More Left-on-Left Crime, or How to Insure Low Turnout for Democrats in 2010, by Robert Gibbs

In response to Whitehouse spokesweenie Robert Gibbs’ recent infantile diatribe against the “professional left” (?), David Frum observed, “Repub pols fear the GOP base; Dem pols hate the Dem base.” Frum has it right.* Indeed, this a longstanding pathology within the Democratic Party and among progressives/liberals more generally.

While conservatives generally keep a sharp weather-eye to their right in order to see which way they should set their rhetorical (if not policy) sails, mainstream liberals almost always look to THEIR right for the same purposes; seeing only dangerous reefs and seductive Sirens to be assiduously avoided to their left, liberals are always tacking to the right to stay near the "realistic" (i.e. not threatening to the status quo) center.

Consider the kidglove treatment the teapartiers receive from most mainstream conservatives and the establishment GOP. With a few notable exceptions, the conservative establishment is tying itself in knots trying to figure out how to harness the energy of this rightwing phenomenon. And this is a factional splinter group that routinely voices rhetorical outrage at the establishment GOP and mainstream conservatives for their lack of rigorous commitment to their (lunatic) version of core conservative principles. Moreover, the whole far-right teaparty phenomenon was cooked up by a number of conservative movement insiders and heavyweights themselves.

Compare this with how the liberal establishment has long treated critique from its left.

• Bill Clinton administered a public pimp-slapping to the unions on his way to passing NAFTA with no protections for workers in NAFTA countries and no provisions for penalizing violators of international labor law or agreements. (And then he did it again with even greater malicious gusto in his recent support of the odious Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.)
• Ralph Nader (along with the now moribund Green Party) was thrown on the pariah heap of history by Dems and mainstream liberals who still claim Nader is to blame for the success of Bush II’s 2000 campaign. Apparently we are to ignore the laughable ineptitude of then-centrist Al Gore’s campaign in which he conceded so much policy argument to his opponent the Bushistas had to frame him as a pathological exaggerator as a means of differentiating their candidate. (Note that Nader is still considered a leftwing fringe crank despite the fact that in 2000 and ever since he has been the consistent, and often lone, voice sounding the alarm about the very regulatory vacuum that led to the economic meltdown; being proven right has never helped the left gain legitimacy with the mainstream liberal establishment.)
• The Democrats in office treat MoveOn.Org like a downstate cousin who gropes the bridesmaids at the wedding reception—despite the consistent, effective support the group and its 3 million-plus members have provided candidates and progressive causes. Rather than the treatment given the teaparty’s deliberately provocative (and often hysterical) rhetoric by mainstream Republicans, Democrats seem to look for opportunities to outdo rightwingers in bashing the organization and publicizing their “outrage” at the organization’s media-determined “missteps” (remember the whole bogus outrage over the “General Betray-Us” ads?).
• Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation is routinely invited on Sunday panel shows like ABC’s This Week to be set up as the silly and unrealistic leftist in contrast to more “reasonable” liberal voices at the table. Back when George Smugandunctuous was hosting This Week, you could see him and Will competing to see who could look more condescendingly annoyed when vanden Heuvel was speaking.
• Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman and leftwing author Naomi Klein are treated like lepers in mainstream liberal circles despite having done great work in warning the world that the Bush Administration was lying about WMDs, connections to Al Qaeda, yellow cake and all the rest of the Iraq invasion propaganda. Again, being right is no help to those on the left.

And this is the short list of examples of how mainstream liberals and the Democratic party despise the left.

And now Gibbs thinks he’s doing Democrats some sort of good by suggesting that Obama critics from the left “ought to be drug tested”? Apparently Gibbs is annoyed that we on the left don’t show more gratitude for the victories. Bob should remember that we aren’t in this for Obama victories; we voted for this guy to get victories for the progressive cause and social justice and to reignite the movement to make government an effective tool to advance the interests and needs of working class Americans. On these fronts, the progressive left is justifiably disappointed; Gibbs sees this disappointment as “crazy.”

For example, Gibbs mocks the left for its foolish dissatisfaction with Obama’s health reform; he says we will only “be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare.” You're right...We’re sorry, Bob, we’ll all be satisfied that the Administration caved to the likes of Joe Lieberman and watered down the only major health legislation we’ll see for another generation in a craven and failed attempt to attract a few votes from the Gentlemen from Anthem, Aetna, and Pharma. That was riveting theater and a real motivational spectacle for progressives throughout the country.

We’ll also be satisfied by a complete failure to get decisive, unambiguous victories on unemployment, strong financial regulation, climate change, and energy policy. We know the Republicans and the Bush gang left you guys with a catastrophic economic situation; that must make it awfully difficult to CONTROL THE FRIGGIN’ TERMS OF DEBATE! That’s sort of your job, isn’t it BOB? Defining the terms of policy debates? How would you grade yourself and the Obama team on that so far?

So, maybe instead of sniping at the left, whining about the lack of gratitude for your (mixed at best) record of achievement, and sending out senior Democratic Party Parade Float, Bill Clinton, to rally support for Democrats, you could put on your big boy pants and fight for the goddam progressive agenda.

Or maybe you guys are kinda liking the idea of a Republican congress with a strong number of liberal democrats to "stand up to" so as to help you triangulate with the GOP for legislative “compromises.” Dick Morris, pick up your phone.

This whole ongoing drama of the left getting beat up by the mainstream liberals and establishment dems is a shame-filled experience. Its like being in an abusive relationship. What would you say to a friend who repeatedly helped the spouse get dressed up to go out only to find out they were being left home while spouse went out on a date with someone else…then got backhanded in the mouth for complaining? What would you advise a friend with so little self respect?

I still have my 2008 Obama bumper logo. It’s coming off my car today.

* This is the first, and hopefully only, time I have uttered such words regarding Frum.

Paul Burneko