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| 2006-07-10 |
| blogger "Bigwig" at "Silflay Hralka" Lots of coverage in the internet press on the left side of the Blogosphere's vicious attacks on Joe Lieberman during the run-up to the Connecticut Democratic Primary, but so far the answer as to why remains elusive to those not drinking the Ned Lamont kool-aid. I think the answer is simple. Having so obviously targeted Lieberman, the netroots/nutroots/Townhouse crew must now defeat him, or risk being seen as irrelevant, especially considering their dismal electoral record thus far. National races are one thing, but If the LeftNet cannot elect a candidate of their own choosing in a Democratic Primary in one of the most liberal states in the Union, then they can't win elections, period. If that happens, it should become obvious to one and all that the Emperor has no clothes. As to the question of why the LeftNet has yet to discover this on its own, despite repeated reminders, we've talked about this before Essentially, the Internet has given the Left a perception of growth where there is in fact none. It may have even masked a decline in the real political power of the Left. Say one 10-member anti-globalist organization, in San Francisco, comes into contact with another 10-member group, in Seattle. Each feels that their membership and political power has doubled, when in reality nothing of the sort has occurred. Communication and coordination between the two is enhanced, but the actual number of votes has not changed at all. There is an inflation in each group's perception of its political power, but there is no corresponding rise in actual power wielded. I might also add: so long as the MSM is basically willing to be their cheerleader, or at least tell them what they want to hear, the Angry Left hasn't sufficient information to gauge their actual, as opposed to perceived, level of power. Given the horrid demographics of the Daily Kos readership (mostly elderly blue state boomers), the situation can only get worse, another reason why the effort to defeat Lieberman is so important to the LeftNet. When the most dedicated members of your power base are also the ones most likely to wake up dead tomorrow, you have to move now when it comes to grabbing a piece of the political pie. A victory in Lieberman/Lamont is crucial for the LeftNet. "Just wait till next time" is useless as a rallying cry for your base when so many of them wonÂ’t be around. Update: Some predictions. As always, my predictions are not based on a reasoned analysis of the habits of the American voter, an in-depth knowledge of state and local politics, an understanding of the candidates' positions on the issues of the day, or any familiarity whatsoever with current political theory, but rather on my obsessive focus on whatever pet theory has grabbed my attention at the moment. 1. Joe Lieberman defeats Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Democratic Primary. First "netrunts" jokes appear soon afterward. 2. Republicans maintain or increase the number of seats they hold in the House and Senate in the November elections. 3. Sometime in 2007, an enterprising Democratic presidential contender will Sista Souljah the Kossacks in order to position themsleves as "the centrist democrat who can actually win an election." My money's on Hillary. I think the boy's on to something here. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #6 didn't take? Not an issue - acquired taste for some. I just wanted to note their music was based on many old American folk songs, updated. Big River was a staple, and their patriotism was never in question, compared to today's moonbats they were conservatives, I'd venture. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-07-10 23:48 |
| #5 LOL - You're incorrigible, Frank. I guess it's too bad their music didn't appeal to me (in the slightest, go figure) since their politics turned out to be right on. Funny thing is, I saw them at Monterrey Pop Festival back in the Summer of Love, 1967. So much to see and hear, so few working neurons... |
| Posted by: Wheang Spavirong9833 2006-07-10 23:03 |
| #4 xb! excellent link, thx. A sample: Either Bobby or Jerry was asked by a Rolling Stone interviewer to denounce all the Young Reaganites attending their concerts in the 80's, and whichever one it was not only refused to attack the young Republicans, but said he liked some of those “rightist” ideas. Consider that when the Dead decided to do something to save the Rain Forest, they didn't harangue poverty-stricken Third Worlders to give up washing machines and electricity. They did it the free market way: buying up parts of the Rain Forest, parcel by parcel. And they provided the Lithuanian basketball team – recently liberated from the Soviet yoke – with totally cool uniforms so they could play in the 1992 Olympics. After Jerry died, U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) gave an incredibly touching tribute to Jerry Garcia and the good work the Dead's Rex Foundation had done promoting the arts privately – in contradistinction to millionaire actresses standing up in $50,000 gowns at the Oscars and demanding that hardworking waitresses and truck drivers be forced to support the arts through government taxation. You can look it up in the Congressional Record. But to answer your question, Senator, I personally have loads and loads of friends who are right-wingers and Deadheads. I couldn't possibly name them all. For starters, obviously, there's Angela Lansbury. She gave me my first psychedelic tie-dyed tube top at a Dead show just outside Tucson. Just kidding. There are: Peter Flaherty, President, National Legal And Policy Center; John Harrison, top official in the Justice Department under Reagan and Bush and now a law professor at UVA; Jim Moody, MIT grad and libertarian attorney (and Linda Tripp's lawyer); Gary Lawson, former Scalia clerk and currently a law professor at Boston University Law School; Andrew McBride, partner at a DC law firm; DeRoy Murdoch, conservative columnist; Ben Hart, right-wing author of “Poisoned Ivy” out of Dartmouth. Oh, and the conservative talk radio host Gary Stone in Palm Springs is a Deadhead and kindly plays the Dead as my intro music. When I worked at the Justice Department during law school, I'd be leaving with a whole slew of Reagan or Bush political appointees to see the Dead at RFK. Finally, I believe the great New York subway vigilante Bernie Goetz was a Deadhead. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-07-10 22:51 |
| #3 What Frank G said. Hell, Ann Coulter is a freakin' Dead Head. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2006-07-10 22:38 |
| #2 by the way - don't confuse Dead Heads with these losers - I and several friends are Dead Heads and you won't find a more red-state conservative bunch. Look at the music/lyrics if you still question |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-07-10 21:40 |
| #1 The Koskids are Blue State Boomers? They haven't changed a bit since Woodstock. Except that they're losing elections consistently and seeing a lifetime in power siip through their fingers. In 2012, these are going to be some very bitter people. Has your marketing firm given you the demographics on the 'burg, Fred? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-10 21:35 |