Glenn Greenwald: The Susan Estrich Complex (the "self-hating...obedient tool")

[ProSense]

Glenn Greenwald
Friday September 28, 2007 08:58 EST

The Susan Estrich Complex

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That is all the GOP has left -- to politicize the military and claim it as its own ("our military"), and to create the dichotomy that a vote for Democrats is a vote for traitorous anti-military filth like MoveOn and liberal bloggers while voting for Republicans is to vote for the military. And nobody does more to bolster that theme than the Beltway Democratic establishment.

These cultural themes are the root of everything Republicans do. That is why Rush Limbaugh is desperate to dismiss anti-war soldiers as "phony soldiers," why they always reserve their most vicious attacks for Democratic war veterans like Wes Clark, Jack Murtha and John Kerry; and why they are petrified of facts showing that an astounding 40% of military contributions are going to Democrats, with the largest GOP amounts going to anti-war candidate Ron Paul. The personality contest which Matthews described -- of the weakling loser traitor Democrats vs. the tough pro-military Republicans -- is all they have.

And that is why it is so pathetic to watch Democrats do more than anyone else could possibly do to strengthen this tactic by engaging in self-humiliation rituals against MoveOn. There are always going to be people like Susan Estrich who are either so desperate for attention, so eager for approval, and/or so self-hating that they will happily serve as the obedient tool for this sort of self-flagellating smear. That is to be expected.

But what the MoveOn vote demonstrates is that so much of the Beltway Democratic establishment -- even in the face of a resounding 2006 election victory and one of the most unpopular Presidents ever -- is still drowning in the Susan Estrich Complex. At bottom, so many of them are just a slightly less obvious rendition of Susan Estrich.

And as long as the majority of them are willing to demonize their own allies whenever the right-wing demands they do so (while never forcing the Right to condemn their own) -- all so that they can be temporarily head-patted as one of the "reasonable liberals" -- the personality issues which Matthews highlighted will continue to be their most significant hurdle, no matter how much agreement they generate on the issues. If even Democrats continue to affirm on demand that their own leaders and supporters are losers and anti-American radicals, why would anyone disagree?

[rusty quoin]

1. Kirsten Powers does this too, like Estrich.

"And as long as the majority of them are willing to demonize their own allies whenever the right-wing demands they do so (while never forcing the Right to condemn their own) -- all so that they can be temporarily head-patted as one of the "reasonable liberals""

It makes me think of this:
"Once the minority of House and Senate are comfortable in their minority status, they will have no problem socializing with the Republicans. Any farmer will tell you that certain animals run around and are unpleasant, but when they've been fixed, then they are happy and sedate. They are contented and cheerful. They don't go around peeing on the furniture and such."

- Grover Norquist, Republican Leader of the K-Street Project, November 4, 2004

[madfloridian]

2. Ugly statement by Norquist.

And very scary.

[ProSense]

3. From OP: "an astounding 40% of military contributions are going to Democrats" n/t