Here's Why I'm Pretty Sure We're Doomed...

I think people in the party have resigned themselves to being a minority party for 8-16 years. Since they do not entertain any hopes of having actual political power, what's left is interparty jockeying for position in the pecking order.

We're obviously not going to win in this state. The smartest guys in the party, at least as regards retail politics, are broadcasting this to me. As they plainly believe it, I must take this seriously.

And I have. Apparently this is going to be a philosophical period, the political equivalent of a "rebuilding season" (well, like four to eight rebuilding seasons in a row).

We're not interested in going after Democrats, not really; that seems too out of our grasp. Victories over each other seem more manageable, more winnable. We've decided, collectively, that we can't go to market (that is, the greater political contest of Republicans vs. Democrats) until we've finished our playoffs of Grassroots vs. Establishment for 8-16 years.

Given that the party doesn't want to win, I don't see the point of pretending otherwise.

Kind of hard to get interested when we already know the results are failure.

The Plus Side: Because we're not seriously contending in politics for a while, we don't have to counterfeit our beliefs any longer as regards compromise with each other and team unity.

That's actually very liberating, and very useful. If you've got lemons, make lemonade, after all.

So I will stop whining about it and just embrace it. But of course I get to play to. If we're going to have a Festivus Airing of Grievances, I've got some myself.

Here's one: I think a lot of people are in this party because it provides an intellectual and therefore socially acceptable basis for Judging and Scolding.

I'm sick of it. I'm sick to death of it. I'm sick of making excuses for it. I'm sick of pretending I don't think it's weird that people are still wigging out over the idea that some people are attracted to the same sex, and are still pushing some sort of "political" agenda about this, like we need a governmental fix to discourage homosexuality.

If we're going to have a war of all against all, let's have it, honestly.

posted by Ace at 02:26 PM

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