simply, "Son, this world is rough and if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough," they'll be bullied into submission again and again.

Comments

[Harold50]

My father told me never to gamble in a game where I haven't learned the rules.
"Don't play another man's game", he said.

So, Obama seemed to be following that cautionary when he hired Rahm.
Rahm is supposed to know the rules of the game, isn't he?

Perhaps this is Lyndon Johnson's game and no one, especially Rahm, wants to play it?
I propose that Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi (taking a cue from our Doctor Dean) get up front with the membership and explain the consequences to a member who does not follow the party's orders to vote for a comprehensive health care reform bill with a "robust" public option.

I do not think the present "Game" is a winner for the American public - and frankly, passing this legislation will keep the Democrats in power for a long time.

March on Washington September 13.
Pass it on.

Harold in Vermont

[jrw712]

At least Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson knew how to play hardball.

[lovable]

LIBERALS AND PROGRESSIVES GO TO A DEBATE WITH A KNIFE . THE CONSERVATIVES GO TO A DEBATE WITH A GUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheRealMcCoy]

Seems to me that Democratic leaders, including the President, come at every argument, discussion, or crisis starting out with "hat in hand" and continuing in that mode until in many cases it is too late to fight, they are constantly lose through diplomacy.

From the very beginning of this fight the Democrats should have been controlling the message, animating their base, and above all else shutting out the Republicans. The Republicans are, and have been for decades, masters of propaganda, for all the comparisons to Nazis that they attribute to Democrats, it's the Republicans that more closely follow the Nazi propaganda playbook.

I think by their nature Democrats are more likely to argue intelligent facts and try to avoid conflict whenever possible, the problem is that American politics is no longer about intelligent discourse, it is, instead, a battle of emotions. Raw emotion will trump intelligence every time, it pulls at our most basic instincts of survival.

Democrats need to fight back not only with logic and facts but EMOTION, call every lie exactly what it is, A LIE, put the mob in it's place and where they are stupid call them on it.

Barney Frank showing the way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/19/barney-frank-confronts-wo_n_262682.html

[seanseamour]

We all need to have what it takes, the dog is being waged by the tail by the corporate oligarchy, their K street enforcers and numerous legislative lackeys. They are waging reverse class warfare but we can blunt their effort if we all respond to Robert Reich's call for a march on Washington, I can understand those that feel disillusioned by President Obama's consensus strategy, his effort to bring about change without tearing the country apart, and the seemingly weak position faced with such ruthless dishonorable and dishonest tactics played by opponents, but this march is critical for the legislators on both sides of the aisle to realize they cannot ignore public opinion. This cannot be a business as usual "fill my PAC" process, the future of too many lives is at stake, and don't feel you are not concerned because you have HC, both sides of the aisle know cost will double in the next seven years while your revenues (beyond the 5%) have diminished in the last 8. We need democracy not corporate oligarchy.

[ThanksMatt]

Yes, I feel it is good if we put them on the defensive.

Recently I told one poster that I almost wished he would become sick and lose his job and insurance just to develop some compassion for the 46 millions without coverage.

He didn't like it but I think somewhere deep inside he understood what I meant.

[krechsd]

Maybe it's time to start thinking about establishing an American Socialist Party.

[1murillo]

The "problem" is neither Obama nor the "left." The GOP will raise as much fear and hatred as they feel is necessary to defeat any non-GOP idea.
Speaking quietly is not the same as leading poorly. A president's quality isn't measured by loudness.
The GOP will continue to scream and accuse, but the more it does, the sooner the Republicans are revealed as the demagogues that they are.

[1murillo]

Agreed. Knowing more truthful and better information on any topic has never defeated the GOP. Searching google or libraries for facts merely gives time for the GOP to employ its next step.
There's no need to use the GOP's gutter tactics, but there is a need to stand firm on several important issues.
Being in the majority doesn't mean having unstoppable power, but it does give the majority tools, which in this case haven't been fully used.
All Congressional votes have been positive; the winning party is in a great position. The GOP and other naysayers are playing one of their last fear cards, spreading as much doubt as possible. Now's the time to keep the faith, work harder toward true healthcare reform.

[1murillo]

Progressives - anyone - has what it takes to fight strongly against the GOP when we (they) realize that healthcare reform, and all other issues, are not the subject of the GOP's fight.
Kyl, Grassley, Palin, etc., will say, "I want reform, just not this reform." The GOP is anti-Obama, pro-GOP, Americans to them are nothing but votes.

[geosnseattle]

We absolutely need to stop trying to merely politely make good arguments, but we do not need to turn the dishonest propaganda techniques of the right. A better approach would be to aggressively demand the right to defend its' philosophy (we always defend ours, but never challenge theirs). Lawerence O'Donnell's interview with Rep. Culberson (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/lawrence-odonnell-exposes_n_260177.html) was a good start. "You say you are against socialism, does that mean you want to end Medicare & Social Security?" How about we add, "You say you are against Gun Control, does that mean the guy next door should be able to carry 50 cal. machine guns in his truck?" These guys will need to either come out as extremist, scaring the hell out of all but a handful of voters, or admit they are for some socialist programs, a little gun control, etc., thus losing their hardcore base. The media won't do it on their own, but if folks running for office do, they will cover it, because they simply report the most interesting provocative exchange of the day is, & that is usual a republican

[Tom Sullivan - Huffpost Blogger]

Bingo.

[Diogenes828]

I guess I overestimated your insight. I've been an admirer of Frank, Sanders and a (too) few others for always. If your only suggestion is to aggressively answer back when confronted with wingnut nonsense then I'm already 'been there, done that." I early on forwarded Lawrence ODonnell's MSNBC clip. Those three I admire and I, by nature, behave that way myself. What I looked to you for, with your admonition to 'be aggressive' was for some strategy, tactic, action that goes beyond the verbal pissing matches we are mired in--even at this moment. I guess I was thinking, Marches, sit-in, boycotts, direct action, strikes--et al. Talking & writing about health care reform hasn't accomplished much. Maybe it's time to get out of our chairs & away from our keyboards.

[Dbos]

Take things away Airbases,Factories contracts to cooperating states . Play Lyndon Johnson Harry Truman.

[kevinw]

We have had this conversation before. In the sixties and seventies, people were very agitated and angry to be called a liberal. That is because a liberal knows what is right, but never does anything concrete to change things. Coffee shop talk on all sorts of issues and levels, but never quite putting anything on the line.

Politically active people referred to themselves as radicals. They were insulted to be called a liberal, because that meant that you would back down when action was needed. We need some radicals now in the Senate. We need someone to write their chapter in "the Profiles in Courage".

If you know what is right, then fight for it. Stop being such wimps. If you don't want the public plan say so and take the consequences. If you think it is the best idea available then fight for it and take the consequences. You all campaigned for the public option. That was a large centerpiece for the Yes you can campaign. Stand up for it, man up for it, Yes You Can !!!.

[jmpurser]

Personally I see the problem as being not with the left but with Obama. There WAS NO middle of the road solution to health care the right wing would accept. They were going to blow up at ANYTHING. However Obama went so far (and appears to be willing to go further) that I for one can no longer support him on health care.

If he had pushed for real health care reform and then we had to settle for some weak anemic corporate welfare bill like the "public option" I'd have been mad but I'd still be supporting him. Instead he worked to kill single payer before the discussion even started. Like Bush's rush to save the oil ministry in Iraq showed me he wasn't really worried about WMDs Obama's rush to save the insurance industry showed me he wasn't that interested in health care reform.

Obama may lose and if he does it won't be because the left is "weak". It's because we got tired of being stabbed in the back by the president we worked awfully hard to elect.

[readyfornewleadership]

March on Washington for Health Care Reform – September13th

pass it on