I dislike the term ‘punching hippies’ but I am amused to discover that the Establishment media doesn’t even know what it means. They probably think that DFH’s are actual hippies. It just goes to show you how non-seriously the Establishment takes people who oppose our tendency to start land wars in Asia. We have never been wrong, yet, but that doesn’t make our ideas worthy of consideration.
On the other hand, using the term ‘punching hippies’ to mean nothing more than pushback against criticism is inappropriate. It’s not punching a hippie to say it’s retarded to spend money on defeating Blanche Lincoln. It’s punching a hippie to dismiss those of us who think we should get the hell out of Afghanistan. It’s not punching a hippie to say that the ‘professional left’ needs to grow up. It’s punching a hippie to dismiss our views on indefinite detention and extraordinary rendition. At least, that’s how I see it. I can take criticism and disagreement, even on things I care passionately about. I don’t expect the Democratic Establishment to govern from the progressive left, or agree with everything we do. But when it comes to issues of national security and civil liberties, we’ve been right every time. It’s about time people started listening to us instead of calling us a bunch of dirty fucking hippies.
