Current mood:	annoyed
Entry tags:	politics

Argue amongst ourselves
One of the best columns I read about Conservatives and Liberals was by Jonah Goldberg, who commented that Liberals weren't arguing with each other. They were discussin tactics, not principles, partly because they were insulated in a cocoon. The only people they ever talked to were people that agreed with them, so they never had their ideas tested.

A famous story had movie critic Pauline Kael complain after 1972 that "No one I know voted for Nixon.". Considering Nixon won 49 states, it's used to show how insular a group can be.

The problem is... Conservatives have gotten just as insular as we mocked the liberals for being.

It's been building a while. I was amazed how close John Kerry came to winning in 2004. I thought the Republicans would hold onto at least part of Congress in 2006. And reading many of the Conservative web sites, you'd think that the Obama "fad" will evaporate any moment.

It used to be that all of the networks and mainstream papers were so tilted to the left that anyone on the right side of the political arguement was constantly barraged every time they voiced their opinion. But thanks to Rush Limbaugh and Fox, the Right have created a media to combat the left. But in the process, we've become just as insulated from criticism as they are.

When the gay marriage debate broke out, I remember a split among the National Review columnists over whether gays should be allowed to marry. I could see the principles on both sides being argued. I can think of a lot of issues that should be debated, but haven't been- and aren't right now (on both sides of the aisle, but I'm more familiar with the Right-Wing).

Now? National Review doesn't argue principles as much as tactics. We've become as bad as the people we used to mock. I think it's going to take getting our clocks cleaned in November before we shake things up. And when that happens, I don't want to be the guy who said "How could Obama win? Everyone I know voted for McCain."