TNR: Ball Fake [The Loony Left Loses Another Liberal]

The New Republic ^ | 01.21.05 | Tom Frank

[West Coast Conservative]

wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be at a ball, a genuine inaugural ball with tuxedos and presidential-seal-emblazoned square napkins and succulent miniature crab cakes. Regrettably, we're a liberal magazine and, consequently, many of us are less than perfectly organized (although, at TNR, some of us prefer to think of ourselves as neo-disorganized)--and, well, I failed to honor certain press-credentialing deadlines. Now, instead, I would be covering "counter-inaugural events." As a result, last night I was sitting in a low-budget church on G Street in downtown Washington listening to speakers at an International Socialist Organization-sponsored gathering by the name of "Town Hall: Empire and Resistance."

Needless to say, this wasn't much fun. I could have thrown a stone as far as my strength allowed and still have been certain of not hitting a crab cake. On the other hand, everyone else seemed to be having a good time. The hundred or so people there frequently applauded and hollered, and, as expected, phrases like "exposing Bush for what he is--a cold-blooded killer" were particular hits. I didn't even think there was much to report on. After all, who cares what the ideological fringe of the losing side has to say? But the more I heard, the more I became convinced that I had discovered something truly threatening: This band of socialists was the most effective recruiting tool for the Republican Party I'd ever encountered.

To begin with, there were the posters on the wall: MONEY FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION, NOT FOR WAR AND OCCUPATION. Let's leave aside that the meter is somehow dissatisfying (nine syllables followed by eight--no flow at all). The main point is, if the shallowness of this statement bothers you, to what party do you look for comfort? To the Democrats, many of whom condemn building firehouses in Baghdad and closing firehouses at home? Or do you say to yourself, in that moment, "I don't much care for Newt Gingrich--nor does anyone else--but I bet he hates that goddamn poster as much as I do"? I know where I was leaning.

Then there was the pooh-poohing of elections--any elections. Former soldier Stan Goff (supposedly of the Delta Force, Rangers, and Special Forces) spoke at length about the evils of capitalism and declared, "We ain't never resolved nothing through an election." This drew loud, sustained applause. Nothing to get worked up about, I thought; just a leftist speaker spouting lunacy. But today it seemed particularly bad. It wasn't just that I was missing what might be lovely canapés (or perhaps spring rolls being brought about on trays with delectable dipping sauce); rather, it was the thought that the speaker was dismissing something that Afghanis of all ages had recently risked their lives to participate in, something Iraq's insurgents view as so transformative that they are murdering scores of Iraqis to prevent it. No, what I needed to counter this speaker was not a Democrat like me who might argue that elections were, in fact, important. What I needed was a Republican like Arnold who would walk up to him and punch him in the face.

But the worst came with the final speaker, a woman by the name of Sherry Wolf, who is supposedly on the "editorial board of International Socialist Review." She talked, and talked, and talked; terms like "architects of the slaughter," "war criminal," and "Noam Chomsky" wafted about the room; and my eyes grew so bleary that I ceased taking notes. But then she brought up the insurgents in Iraq. Sure they were bad, she admitted: "No one cheers the beheading of journalists." But, she continued, they had a "right" to rebel against occupation. Then she read from a speech by the activist Arundhati Roy: "Of course, [the Iraqi resistance] is riddled with opportunism, local rivalry, demagoguery, and criminality. But if we were to only support pristine movements, then no resistance will be worthy of our purity." In sum, Wolf said, the choice boiled down to supporting occupation or resistance, and we had to support resistance.

So there it was. I even forgot about the Constitution Ball for a minute. Apparently, we were to view the people who set off bombs killing over 150 peaceful Shia worshippers in Baghdad and Karbala as "resistance" fighters. And the audience seemed entirely fine with this. These weren't harmless lefties. I didn't want Nancy Pelosi talking sense to them; I wanted John Ashcroft to come busting through the wall with a submachine gun to round everyone up for an immediate trip to Gitmo, with Charles Graner on hand for interrogation.

I left early (I couldn't stomach the question-answer session) and made my way to the Metro. In the station were people wearing fur coats and tuxedos and lovely gowns and shiny shoes. I assumed they were in town to celebrate Bush's reelection, and, for a moment, I wanted to join in. After my session with the ISO, they suddenly looked--well, so appealing.

Having attended college in New York City, I know what it's like to be confronted with some of the more irritating forms of campus leftism. Yet I never quite understood why, ultimately, such leftism should drive sensible people away from liberalism. But yesterday's display made it a little more understandable: Maybe sometimes you just want to be on the side of whoever is more likely to take a bunker buster to Arundhati Roy.

[okie01]

I will say it time and time again - the disintegration of the Democrats is not good for this country.

But it is. It has become apparent that the Democrat party is beyond redemption. Accordingly, nothing good can come from it.

However, once disintegrated, new coalitions can form around new ideas and a healthy opposition party can begin to form -- perhaps including disaffected portions of the GOP.

I will stipulate that the country needs two healthy parties, both of whom are prepared to protect and defend the Constitution. And that, if one becomes omnipotent, it will become corrupt (see Democrats, c. 1993). But I no longer believe "reforming the Democrats" is a feasible proposition.

Instead, they must be squashed like a bug.

[Liberty Valance]

"...on G Street in downtown Washington listening to speakers at an International Socialist Organization-sponsored gathering..."

What a dolt. He should have gone to Hooters for hot-wings and brewskis.

[vpintheak]

Those kind of people are the used up gum stuck to the bottom of the bench of the United States.

[MCH]

I will say it time and time again - the disintegration of the Democrats is not good for this country. The Democratic party will continue to lose the blue-collar constituency and will become absolutely powerless. This will leave the Republicans with no opposition and will inevitably lead to widespread corruption.

My worry too. What we really need is the emergence of a new party on the right (not the traditional nationalist right mind you, rather the individualist right). Then we can leave the Democrats on the trashheap of history as the leftist fringe whackos they're becoming, and redefine the more centrist Republicans as the new left. Not sure which party should emerge as mainstream and less socialist than the Repubs, but it should be one that believes more in the principles of individual rights that this republic was founded on, and less on all this collectivist crap espoused by many Repub RINOs and centrists.

[Boiler Plate]

After watching the History Channel's "The French Revolution" it is pretty easy to see how these Wackos have been around for altogether too long. What is scary about them and the islaomonuts is that the solution to every problem involves killing and never does it involve freedom and individual rights.

[California Patriot]

Why all this hope for the recovery of the Democratic party from its madness? This madness has been a long, long time in developing. It didn't come out of nowhere.

I say we're better off with the destruction of this party. Inevitably there will be two parties. But the successor to the Democrats could well be moderate and reasonable if they implode. Look at all the RINOs in the GOP. With the Rats out of the way, I'd welcoming their leaving to form a responsible third party.

[California Patriot]

Correction: I mean, a responsible SECOND party.

[freebilly]

"...no resistance will be worthy of our purity."

This way to the showers, Ladies and Gentlemen!

[Bob J]

Lighten up Delia.

[Bob J]

wOW. 'Nuff said.

[spodefly]

"This band of socialists was the most effective recruiting tool for the Republican Party I'd ever encountered."

SHUT UP!

They are not. They are "Progressive" and highly enlightened ... or something. Put them on TV every day. Have the CBC and Barbara Boxer bring some of those snappy ANSWER chants (Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Bush is Hitler, don't cha know") into Congressional proceedings. They are the heart and soul of the Democrat party. Do not repudiate them.

[California Patriot]

This strategy presumes that the American people see through them. We shouldn't project our own intelligence and values onto the American people as a whole. These leftist extremists were allowed to scream all their insanities unanswered for too long. A fair number of dopes came to believe them. Fewer would have believed them if we had responded more seriously. When a guy like Kerry gets 48 percent of the vote, it is no time for gloating. We have lots of work ahead of us, and slapping down the extremists is part of it.

[CyberAnt]

"most democrats in this country are traitors"

I don't believe that. Actually, the ultra-left in the dem party is about 37-39%. That means that over 60% of the dem party does not believe the Michael Moore's of this world.

While we might disagree on public policy and how the govt should do things .. our love of country and our willingness to defend it are very important. There are a lot of Zell Millers around - they just aren't as vocal as he is.

[CyberAnt]

"will inevitably lead to widespread corruption"

WHAT ..?? Why is that inevitable ..??

As for the dems becoming "absolutely powerless" - I don't believe that either. With people like Zell Miller - the party could regroup and rebuild. It will take a few years to weed out the radicals - but it can be done.

[Graybeard58]

Why did you take part of a sentence from my post #3 and completely change the meaning of it in your post #53?

[CyberAnt]

Actually, I thought I was agreeing with you .. sorry if it didn't come out that way.

[California Patriot]

37-39 percent is a very high percentage. The powers that be in the party do not denounce even their most extreme statements and actions. If there are so many "Zell Millers around" in the party, why don't we hear from them? Either they're not there anymore, or they're afraid of that supposedly insignificant 37-39 percent.

[Graybeard58]

I thought you were agreeing with me too but you must have clipped out the first part of my sentence when you copied and pasted.

What I said was "I can't believe that most democrats are traitors" and what you quoted me as saying was, "Most democrats are traitors" There's a big difference.

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Bump.

[L.N. Smithee]

Don't count Tom Frank in the column on the right just yet. In case you aren't aware, Frank is the author of the book What's Wrong With Kansas?, the definitive book on the supposed scam greedy capitalists are running on the common people of Flyover Country: the winners of America's free market society trick them into perpetuating the system that made them fatcats by feigning concern that leftist philosophies erode their values.

Once drama queen Paul Krugman's Chicken Little predictions for the economy make him the new Paul Ehrlich, Frank's profile will rise. Frank's a rising star -- he knows where his bread is buttered.

As the saying goes, a stopped clock is right two times a day. Over the past few years, there have been times when "progressive" figures like Gloria Allred, Maureen Dowd, Stephanie Salter, Cynthia Tucker, and even Dan Rather have echoed common sense that is usually uncommon to them (and, on the flip side, there is Peggy Noonan). If Frank suddenly sounds like he makes sense, just wait a minute.