Purity politics, Democrat-style

[Zorro]

Here comes the tea party of the left.

On a rainy Monday morning, 50 sodden liberal activists stood on the muddy front lawn of the Capitol Hill home of Sen. Mary Landrieu, advocating for the Louisiana Democrat’s defeat.

“This house is high and dry, but the coastlines of Louisiana are sinking, very much like Senator Landrieu’s career!” Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth, shouted into a microphone.

The activists behind him, who had inflated a model of an oil pipeline on the senator’s lawn using a generator and a window fan, erupted in cheers of “Woo-hoo!” and “Yeah!”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-here-comes-the-tea-party-of-the-left/2014/11/17/6ea6aada-6e8e-11e4-ad12-3734c461eab6_story.html

[djean111]

1. So - now being against anything the Centrists are for is wanting purity.....

from a comment -

"I like Milbank, he's smart and funny. But too often his pieces read more like political tactic than an opinion analysis.

For example, when quoting Ganapathy above, the organizer said they want to, "send(s) a message to politicians that they all need to be better on climate issues.”

To which Milbank answers, "In other words: Be pure, or be afraid."

One says be "better," and the other calls that a demand for "purity."

That's purple prose. "

Yes it is purple prose - and is quite at home here at DU.

[Bjorn Against]

2. It is supporters of the pipeline who are acting like the Tea Party

Putting corporate profits above the public good is what the Tea Party does and the Third Way is teaming up with the Tea Party to vote for the pipeline. Sorry but people who vote with the Tea Party have a lot more in common with the Tea Party than those who oppose Tea Party policies do.

[msongs]

5. and how are they like "the tea party"| are they being racist? sexist? homophobic? christian

extremist?

[Bjorn Against]

6. They are voting the corporate position of the Tea Party financiers like the Koch brothers

They are putting corporate profits above the environment. The OP compared opponents of the pipeline to the Tea Party while the reality is that supporters of the pipeline are actually taking the Tea Party position on this issue despite the long term harm that it will do to our planet.

[FBaggins]

13. Those aren't the reasons that the tea party hurts the republicans

It isn't that they are racist/sexist/homophobic/extemist... it's that they are more "racist/sexist/homophobic/extemist" than the rest of the party. They are much farther to the right than the RNC as a whole (and thus way to the right of the voting public)... and (foolishly) insist that candidates who do not meet all of their requirements are functionally no different than the democrats who meet none of their requirements.

Since the primary electorate for the RNC is also well to the right of the party as a whole, this means that they can often win primaries in places where that same candidate would have little chance of winning the general election... and thus (as in 2012), they lose a number of races that they otherwise would have won. (while proclaiming that it doesn't matter because there was no difference between the republican who could have won and the democrat who did win).

Our growing "coffee party" (tm) is exactly like that in reverse. They seem to honestly be incapable of distinguising between a candidate who agrees with us 75% of the time (but not on a handful of key issues) and someone that disagrees with us 100% of the time. It's irrelevant to them that an ACLU score of 75% can win in a give race but 100% cannot possibly.

[Scuba]

3. I miss the unrec button.

[Maedhros]

4. Bravo for the activists!

Showing some integrity and fighting for what they believe! That's more that we can say for many, many Democrats.

"Purity Politics?" Bah.

[cprise]

7. Apparently "Democrat" was supposed to shield this politician

from criticism and scorn about a specific issue.

The piece reminds me of the people who call environmentalism a "religion" (not sure what the article of faith is supposed to be when science is so central to it).

I say its the pushers of consumer capitalist oligarchy who are demanding purity, and are doing so in the absence of supporting facts.

[alarimer]

8. This is nonsense.

The centrist, DINO bullshit is why we are here in the first place.

Selling out the environment to save your political ass is disgusting.

Of course Democrats like Landrieu don't really have any principles other than protecting here cushy energy lobbying job when she finally leaves Congress.

I'm taking bets on where she lands... BP maybe?

[blkmusclmachine]

9. Zorro

[bemildred]

10. Dana Milbank?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dana-milbank

[Zorro]

11. He's making a very valid point

These activists expressly prefer a Republican take office because the Democrat isn't as "pure" as they like.

It's the same cut-off-the-nose-to-spite-the-face attitude among so-called "Democrats" that led to Nixon's political resurrection in 1968 and the drastic consequences since. Hubert Humphrey wasn't "pure" enough for them at that time, either, despite his long-standing efforts to promote progressive policies. And look where we are today.

[bemildred]

12. I think he is full of shit.

I don't care about purity, I care about policy. When my representatives don't represent me, it is my duty to hold them accountable.

[Zorro]

16. So you agree it would be a good thing if the Republican won this election?

“Yeah, I think it would be good thing,” the activist said. “Even if it’s a freshman junior senator from Louisiana who’s a Republican, it ends up being better for our issues because you don’t have a leader in the Senate on energy issues fighting for more oil pipelines.”

[bemildred]

18. I agree that you cannot read. nt

[Zorro]

19. And you cannot give an honest answer to a simple question

[bemildred]

20. It is a dishonest question.

You want to conflate me holding my representatives accountable with Republicans winning. They are not in fact the same. It is not my job as a voter to fend off your fears of Republican victory, and it is fatuous to suggest that it is really up to me to prevent Republican rule. That is why we have Democratic leaders, and they seem to be pretty bad at it.

[Zorro]

21. It's becoming obvious you agree with the expressed sentiment

which is why you are bobbing and weaving around the question.

[bemildred]

22. You aren't too good at this, are you? nt

[Zorro]

23. And still no answer to a simple question

[bemildred]

24. Where did you get the silly idea that one is required to answer questions on the internet?

Doesn't that keep you awfully busy?

[Zorro]

25. Oh they help make a point

Doesn't keep me busy at all.

[bemildred]

26. Ah, carry on then, didn't mean to interrupt your crusade. nt

[Zorro]

29. Okie dokey

[Bill USA]

17. he found 4 or 5 people and compares that to a group who has moved an entire party considerably to

the Right. Kindof like comparing a speedbump to a mountain.

[Bill USA]

14. one thing Cons apparently need reminding of is the fact that Democrats are NOT a monolythic movement

In fact, Democrats have long been known for arguing things out - airing their dirty laundry out for all to see - amongst themselves before they generally come to some agreement - which involves compromise by those on both/all sides of issue.

[Bill USA]

15. I'm wondering why this wasn't posted on Politics 2014, where it belongs. Or Media because...

Millbank will likely write an article next week about what unprincipled, crass and crafty political animals Democrats are because 10 Democrats voted FOR The Pipeline - against all there stated concerns for the environment - along with Mary Landriew!

[Odin2005]

27. Centrist horseshit.

I'd rather lose than stand for nothing.

[Zorro]

30. You're making the point of the article

[w4rma]

28. Sorry, but Landrieu fucked up. That pipeline's popularity is a mile wide and very shallow.

She chose to put her corporate/oil donors before the interests of her constituents. And she lies about the pipeline as any industry shill would lie about it. Centrists third wayers simply can not con people like they used to be able to con people now that folks can bypass big media for their information.