Thursday, June 22, 2006

Whatchu got

Atrios writes:

Republicans really believe that by promising to stay in Iraq forever they'll win elections. I do think the politics of Iraq are a bit tricky, even though the press completely ignores polls showing that the Democratic positions are in fact popular, but it's up to Democrats to make the public understand that this is in fact what the Republicans are gloating about.


Make no mistake. I like Atrios and appreciate his effort. I check out his site pretty much every day. And although I don’t visit quite so often, I even like the earnest young folk at Daily Kos. In fact, I like pretty much everyone out there in left blogastan. So I don’t take any pleasure in the fact that their dreams will never come true. I’m not saying that they are ineffectual. That would be sad, yes, but hardly tragic. No, tragically, they are worse than ineffectual. Don’t misunderstand. I tell you this from absolute knowledge. I can see the future.

But more on that later. Here in the present, the Senate’s 86 - 13 vote against withdrawal from Iraq tells us everything we need to know about the state of the party. I say party in the singular because the Democrats are no more of a political party than the Washington Generals are a basketball team. For those of you unaware of the Washington Generals, they are a fake basketball team that plays the Harlem Globetrotters in venues all across the country. They are not really an independent team that plays to win. They are employees of the Harlem Globetrotter corporation who are paid to lose, and lose in such a way as to make the Globetrotters look good.

Same thing with the Democrats, hereafter referred to as Doormatocrats. They fulfill the same corporate role as the Washington Generals. They make a few shots, keep the score close, maybe even hold the lead for a time, but when it matters, they’ll stand idly as Curley or Meadowlark dribble circles around them and go in for the winning lay-up. And if corporate interests are deemed to be at stake, they won’t even make it close. They will lay down on the porch with a black Welcome emblazoned prominently on their backs.

So when Atrios and our other liberal friends wistfully opine that the Doormatocrats could win if “only they could make the public understand...” it’s a bit pathetic. The Doormatocrats are not even going to play meaningful defense, much less lead.