The Distractionary War

There's been lots of attention paid to openly vocal disagreements within the Democratic party by the conservatives who are doing all they can to prevent those same Democrats from succeeding. The current line of thinking from them is that Democrats are even more divided than the GOP at this point. Ultimately they are more wrong than they will ever admit.

One of the leading voices in this charge is the mouth agape queen of distractionary tactics, Michelle Malkin, who insists that the GOP is as solid as ever while Democrats are falling apart at such an increasing rate that there is no way the party can survive:

It's the left, not the right, cracking up. It's the party donkey, not the elephant, now in a rabies-crazed frenzy. Funny, though, how internecine rancor on the right always puts conservatism in its last, final, permanent death throes (again and again), but internecine warfare on the left is merely a matter of healthy, principled disagreement.

While Malkin is clearly attempting to draw her readerships attention away from it, the fact is that she got that last part right - this is about Democrats of all stripes attempting to find common ground. The problem that conservatives have is not being able to discern between debate and an all-out brawl that ultimately means that there is one party that is cast into irrelevancy. Essentially, conservatives can't understand how real debate works as they are more concerned with showing they have the ability to destroy something or someone. There is no common ground with them, it's their way or no way at all.

When you see people like Chris Matthews trying to say that netroots progressives are just bitching, that's hardly the death toll that Malkin claims it is. By and large, this is just Tweety playing to the camera. When you see people like Dylan Ratigan and Debbie Waserman-Schultz having a vigorous exchange over healthcare reform, this isn't the Left eating its own, it's liberal/progressive Democrats trying to find a way to get this done as cleanly and efficiently as possible. Yes, the voices are loud and the sense of urgency is as present as ever, but the main difference between this impassioned debate within the Democratic party and the reality of a splintering GOP is that Democrats have a goal to reach that is in the best interest of everyone, not just them.

What goals do conservatives have? I can't think of one, aside from assuring that the Democrats fail. And this is illustrated quite when in Michelle Malkin's piece. She has no real insight into the needs of the American people, only what the conservative movement demands of her - to be an obedient mouthpiece that will tow the party line at all costs, even if it makes her look like a blithering disgrace. And when you belong to a group of people that are more concerned with destroying the opposition than strengthening the world you live in, it's clear that you are far weaker than those you oppose.