Sunday, December 12, 2004
For once, I find myself disagreeing with EJ Dionne. That may be healthy.
Part of the problem of coining a name for what you see as an ideology is that you get to make implications for the motivations of those you see pursuing it. Thus, Getalongism is coined, implying a weaker will on the part of those Democrats pursuing it. Actually the emphasis of this article is on how bizarre it is for Republicans to propose this to Democrats, having themselves opposed a moderate Democrat president with a scorched earth strategy.
Still there is an implicit presumption in the term. It might seem more grounded if Dionne had named specific actions by specific Democrats, but he didn't. There are (believe it or not) non-liberal Democrats motivated by personal belief or ideology. Bummer that they're not liberals, but consider the alternative. This bird ain't gonna fly if we're so dismissive of occasional dissenters.
Part of the problem of coining a name for what you see as an ideology is that you get to make implications for the motivations of those you see pursuing it. Thus, Getalongism is coined, implying a weaker will on the part of those Democrats pursuing it. Actually the emphasis of this article is on how bizarre it is for Republicans to propose this to Democrats, having themselves opposed a moderate Democrat president with a scorched earth strategy.
Still there is an implicit presumption in the term. It might seem more grounded if Dionne had named specific actions by specific Democrats, but he didn't. There are (believe it or not) non-liberal Democrats motivated by personal belief or ideology. Bummer that they're not liberals, but consider the alternative. This bird ain't gonna fly if we're so dismissive of occasional dissenters.
