The Case for Ignoring D.C.'s 'fixed' Democratic Election Losers

[merkins]

David Sirota blogging some truth:

Conservative activist Grover Norquist once said about Democrats that "Any farmer will tell you that certain animals run around and are unpleasant. But when they've been 'fixed,' then they are happy and sedate. They are contented and cheerful." Sadly, if you read what some insulated, election-losing pundits who likely have little experience actually winning campaigns, you realize that Norquist has gotten his wish, and utterly neutered many who purport to speak for the Democratic Party and progressive movement.

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Case in point is commentary by Mark Schmitt and Matt Yglesias. Neither's writing is surprising, especially not Yglesias's - for every decently well-supported argument he makes, he makes about five that have no basis in reality and that basically display both a fundamental lack of winning campaigns, and a fundamental disregard for ordinary people's economic concerns. Again, we shouldn't be surprised about this - he likely hasn't worked on a winning campaign, and from the confines of a cushy job in Washington, likely never has to experience the severe economic challenges ordinary Americans face on a daily basis.

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Schmitt and Yglesias's criticism today is that progressives should reject any lessons about movement building that someone like Norquist has taught. They are both especially distressed about Democrats starting to use the trade issue to their advantage. That's not surprising - the free trade consensus in Washington spans elitists in both parties, again because they never have to actually deal with the real-world realities of trade deals that sell out America.

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It's not a shock, of course, that some Democrats in Washington, D.C. subscribe to Schmitt and Yglesias's argument. The fact is, these two writers are part of a Democratic circle in Washington, D.C. that has become all-too-comfortable losing elections. Loss after loss after loss piles up, and these people say, nope, we should keep doing the same thing, keep letting a handful of Democrats undermine their party, leading to more losses. Why? Because it doesn't really matter to Democratic elites like Schmitt and Yglesias whether Democrats win or lose or whether Americans keep getting economically stepped on - they get to stay comfortably employed, and offer pot shots from their insulated perches.


more:
http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=83AB2BF6-C8AE-F905-4757F1F0305E8BCE