Like so many others here, I am absolutely appalled at my country’s descent into madness and the enshrinement of crimes against humanity as our official policy. But I am almost as appalled by the incredible shallowness of the progressive blogosphere’s reaction to the passage of the torture bill.
In a certain way, the reaction is pretty typical. On dKos and elsewhere throughout the “progressive” blogosphere, some of the more shrill minions poured out dozens of comments and diaries explaining why everyone should be very, very angry about Democratic complacency in the face of this. They were opposed by “pragmatists,” for whom it’s never ok to be angry at the blessed Democratic Party. After a few rounds of this, the magic of the twenty-four-hour news cycle appeared (Foley was found with a live boy!), and everone began to move on.
This is what happened when the Democrats gave Bush his Iraq War authorization in 2002. It’s what happened when Democrats refused to filibuster two Supreme Court nominees who think we live in an absolute monarchy. It’s what happened when Democrats voted for bankruptcy “reform,” and when they confirmed appointee after appointee who wrote torture memos, supervised illegal wiretap programs, and the like. Should we be angry or not? That was really the extent of the debate.
But this is different. This is torture. This is countenancing crimes against humanity. A moral line has been crossed. Is it not time to talk not only about our feelings, but also about actually holding war criminal Democrats accountable for their actions? Is there not a point at which partisanship needs to yield to principle?
Apparently not. All is still forgiven among the netroots if you have a “D” after your name (especially since Lieberman and Zell no longer do). Even support for torture.
The acid test here is one’s attitude toward the five Democrats running for Senate who voted in favor of torture: the Nelsons, Carper, Menendez, and Sherrod Brown (who voted for it in the House). Where are the calls among the major progressive bloggers to withdraw support for these moral monsters (and I use that word advisedly)? You can look far and wide, and apart from “unhinged” commenters like myself, you’ll find nobody calling for any such thing. Quite the opposite! They need our support because they’ll contribute to a Democratic Majority! Perhaps we’ll challenge them in a primary someday…
This attitude is truly depraved. For all the blather about torture being an absolute wrong, it turns out that, if you’re a Democrat running for Senate, supporting torture is more or less ok. This refusal to hold the Democratic Party accountable, even for this, also leads to the netroots’ ultimate ineffectualness. No wonder the leadership of the Democratic Party pays no attention to the yelps of the blogosphere when there’s no price whatsoever for ignoring us! And just look at how thrilled they are to have coffee with Clinton!
So what have “progressive” blogs been doing instead? They ring their hands. Wail a little. Congratulate themselves for their “shrillness.” And then attack anyone who suggests the Democrats were at all responsible, let alone that they should be held accountable for their actions.
As George Bernard Shaw once noted, democracy is a device that ensures that we shall be governed no better than we deserve. Anybody who puts party loyalty above his or her commitments to the most basic human rights deserves to live in a country that countenances waterboarding.