What Digby wrote

[whometense]

:loveya: deserves its own thread. http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2006_01_22_digbysblog_archive.html#113833086097594905

Learning To Lose Well

by digby


I hope some of the comments I'm reading around the blogosphere aren't reflections of of a knee jerk cynicism on the part of Democrats who have fallen in love with their assessment that they are superior to their elected leaders. This is a very dangerous state of mind.

John Kerry stepped up today. Apparently, that isn't enough for some. He is still a "loser" in their eyes and is to be shunned. He didn't do it soon enough. Or he didn't do it right. Or he is nothing but a political opportunist. I'm beginning to think that some Democrats have gotten attached to their vision of Democrats as losers so they won't be emotionally shattered anymore. That's understandable. It's painful to get beaten. But, the rank and file need to step up too and be willing to lose and not hate ourselves or our leaders for it. How we lose on issues like this makes the difference for the future.

Sustaining a filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee is a huge undertaking with the numbers we have. (Read Kos' Reality Check on this.) It's worth doing anyway because it's important to stand up for principles. We can "lose well" by beginning to make a case to the American people that we believe in something other than splitting the difference. And we might just pull it off. Either way, we make the country (and the media) see that there are lines that we won't cross.

But the way some people are acting, if we now lose this one it will be seen by the grassroots as just another example of Democratic fecklessness, even Kerry's fecklessness, which is self-defeating and unfair. If we carp when our elected politicans take risks just as we carp when they don't take risks, they have no motivation to listen to us at all.

Kerry and Kennedy stepped up today. They aren't going down without a fight. This is worth doing and if we lose it, we should reward them and those who stood with them with our gratitude and support not another round of complaints about how they are a bunch of losers.

Go vote in this stupid CNN poll and give Kerry some props for doing something out of conviction. This isn't a big winner for him and he didn't have to do it. We need to let our politicans know we have their back when they take a stand.

[TayTay]

1. Oh Whome

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:
What else can I say?

[emulatorloo]

2. Please Go DU that HORRIBLE CNN POLL

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/26/alito/index.html

Why do you think John Kerry wants to filibuster Samuel Alito?

Conviction

Politics

[jenndar]

3. Comments were great, too.

Seems like a lot of people are stepping up to say they're sick of JK bashing :)

[WildEyedLiberal]

8. Until the evil bastards arrived

BTW, I hold these people as responsible for everything as I do Bush and the Republicans. In fact, the Kerry haters are worse than Republicans in my eyes. At least Republicans admit they are narrow minded illiberal bigots.

[jenndar]

9. Oh, are they there, now?

I was hoping we could keep the douchery to a minimum tonight.

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. There are two REALLY EVIL HORRIBLE HATEFUL comments on there

I want these people to burn in hell. No, really.

[ProSense]

4. I love that!

John Kerry stepped up today....

Kerry and Kennedy stepped up today. They aren't going down without a fight.

[MH1]

5. Wow, that's great!

Thanks for posting!

[Blaukraut]

6. that was well said

Man, why do I want to cry again :cry: Like Gandalf said; 'There was never more than a Fool's hope' but at least there IS some hope left, and we'll go down fighting.

[jenndar]

7. I almost cried, too.

It was just so nice to read that.

[whometense]

11. I really respect Digby.

He is a true grownup, in the best sense, someone who considers the implications of what he says before he says it, and who tries really hard to write only what he knows to be true.

There are so few voices like that in the blogosphere. He and the Carpetbagger are two I know of.

[jillan]

12. Thanks for posting this.

I read this -after- I read that crap from NYT

I feel much better.

Another site I need to check out :)Digby!

[ginnyinWI]

13. Lovely!

Digby gets it. This is exactly how I feel! :loveya: :loveya:

[kerrygoddess]

14. Nice!

I like Digby's blog a lot. Very thoughful piece. Good on him!

[rox63]

15. This is wicked awesome!

Glad to see Digby standing up for Kerry and Kennedy. :lovya: