Madfloridian's Journal - Beltway strategists are pulling our party sharply to the right. Distancing.

It is the same as always.. the same old strategists are pulling our Democrats into a zone which does not displease the right wing in this country.

We knew it would happen. It is one reason it was so good to see the rise of the internet and its availability to average people. Internet forums and blogs were set up for discussion and dissent.

I remember when I came to DU in 2002 I was amazed at the openness of the dialogue in every area. I had been living and teaching among fundamentalist Republicans, and there was no real dialogue. My principal once mentioned to me that my criticism of Jeb Bush was irritating some other teachers. So at school at least I had to be careful what I said. That's how it was/is in this area, and the freedom of thought online was like a release for my thoughts and for my mind. Now I feel the same thing being done here online.

I never agree all the time with any of the bloggers or columnists. But there are several whose integrity can't be questioned. Glenn Greenwald is one of those bloggers. He will take battering from other bloggers, and won't back down unless he is proved wrong. He hit the nail on the head today...

The last two weeks

"Plenty of Beltway institutions already existed for the purpose of cheering on any and all Democrats no matter what they do.
If that's all that blogs are supposed to do, then there is no need for them. From the beginning, blogs have been devoted to opposing Democratic complicity and capitulation -- to protesting the lack of Democratic responsiveness to their supporters -- every bit as much as opposing GOP corruption and media malfeasance. That role is at least as important as the others.

A presidential election is a unique time when Americans are engaged in a discussion over our collective political values (at least more engaged than any other time). Why would anyone watch the Obama campaign use this opportunity to perpetuate and reinforce this narrative, and watch Obama embrace polices that are the precise antithesis of the values he espoused in the past, and not criticize or object to that? Criticisms of that sort aren't unhealthy or counter-productive. They're the opposite. Of course one ought to object if a political candidate -- even Barack Obama -- is advocating policies that trample on one's core political values or promulgating toxic narratives. That's particularly true since his doing so isn't necessary to win; it's actually more likely to have the opposite effect.

There is no question, at least to me, that having Obama beat McCain is vitally important. But so, too, is the way that victory is achieved and what Obama advocates and espouses along the way. Feeding distortions against someone like Wesley Clark in order to please Joe Klein and his fact-free media friends, or legalizing warrantless eavesdropping and protecting joint Bush/telecom lawbreaking, or basing his campaign on demonizing MoveOn.org and 1960s anti-war hippies, is quite harmful in many long-lasting ways. Electing Barack Obama is a very important political priority but it isn't the only one there is, and his election is less likely, not more likely, the more homage he pays to these these tired, status-quo-perpetuating Beltway pieties."

I am proud to be part of Move On. I resent the Democrats' efforts to hurt this group. It is a cave in and move back into the victimization.

And I am glad I checked back for his update.

Other than FISA, there isn't a single position Obama has taken that, standing alone, is so bothersome. It's the general approach he's taking to how he thinks he's going to win the election -- by repudiating key factions that supported him and reversing himself in both tone and substance on vital issues, all in order to comport with the prevailing Beltway orthodoxy over how Democrats must prove that they are Serious and "centrist." The pattern seems to be to push liberals as far away as possible (MoveOn, Wesley Clark, the ACLU) while emphasizing all the similarities he shares with those on the Right. That approach is what the political establishment demands and, at least right now, Obama seems eager to comply. Meanwhile, John McCain flew to the mountaintop home of Billy and Franklin Graham yesterday in order to move closer to the Far Right base of his party.

John McCain embraces his base. No one embraces us. Obama is following the strategic plans put in by the policy shop of the Democrats...and he is distancing from us.