A plea to liberals as the Trump administration self-destructs

[bigtree]

Charles P. Pierce @CharlesPPierce 26m26 minutes ago
A plea to liberals as the Trump administration self-destructs http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a54271/trump-self-destruct/ …

As it happens, I went out on a rainy, awful night last Friday, down to the old Orpheum Theater near Boston Common—where, on September 19, 1979, I saw The Clash and was not the same afterwards—and hung out at the Our Revolution event that's getting so much run among liberals of various stripes and persuasion, a reaction that has caused me to despair of ever seeing a coherent progressive politics in my lifetime. The most recent futile wankfest was touched off when Bernie Sanders said this about the people who voted for the president*:

"Some people think that the people who voted for Trump are racists and sexists and homophobes and deplorable folks. I don't agree, because I've been there. Let me tell you something else some of you might not agree with, it wasn't that Donald Trump won the election, it was that the Democratic Party lost the election."

This touched off a wild ovation in the hall, although several of the minority guests behind Sanders on stage looked at him very much as though he'd grown a second head. It also touched off the 34,998th relitigation of the 2016 Democratic primaries and, frankly, I am sick of all these people. I am sick of the useless posturing, the vain heckling, the shined-up counter-narratives that have nothing to do with the damage that is being done now, at this moment, all over the government, to every progressive accomplishment back to the turn of the last century.

I have seen bad Democratic presidential campaigns. I have seen good Democratic campaigns. Hillary Rodham Clinton ran a very average Democratic presidential campaign, and she did so on the most progressive platform a party has put forth in a half-century. At the same time, anyone who denies the progressive energy that the Sanders campaign brought to the election is a fool. The rest of it was a collection of unprecedented flukes all coming together at once: the Russian hacking, the Comey meddling, journalistic malpractice of a kind that always seems to occur when there's a Clinton on the ballot, and, yes, the latent racism and xenophobia and fear of The Other that always resides in the dwindling white majority when it does anything en masse—like voting.

That was the accelerant, as the arson squad says. That was what got people to the rallies. That's what got them on their feet when they were there. That's what got people punched in the head. (Speaking of which, somebody else is going to get to sue the president*, this time on that very issue. Thanks, Paula Jones!) And that was a big part of what got enough people to the polls to activate that creaky slaveowner's doomsday device known as the Electoral College. So, I guess I disagree with what Sanders said at the Orpheum. But I'm not going to define my politics going forward based on that disagreement.

This clamorous futility has to end. There's too much at stake. The country is going off the rails and there's a cartoon character at the wheel...

read more: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a54271/trump-self-destruct/

[Cha]

1. "The most recent futile wankfest was touched off when Bernie Sanders said this about the people who

who voted for the president*"

"Some people think that the people who voted for Trump are racists and sexists and homophobes and deplorable folks. I don't agree, because I've been there. Let me tell you something else some of you might not agree with, it wasn't that Donald Trump won the election, it was that the Democratic Party lost the election."

I'll say.. Thank you for this, bigtree...

Mahalo, Charles P. Pierce

[Demsrule86]

18. Is there ever going to be an end to this shit?

Do they want Trump to win in 20 and for us to remain in the minority forever? The Democratic Party is the only vehicle to enact progressive policy and to stop Trump and the Republicans.

[marlakay]

28. We have to find a way past the primaries

Stop talking about either Bernie or Hillary, let them move on to whatever they want to do now and come together to fix our country.

Come together so we can have a chance. Right now as fucked up as they are, they control everything and it will stay that way if we continue this fight.

As a Bernie person, I don't like some of the Bernie or Hillary posts, I bite my tongue not to stand up for my candidate, but I have stayed away from doing that because we need to move on!

But both sides have to do it, the Hillary people have to stop talking about Bernie and what he is doing wrong, and the Bernie people have to stop saying its Hillary's fault we didn't win.

We need to pick our battles, and the big one is against the republican party not each other.

[Demsrule86]

31. I agree. I don't want to see either sort of posts but what are we supposed to think

When the Democratic Party is criticized publicly? This could easlily effect 18 and 20. It is a shitshow. Everyone should think about how important it is to get rid Trump and put aside petty differences...it is an 'all hands on deck' effort . We also have to remember the media and it seems Russia want to keep this fight going.

[Demsrule86]

32. Please note that I have removed all pictures that might caused division and a couple of Trump is a

fascist pictures...to strike a more positive note...and I will ignore posts and hope all Democrats and their friends understand now is not the time criticize the party.

[Jamaal510]

2. K&R

[still_one]

3. At the Women's march in Washington, when Michael Moore had a chance to address the crowd he

started out with a unifying message, but then quickly descended into criticizing and belittling the Democratic party. Ashley Judd was going to have no part of that, and she interrupted Moore, mid-rant, and brought the focus of the event back to what it was intended to be, a unifying event.

What is unfortunate is when someone elevates those who voted for trump to a higher level than they are, and diminishes those who voted for Hillary

[Cha]

5. Oh Mahalo for that reminder, stillone.. Ashley

Judd is smart and a Uniter!

"What is unfortunate is when someone elevates those who voted for trump to a higher level than they are, and diminishes those who voted for Hillary"

It's ridiculous.. as Charlie Pierce says..

"It also touched off the 34,998th relitigation of the 2016 Democratic primaries and, frankly, I am sick of all these people."

[Kentonio]

6. No.

It's not 'elevating' anyone to ask sensible Democrats to not stick offensive labels on tens of millions of American voters. Many of them almost certainly are racist assholes. Many of them almost certainly are ignorant idiots. Regardless, it doesn't do us any good whatsoever cutting ourselves off from not only people who probably deserve it, but lots of people who don't and lots of people who actually love and care for those people.

TLDR: Play the ball not the man.

[Cha]

9. Right.. Trying to normalize trump voters while insulting

Hillary and the Democratic Party with attacks of "feeble" "can't fight back".. and "party of the elite".

He's just plain wrong and Charlie Pierce is sick of it too.

[still_one]

20. Exactly Cha.

[lunasun]

27. Who isn't ?! Good on Pierce for his comments

He may get ovations but it is with division and quite frankly he has repeated it enough

[Demsrule86]

19. 1000+

[Gothmog]

23. Thank you for posting this

[BainsBane]

4. Kick

[SticksnStones]

7. SMDH

Hillary Rodham Clinton ran a very average Democratic presidential campaign,

Well, I guess if Charlie Pierce says so, then that's that.

Pierce claims he's tired of the relitigation but not without getting yet another shot in.

This is yet another 'Clinton was the problem' hit piece cloaked in a 'can't we all just get along now' ending.

"Journalistic malpractice of a kind that always seems to occur when there's a Clinton on the ballot". - this statement defies logic. Imagine, if you will, what it would be like if Michelle Obama ever runs for office. Really think they wouldn't use the same formula for defaming HER!? Sheesh!

No. Just No Charlie Pierce. Nothing about Hillary Rodham Clinton is 'average'. Stop.

[Cha]

8. I know.. He was wrong..

I didn't agree with him on that.. at all.

But, I think he got some parts right..

Charlie Pierce.. "..I am sick of the useless posturing, the vain heckling, the shined-up counter-narratives that have nothing to do with the damage that is being done now... "

[SticksnStones]

11. I get his point...I do

I'm just reacting to the way the point can't be made without putting Hillary down first.

That's all ~

[Cha]

15. ..

totally.

[Gothmog]

24. I also disagree with Pierce on this

[BainsBane]

10. I didn't read it that way

He says it wasn't bad or exceptional, but average. I don't see that as a shot. He's not saying she herself is average.

[SticksnStones]

12. Short of firing doves from a cannon at the end of every rally...what more?

She knew the issues brilliantly. She maneuvered through a hellish, relentless political landscape while maintaining poise, dignity, professionalism, LEADERSHIP - and she modeled that for millions of girls and women ACROSS THE WORLD. What is 'average' about any of that? Maybe what he meant was her campaign wasn't entertaining enough. Well if that's the case...America elected Mr. Interesting. So there's that...

When I went to bed on the evening of Nov7th, poll after poll gave her a 90%plus chances of winning. When was the last time ANY presidential candidate had numbers that good?

And then who the f$#k knows what happened...we are still learning every day some other layer to what the f#%k happened.

But I stand firm...nothing about Hillary Rodham Clinton is average. Not even her campaign.

I dunno...maybe she should have booked the doves.

peace.

[BainsBane]

13. In hindsight

They should not have neglected the rust belt states. They didn't even do polling there. They took it for granted.

She has a masterful command of issues and policy. She would have been a highly competent president. Campaigning is a different animal.

[Cha]

29. Well Done, SticksnStones!

[ananda]

14. Well, imo ..

The election was not lost, it was taken from us by the Russians
and voter fraud and suppression. Period.

[JHan]

16. I agree with him in the main.. all I can say about that soundbyte Sanders dropped..

Last edited Wed Apr 5, 2017, 04:33 PM - Edit history (1)

is that it set off the same old divisions in the party from during the primaries and that soundbyte is being shared on FB in progressive groups run or not run by bots ( I am not sure) and feeding busterism talk again.

When I get pissed on here that people repeat RW memes and they reply with sophistry as justification for repeating those memes, I gotta ask to whom does that benefit? Certainly not the democratic party but our opponents , and this is not the time to be distracted.

it's tiring.

[mcar]

17. K&R

[FSogol]

21. K & R. n/t

[NastyRiffraff]

22. Good for Charlie Pierce

This touched off a wild ovation in the hall, although several of the minority guests behind Sanders on stage looked at him very much as though he'd grown a second head.

I just bet they looked at him "as though he'd grown a second head." He's been pushing this crap for months and it's not only garbage, it's untrue. And I think Sanders knows it's untrue but keeps saying it because of, you know, those "wild ovations."

Oh, and K&R! Thanks for posting it, bigtree.

[Gothmog]

25. Great OP

[Paladin]

26. Thank God for Charlie Pierce.

His comments are exactly what all Democrats need to hear, right now. Trump's daily fuckups are creating unprecedented opportunities for Democratic empowerment and advancement---we simply cannot let these circumstances pass by, without taking advantage of them. Please, please, please: enough of the backbiting and endless "if only" election gripes. I want my country back---what's left of it. Let's get busy.

[pansypoo53219]

30. victims of reagaism voted for MORE reaganism.

and white privilege.