It's best not to see how shit-sausage is made

From Arthur Silber's ultra-incomparable archives, I see that in 2007, Chris Bowers avowed that:

I want to be an active member of the small clique, coterie or circle that identified the possibility for massive change and precipitated its manifestation.

Ordinarily, the notion that our politics is foist upon us by "cliques, coteries, and circles" would be the stuff of conspiracy theorists (which, despite my blog name, just ain't my bag).

But when it's an express goal to operate that way, it's kinda hard not to notice. Like when you tell your friends the best way to make a million bucks is to start a religion... and then you start a religion.

On the other hand, top lefty bloggers are living saints who should never be questioned, even if their idea of "massive change" might bear a second-guess or two.

That is, they should never be questioned or else (my responses start here).

Besides, all's well that ends well.

(FDL link, h/t Lambert)

Meta-paranoia strikes deep

Stay classy, Sally!

Sarah Palin continues to be a concept by which we measure our personal loathsomeness, either by embracing her tired and terrible Reaganism, or — more popularly — utterly dehumanizing her in the name of our woman-hating, creative-class superiority:

Asketh Sally Quinn:

Did God plan for her to have a child with Down's Syndrome?

Should we be expecting Quinn to wax snarky about the Biden family's horrific car crash? Hey, he's hyper-religious, so why not mine that vein of comedy gold? His boss actually sent out brochures bragging that he was a "committed Christian" whom the Lord (presumably) "called to bring change," so why not score some cheap political points by dancing on their family tragedies? What could be the harm?

The thing is, Ms. Quinn — whose day job includes holding "a conversation on religion and politics" — doesn't ask this sort of question when bad things happen to whomever the Village considers "good people."

And, so long as she's saving her viciousness for our culturally correct human piñatas, we don't give a good goddamn. 'Cause we're the "good people," too!

What was the matter with the Democratic Party before the Age of Obama? Not enough bigots!

Peter Beinart explains that the Democrats jumped the shark when "they reluctantly chose racial and gender equality, and so the racists and the misogynists drifted away."

Thankfully, we've since come to our senses!

(via Reclusive Leftist)

Situation normal...

Reagan's 8th term (h/t, Dr. Sardonicus) proceeds apace:

President Barack Obama renewed some long-standing U.S. financial sanctions against Iran on Thursday, the White House said.

Obama notified Congress that, as expected, he was extending a set of existing U.S. measures against Tehran for another year, saying "our relations with Iran have not yet returned to normal."

Like I said, the Democrats love the ladies!

Unless they're sluts like Carrie Prejean, of course.

Just so you know, this is how a vile Jezebel talks:

Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And, you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman.

And this is how a transformative hero talks:

"I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman [big applause], now for me as a Christian, it's also a sacred union, now God's in the mix [applause].

Got it?

Why do we never get an answer, when we're knocking at the door?

Would someone who's not an official pariah at "public option" fanblogs see if you can get good answers to these questions?

Posted at Open Left, where our opinion-leaders on health-care "reform" surely have ready answers.

Four questions

1. Do you expect that this "public option" will be "strong" and "robust"?

2. How many people do you expect will have access to it?

3. Will it substantially "help keep insurance companies honest"?

4. Will it bring America anywhere in line with other countries on health-care costs?

I posted a version at Democratic Underground with two additional questions (which I'd left out of the Open Left version, in order to lessen the distraction of personal defensiveness):

The questions "public option" supporters won't answer:

. . .

5. Why didn't you complain about Obama and company's lies about conducting an open-and-transparent process that considered all options?

6. How did the wafty public option plan become the only plan that leading progressives would dignify? Which is it: are the big bloggers and activists playing too much footsie with Beltway insiders... or have they simply become Beltway insiders themselves?

Did I really?

Got this in a form e-mail from Chris Bowers:

Six months ago, Open Left held a fundraiser to keep us from shutting down operations. Because of your incredible support at that time, we were not only able to keep going, but to expand our capabilities and make a real impact on the legislative process.

Did I actually pay to be personally slandered, abused, and marginalized... and for health-care deform to be shoved down everyone's throats, including mine?

Well, that hangs it! Now everybody — including me — hates me.

Sometimes it's just too easy

Chris Bowers:

"If GOP wins 3 Senate seats, and Dems don't destroy filibuster, then Dems can't govern after 2010"

If the Democrats win 40 seats, they can't govern, either.

Unless by "govern" you mean lending ever more status to the status quo.

Dem or Die!

Nobody, but nobody, can outdo Mike Lux when it comes to well-meaning sounding "progressive" authoritarianism:

[T]he bottom line, friends, is that everything you do to depress Democratic voter turnout in your district is another nail in your coffin.

The man is a master!

Who the fuck does Dennis Kucinich think he is?

For months, Democrats have sold their souls and left their brains at the door to protect Obama, Daschle, Baucus and company from being scrutinized for outright lying about a health-reform process that would be "open and transparent" and which would "consider all options."

The administration made a secret deal with Big Pharma, and all the big bloggers and groups like MoveOn served zillions of gallons of STFU to anyone who questioned the wisdom of pre-compromising in favor of the wafty "public option" concept. And we proudly told anyone and everyone to stick it, if they dared ask how many people would actually have access to the vaunted public option.

Think about it: if declaring victory instead of achieving it weren't a goal worth having, would we have thrown women and their reproductive rights under the bus? Hell, no! Democrats love the ladies!

So, I must ask, where does Dennis Kucinich get the nerve to criticize this bill? And after we've all received dozens of e-mails from Barack Obama, Tim Kaine and company, announcing how historically historic it is and urging Democrats to send more money -- so in 2010 our powder can be kept more-historically dry than ever!

Shame on you, Mr. Kucinich, shame!

Doc, will I be able to play the violin? Yes? That's funny, I never could before!

Froomkin:

Any chance that the next time Obama does something bold, someone will have his back?

Was there a first time?