Jim Geraghty puts his finger on the real problem between the New Left and the Old Left:
The old-school Left started with a vision of how government should operate and determined policies forward from there. The modern Left starts with the conclusion that their guys are the good guys, and Republicans and conservatives are the bad guys, and works backwards from there. ”Government openness” is a useful cudgel when complaining about Karl Rove’s e-mails in the Bush White House, but an absolute non-concern when it comes to the likely Democratic presidential nominee.
Lawrence O’Donnell [MSNBC host] cares that a rule put in place by liberals is followed because of the desired good outcome — open, accountable government. Alex Wagner [MSNBC host] cares about beating Republicans.
As most of you probably know: I was raised in an Old Left household. Pretty blue-collar, too: Dad was a railroad union man and Mom was a artist-turned-teacher (who is now back to being an artist). I suspect that the reason why I don’t have the usual horror stories about being a conservative with liberal parents is because they were Old Left; if they had been Yippies or something in the Sixties I assume that I’d have been disowned by now.
Ach, well. The Democratic party’s problems are no longer my own. I wish them joy of trying to figure out how to shut up their cadre of vicious, nigh-nihilist, rhetorical gunslingers…
Moe Lane
Doesn’t this sum out as “Libs versus Proggies” ?
.
Mew
“New Left”–> spawn of Saul Alinksy.
The New Left, with the ascendance of Obama completely and utterly destroyed the Democratic Party as a functioning governing party, and until they come to terms with Obama’s legacy and renounce it ( at least privately) then they’ll remain dysfunctional.
They are currently trying to do the same with Labour oddly enough. And probably The Liberal Party up in Canada.
The 2020s will probably be as good for Conservatism as the 1920s were.
Also Rumsfeld was never a Liberal. Nor did the FOIA get created “because of Watergate” it was first made public law back in 1962.
The trouble, as is often the case, is what they know that just ain’t so.
.
Or .. if you prefer the other construct .. what the hell are they teaching in schools nowadays?
.
Mew
Fen’s Law: The Left believe none of the things they lecture the rest of us about.
The procedural stuff matters if you believe in government by the people. The left has abandoned that idea, so all these procedures are just so much deadweight, good only to hamper Republicans.