Unto the Breach Redux -- An Illustrative Post

Jesus, I no sooner weigh in on what I perceive to be some pretty over the top commentary from the pro Clinton blogosphere when I come upon this gem via Atrios.  It's like a parody of what I was discussing, up to and including the use of the term "Obama's mujahideen (sic)."  Obama is then accused of racism, sexism, being a closet Republican, unqualified for office, and then, for the final act, a call is issued for the Democratic Party to be "destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up."

The stupid does indeed burn. 

Comments

[Joe Klein's conscience]

Sir Charles:
That guy is indeed factually challenged. What is even funnier is, if he offers any evidence to back up his point, he points you to Hillary's own website and MyDD as places to back him up.

[Sir Charles]

J K's C,

I did actually feel compelled to check out the links. "Unpersuasive" was my reaction to them.

Next thing you know Terry McAuliffe's home phone number will be posted.

[Incognito]

Obama a closet republican? What planet do they live on!

[Sir Charles]

I,

I fear they have gone to a strange place -- I don't pretend to understand fully.

[Joe]

Sir Charles, this is a bit off-topic, but could you answer a question for me ? Would a normal presidential contender be able to not only run in the Democratic Primary, but obtain union endorsements if Mark Penn was that candidate's chief strategist ? Everyone knows Mark Penn runs a company which tries to bust unions. I've always though organized labor does not support campaigns who employ people like Penn. How did Clinton get a pass on this ?

[Corvus9]

I feel like of late the blogosphere has basically split off into two halves, existing in parallel universes and communicating through the internet. The net is one and the same but the worlds they inhabit are different.

In one universe Hillary Clinton is the defender of all progressive ideals, a mighty champion standing up for unions, feminism, gay rights and the working man. Barack Obama is is an a slightly sinister hepcat cult leader who ensnares the braindead masses with magical mantras like "Yes we can," "Change we can believe in," "Change from the bottom up," and "CAN YOU DIG IT?" Truly frightening.

We exist in the other universe.

You can tell which Universe people are living in by who they link too. Now, this is just a general assumption based on the subconscious accumulation of of uncountable anecdotes, but I think everyone in the first universe will link to corrente, Shakespeare's Sister, MyDD, or Talkleft as irrefutable sources that prove their broader point. People in the second universe link to Booman or DailyKos or LG&M or hell most of the blogosphere.

Some people seem to hop between both Universes, like Sadly, No!, but many tend to favor one universe more the than other, like Avedon Carol (who, oddly, seems to favor the corrente universe)and Digby (really, really depressing, that).

It used to be that Atrios was the gatekeeper between both universes, but that seems to have ceased, seeing as many in the other universe now treat him as if he has turned into a giant dog.

Based on the post cited above, I would say they have decided to cross the streams.

[Corvus9]

Also I second desiring to hear Sir Charles' answer to Joe's question.

[Sir Charles]

Joe and Corvus,

A good question and one that I railed quite a bit about in the early days of the campaign I don't have a necessarily satisfactory answer but I think there are a few factors. One, the Clinton administration is the only union friendly administration that many of us have experienced in our adult lives. You may not think they were that stellar, but believe me having lived through the unrelenting hostility of the Reagan and two Bush administrations, you're slavishly grateful not to be kicked in the teeth on a regular basis and actually get help from time to time. So I think the idea of someone getting in there who is not a Republican is appealing beyond belief, and Hillary seemed the most likely nominee.

Labor people are also more comfortable with the idea of political office coming to those who have waited their turn. It's generally the way succession works in local and national unions. And they count Hillary's time as First Lady as part of that service, in large part because they also tend to be more comfortable with nepotism than many parts of society.

So, in the end, I think a lot of the leadership viewed Penn as a technician, trusted Clinton to a substantial degree on policy matters, bought the inevitability argument and decided to get on board. I think they sold themselves cheaply and could have gotten Penns' scalp -- which ironically, may have gotten Hillary the nomination.

[Corvus9]

That all makes sense. I think I mostly thought it was a the inevitability argument. Get on the good side of the people you think will take it. It's all an expectations game. Probably like that for all politically interested organizations then, thus rendering the endorsement of a political org as completely meaningless, from any objective standpoint.

Really it makes be agree with Obama that special interests—even those on "our side"—are part of the problem. Here you have a bunch of political actors trying to influence the peoples decision, and they aren't doing it by who they think is the best on issues, but on who has the most power. Because they want the powerful on their side. As a result, the officials maintain all the power, and what should be the voices of the people become the governments vassals. And the power stays top down.

You know, some seem to think that Obama's machine with be the death knell of progressivism, creating a huge top-down hierarchy, but at the least it has to be better than what we have now, because right now, we don't have much.

[Kaleberg]

What's wrong with calling someone a mujahadeen? I worked with a guy who was a mujahadeen in Iran. He was caught, spent a year in jail, then managed to get out and was working on his doctorate at MIT. Needless to say, he was no friend of the ayatollahs. I don't think he wore one of those Dunkin' Donuts paisley head scarves.