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Only Liberals Can Save America (But They’re Not Going to Like It)
No one has to explain the broken nature of politics to people on the right. We’re locked in a civil war here. It transcends the issues of for Trump vs. against Trump. More than anything else it boils down to one side wishing to conduct politics in the civil style of the past versus another faction who wishes to wage war like the Democrats: full-bore, unapologetic, and without remorse.
This division is deep and exemplified by the US Senate race in Alabama. It has been so contentious that it’s being treated as nothing less than a religious schism. The anti-Roy Moore forces are accusing his supporters of abandoning their Christianity, while the just-hold-your-nose-and-vote-for-him crowd returns the volleys by questioning the others’ commitments to Christian tenets of charity, forgiveness, and basic fairness. Furthermore, what good is your Christian sense of propriety to give Jeff Sessions’s seat to a committed abortion activist?
Now, where do liberals fit into this equation? Primarily by living up to their own stated standards. Since the ascent of Donald Trump, first to the GOP nomination and then the presidency, the left has constantly lectured us about “country over party.” In the last couple of days and weeks the Democrats have been handed their own set of internal problems and how they deal with those will say a lot about how both parties move forward.
The sexual harassment charges that have poured forth have put many a liberal man in the spotlight. But, for the most part, those men have been in private industry and therefore totally expendable. It’s not hard to disown the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, and others like them. Even the “soul searching” about former President Bill Clinton rings hollow considering that Clinton, Inc. is a spent force in the Democratic Party.
But the accusations against Rep. John Conyers and Sen. Al Franken are another matter. These are votes the left wants to keep right where they are. Admittedly, Conyers is in a 100-percent safe district, but a Franken resignation would present problems as ambitious DFL party types would start jockeying for position on the federal election chess board.
And with the acknowledgment of the existence of millions of dollars of payoffs being made to settle claims against other, up-to-now unnamed congressmen and senators, there are other shoes waiting to drop.
Here are four things liberals can do save America:
- Clean house. No matter what revelations are made, be they against backbenchers or the leadership, let the chips fall where they may. No elaborate defenses, no excuses, no victim blaming, just show them the door. All of them.
- Tell Elizabeth Warren to take a hike, too. She’s not a Native American. She lied to advance her career. Do you believe the things you say about sports mascots and all manners of “cultural appropriation?” Prove it.
- If you think everyone should apologize for the sins of the past, let the journey begin with you. Start by issuing a formal mea culpa about the lies you spread about your opponents especially, but not limited to George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. And then actively work to limit such tactics in the future.
- Cut the racism/sexism crap. If you think all Americans deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, you’re going to have to show that you understand it’s a two-way street.
There you have it, a simple plan for liberals to save America. It doesn’t even require them to surrender any of their beliefs. Those we can hash out at the water coolers, the ballot boxes, and the floors of legislatures across the country, just like we used to. And, as an upside, maybe rank-and-file Republicans can get beyond the real need for a gut-fighter like Donald Trump on our side.
Country over party. I’m just not going to hold my breath waiting for it.
Published in Politics
“No, it really does belong to the person who won it until the next election. Otherwise, votes in the Congress would be replaced by direct votes from the people or by the results of opinion polls.”
This makes no sense to me. So the seat currently occupied by Luther Strange is “Jeff Sessions’ seat?” If Sessions had passed away and Strange was his replacement, it’d still be “Sessions’ seat?” Sorry, I’m not buying it.
To a degree it was. For example, “being presidential” means never doing the dirty work yourself. Obama never said anything nasty about McCain or Romney personally, but his surrogates sure did and the nastier the better. Of course, Obama never rebuked them either. Part of Trump’s problems with the career types in DC is that he doesn’t care or simply doesn’t have that filter within him. That combined with the fact that he’s always in campaign mode is irritating to them.
In electoral terms it does. Luther Strange occupies the office through appointment only because Jeff Sessions won it. In 5 of the 36 states that allow gubernatorial replacements to finish an unexpired term, the governor must choose someone from the same party as the vacating Senator. (AZ, HI, NC, UT, WY)
Under Alabama law, the appointment is only temporary until an election can be held. So, the seat was never really Strange’s because he was merely a placeholder, made even more so by the fact that he couldn’t win his party’s primary.
It’s been a long time since I read up on U.S. history, and I definitively need to bone-up. Can I start complaining I’m too old to remember stuff when I’m going to turn 40 years old in February? Probably not.
In any event, I recall that there were newspaper articles in the 1800s criticizing candidates’ underwear choices, sex scandals, etc. Then in the late 19th century we had “muckraking.” That is what I was thinking about. More recently, think about the differences between JFK and Nixon, LBJ and Carter, Reagan versus all of the above, etc.
I’m just trying to avoid falling into the all-too-easy trap of thinking things used to be great, and that we just need to return to the “good old days” when everyone got along and it was all about principle or policy. I really don’t think that has ever been true.
The seat belongs to whoever’s in it at the time, like my pants.