Kinsley WaPo Piece... worth reading

[dirtyduck]

Am I Blue?
I apologize for everything I believe in. May I go now?

By Michael Kinsley

Sunday, November 7, 2004; Page B07

The election campaign made it official. These are the Disunited States. There is "Red" America: conservative, Republican, religious. And there is "Blue" America: liberal, Democratic, secular. Everybody's message from the election results is that Red America won, and Blue America must change or die.

It's a terrible exaggeration, of course. People have different mixes of values, and states have different mixes of people. Just for example, more than 50 million, or 44 percent, of the 115 million citizens who voted for either George W. Bush or John Kerry on Tuesday live in states that went for the other guy. These misfits live publicly, mingle with others and often are treated like normal human beings. (For the half-million who voted for Ralph Nader, it may be a different story.) A moment of surprising resonance in the campaign was Jon Stewart's Oct. 15 appearance on "Crossfire." Taking just a tad too seriously his recent appointment by acclamation as the Walter Cronkite of our time, Stewart begged the show's hosts to "stop hurting America" with their divisiveness. I used to work on that show, and I still think the robust, even raucous, and ideologically undisguised hammering of politicians on "Crossfire" is more intellectually honest than more decorous shows where journalists either pretend to neutrality or pontificate as if somebody had voted them into office.

Still, recognizing that the mood has changed since Sept. 11, 2001, I have been erratically and unsuccessfully pitching a different approach. CNN is not interested. Nor are the other news networks. If anyone reading this wants it, it's yours. Free. The idea: "Cease-fire." You get your politicians or your experts or your interest-group representatives, and instead of poking them with a stick to widen their disagreement, you nudge and bully and cajole them toward some kind of common ground. It sounds goody-goody, I know, but the intention would be more Judge Judy than Bill Moyers.

At the moment, though, one side of the great divide is being called upon for something closer to abjection than mere reconciliation.

So, yes, okay, fine. I'm a terrible person -- barely a person at all, really, and certainly not a real American -- because I voted for the losing candidate on Tuesday. If you insist -- and you do -- I will rethink my fundamental beliefs from scratch because they are shared by only 47 percent of the electorate.

And please let me, or any other liberal, know if there is anything else we can do to abase ourselves. Abandon our core values? Pander to yours? Not a problem. Happy to do it. Anything, anything at all, to stop this shower of helpful advice.

There's just one little request I have. If it's not too much trouble, of course. Call me profoundly misguided if you want. Call me immoral if you must. But could you please stop calling me arrogant and elitist?

I mean, look at it this way. (If you don't mind, that is.) It's true that people on my side of the divide want to live in a society where women are free to choose abortion and where gay relationships have full civil equality with straight ones. And you want to live in a society where the opposite is true. These are some of those conflicting values everyone is talking about. But at least my values -- as deplorable as I'm sure they are -- don't involve any direct imposition on you. We don't want to force you to have an abortion or to marry someone of the same gender, whereas you do want to close out those possibilities for us. Which is more arrogant?

We on my side of the great divide don't, for the most part, believe that our values are direct orders from God. We don't claim that they are immutable and beyond argument. We are, if anything, crippled by reason and open-mindedness, by a desire to persuade rather than insist. Which philosophy is more elitist? Which is more contemptuous of people who disagree?

As many conservative voices have noted, American society suffers from a cult of grievance. To put it crudely, everyone wants some of what blacks got from the civil rights movement: sympathy, publicity, occasional preferred treatment and a general ability to put everybody else on the defensive. No doubt liberals are responsible for this deplorable situation, and I apologize. Again and again. As a softheaded liberal, I even like the idea that our competitive culture has a built-in consolation prize.

But be fair! (A liberal whine, I know. Sorry.) Don't assert the prerogatives of victory and then claim the compensations of defeat as well. You can't oppress us and simultaneously complain that we are oppressing you.

Well of course you can do this, if you want. Who's to stop you? I just kinda wish you wouldn't. If you don't mind my asking. Thanks. Sorry.

[Skittles]

1. I have been a Kinsley fan for a long time

since his early days on the old Crossfire. I understand he has had some health problems; does anyone know any more? I have not seen him in a long time.

[Dudley_DUright]

2. Parkinson's

Kinsley left his position as editor shortly after acknowledging that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years earlier.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001915335_kinsley29m.html

See this article in Slate for a powerful argument of why Bush is wrong (as usual) on stem cell research:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2090244/

On edit: Michael is now the editorial page editor of the LA Times

[Skittles]

6. dammit

I wish him well - the guy is amazing. I remember his wide-eyed innocent look while he skewered conservative assholes.

[teryang]

3. I like Kinsley too, but it's somewhat late for civil discourse

Polarization and abandonment of rational consensus politics is what the rise of fascism, like any other form of totalitarianism is about.

A simple observation of the three branches of government at this point (controlled by one party) and the level of obscurantist and bellicose discourse leaves Kinsley and those like him (myself for instance) isolated and ineffective. We can talk, but we're only talking to ourselves, while others burn and criminals loot the treasury.

[Paradise]

4. One thing I agree with, FOR SURE: "Give me liberty or give me death!":

"Everybody's message from the election results
is that Red America won,
and Blue America must change or die."

Yes, kristinist, well worth reading! Thanks.

[cornermouse]

5. The thing that has really caught my attention

during this election is the outright attempt by republican candidates to dehumanize and delegitimize democrats. Things were said that were beyond forgiveness. I honestly don't see how that can be smoothed over.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

9. I will NEVER forgive Republiklansmen for what they said.

[Moderator]

7. Re: DU Copyright Rules

Please limit quotations to 4 paragrapha dn provide a link to the original. Thank you.

[pretzel4gore]

8. ah reilly! Kinsley was a bushevik, wasn't he?

he and fred barnes worked the same corner, i believe.... (2 for 1 sale) and anyway bush won. the evidence was extant months ago that the so called election was a bushit staged event: kinsley was part of the soothing noises we heard from the mediaslut...he's as guilty as rush limble...