From another perspective, it does our side no good to get drawn into the bullshit semantic games of the antagonist. There are no political perspectives that can be derived from first principles – all of them derive from some set of moral values. To the extent that ironclad moral certainty is an advantage in politics the side that is more willing to question its moral standards and to try to rationalize how other standards might also be acceptable is at a disadvantage.
If, in the misguided attempt to try to be “fair-minded”, someone on “our side” calls into question the legitimacy of our opposition to creeping authoritarianism then one might plausibly argue that person is doing a lot worse for “our side” than Rindan’s impassioned comments. If political issues were decided by who has the most clever argument that might not be the case but I’ve yet to see a political issue decided by clever arguments.
Ah jeez - now my head is dancing with all kinds of wicked Cake Boss masterpieces…or an entire banquet.
"Smells decidedly Cameronish with an undertone of Obama hoof and mouth. Probably good with a side of incorporated fascisti and a freshly whipped populace over a selection of organically-bound legal tomes. We had some last month, and I tell you, it was incredibly filling, though not in the way you’d expect. "
If, in the misguided attempt to try to be “fair-minded”, someone on “our side” calls into question the legitimacy of our opposition to creeping authoritarianism
Whoa there. So what you’re saying is that it’s OK for you to misrepresent what I - as somebody nominally on the ‘same side’ as you are - was pointing out, but it’s not cool for me to point out that person B’s attack on person A (both parties also being on ‘our side’) seemed to be missing person A’s point?
Ain’t nobody here trying to be fair with accommodating the ‘other side’ - I happen to be rather sympathetic with your first paragraph (which is, more or less, Lenin’s ‘useful idiots’ deal) but that’s not what this minor backstreet argument is about at all.
The goal of right-wing politics for a few decades now is enact exactly what you are discussing. Each of us will pick a side and stick to it regardless of reason or argument. Then plutocrats can enact whatever policies they want, knowing that the government will just oscillate between two sides, both funded by the same people.
Merely supporting the idea that you are on one side or the other, to me, means you are on their side. As long as there are sides to be on, we all lose.
