I think what makes me the angriest about stuff like this is not that Democrats are sucking up to bigots, it’s that they expect itto work:
This kind of thinking has finally gone mainstream and is fully integrated into the debate among influential Democrats. Granted, Longman’s advice to the DLC was to embrace “family friendly” policy but as you can see from his comments, in order to truly embrace these undereducated “Quiverfull” nuts whom everyone thinks need to be part of the Big Tent (birthing and cleaning after everyone apparently)the agenda is going to have to expand significantly. We are already seeing the argument going beyond abortion and extending into the birth control realm.
And … look. Just once and for fucking all, okay? PEOPLE LIKE THIS ARE NEVER GONNA VOTE FOR YOU. It doesn’t matter if you inch to the right a dozen times on abortion, it doesn’t matter if you denounce gay marriage even louder than your Republican opponent, it doesn’t matter if you come right out and say that what’s important for us girls is to have lots of babies and to form a society that imposes subtle forms of coercion upon us to do so even if we’re not sure we want that.
THEY’RE NEVER GONNA VOTE FOR YOU.
You’ve got to understand, Mr. Centrist Moderate “I’m Not A Dirty Hippie, I Love My Country, Watch Me Punch This Feminist To Prove It” Pseudo-Democrat. This isn’t a rational political allegiance based on a sober analysis of the issues. There are Republicans like that, and those are the people you can reach, but these aren’t them. These are the people who root for the Republicans like they root for the Packers: because it makes them feel better when the Republicans win. Because the hardcore racist sexist homophobic Republican message validates the lives they live, makes them feel good about themselves. You can’t compete with that. You can go into their living rooms all you want and tell them why the Bears are the better football team this year, and they’ll look at you like you just hit them with a bag of nickels, and then they’ll grab you, collar and belt, and throw you out of their houses.
You’re a member of the party of gay-sexing, regardless of your position on gay rights. You’re the party of Babykiling On Demand, regardless of your position on abortion You’re the party of taking some white guy’s job and giving it to a lesser-qualified black woman, regardless of your position on affirmative action. You’re the party of replacing the Pledge of Allegiance with the Wiccan Rede, regardless of your position on the separation of church and state. It doesn’t matter what you say, what your positions actually are; they’re not even listening to you. You can talk all you want about how much you love and value the Packer philosophy and actually agree with it in many respects; you’re wearing blue and orange, and that’s all they can see.
SO JUST GIVE IT UP ALREADY.
Democrats will never win the Hate Olympics with these people, and those who continue to counsel we should even play obviously haven’t turned on the TV in a week, because there’s plenty of people out there who aren’t looking for the candidate who can be as contrary as possible to the party to which he belongs, in defiance of all sense and in such a way that it harms his or her constituents. There’s plenty of people in Kentucky, in Indiana, in Idaho, in Virginia, who are looking for Democrats who support equality, fundamental rights and equal protection under the law. There’s plenty of Democratic voters in Montana, Nevada, Colorado for you to be friends with, so go talk to them instead, you’ll spend a lot less time apologizing for your very existence.
(And not for nothing, but the people who already voted for you in Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont are getting really fucking sick of being told you’d rather sit over there at the Asshole Table than hang out with the people who’ve supported you all along.)
Schmucks.
A.