Saturday, May 10, 2008

Speeding Past The Hazard Sign by Anthony McCarthy

The state of affairs on the leftist blogs have led to my having a crisis of faith in their usefulness for the left. The level of sexist and racist language in the struggle for the Democratic nomination, the numbers of people declaring that they will never vote for the other candidate if they are the nominee, these are things I will not participate in perpetuating. The blogs, in general, and many in particular are turning into a problem, some have gone past that point to damaging our chances in November. I think that a lot of the offensive, divisive stuff is actually done by Republican plants, but a lot of it isn’t. Not enough is being done to counter it. Some of the largest and most influential blogs of the left are some of the worst offenders, even some of the most reasonable are a problem.

My entire reason to be involved in blogging is to help the left to regain political power in order to further our agenda in reality, not just in talk. After a half a century of hearing the fine talk and seeing too little of the reality, the talk isn’t enough. Without the reality, it's worse than a self-deluding fraud.

In the United States the left having power means having Democrats in control of the White House and the Capitol. That is my bottom line. I will not participate in any activity that impedes or endangers that goal. There is not a Democrat who will be running for the presidency or for the leadership of the House and Senate who is not preferable to the Republican alternative. There is no Republican in any race who will enhance the chances of those Democrats to occupy those positions.

I will not be a part of tearing apart the Democratic coalition, I won’t stand by as its chances of winning are diminished through infighting or the pursuit of issues of lesser importance and those of utter futility.

If both of those running for the presidential nomination do not come together and heal the rift caused by them, their campaigns and their supporters and we lose the election because of it, I will actively and vigorously oppose any future campaign for the nomination they might run. I encourage anyone who reads this to also make themselves heard to this effect. Anyone who can be named, who participated in causing a rift that loses us an election of this importance can also depend on my fierce opposition in the future.

This isn’t a game, a chance to strike a pose or a career opportunity for political operatives, it is a matter of life and death. That isn’t a figure of speech. It really matters who wins the election in November and who takes office in January, it matters more than any issue or whim of lesser effect. This issue marks a parting of the ways for some, an occasion to regroup and continue for the rest of us.