Tuesday, November 05, 2002

Digby tells us how to save ourselves:


Between Kristoff, Noonan,Vest and Novak this week, it's clear that we on the wicked left have finally gone too far with our mean spiritedness and that the GOP (and certain columnists) have decided to stage an intervention.

You see, this outpouring of worry about vicious leftist rhetoric is not meant as chastisement, but rather as a heartfelt concern for our political viability. These folks are unselfishly committing themselves to the heartbreaking task of reforming our malevolent liberalism into the respect for civil discourse that defines the tolerant right.

Sometimes this will require tough-love, so we should get prepared. They must first open our eyes, and those of everyone around us, to the true nature of our poisonous evil. This is going to take years of repetition and confrontation. (This method has been successful in clinical studies, such as the famous "Liberal Media" experiments of the 80's and 90's.) We must steel ourselves to hearing over and over again how cruel, rancorous and vindictive we are.

Once we accept our own malignant natures, the next step is to take positive steps to change. When we see one of our own doing anything that could be construed as being less than deferential, we should give them a stern lecture in public, apologize profusely to the GOP victim and then shun the miscreant.

In this, we can take a page from our elected representatives like Joe Lieberman and Diane Feinstein who are way ahead of the rank and file in GOP behavior modification. (Unfortunately, some have still not learned that voting against the President is a base character attack. Even a "good" Dem like Max Cleland has to be shown the dangers of letting his natural vindictiveness emerge, as when he voted to maliciously obstruct GWB’s Homeland Security bill. A little reminder of his uncanny likeness to Osama and Saddam was unfortunately necessary to reel him back from the brink of unbridled partisanship.)

Remember, GOP luminaries like Limbaugh and DeLay didn't get to where they are today by demeaning the opposition or treating them disrespectfully and if we wish to remain viable in the American body politic it behooves us to listen to those dispassionate non partisan Republicans and thoughtful members of the press who care enough about our welfare to shine a light on our odious behavior in the hopes that we will see the error of our ways.

Thank God for good people like Peggy Noonan. Perhaps we Democrats CAN be saved.