There’s been much to admire in Nick Cohen’s savaging of the George Galloway-John Pilger wing of the left in Britain. But to me, the point of all this, and the reason I launched this blog almost exactly three years ago, was to shore up liberalism and social-democratic politics against attacks from the know-nothing left and the know-nothing right. Cohen has now all but crossed over to the latter with this piece of drivel. That it was enthusiastically recommended by Neil D of Harry’s Place speaks to a larger phenomenon: some, by no means all, in the Euston Manifesto coalition seem to prefer McCain to Obama, which will have me tearing a lot of my hair out between now and November.
Remember last week? When the GOP held a resentment-fueled political convention, jeering and booing Obama for wanting to restore due process and other terrible things? To Nick Cohen, it’s liberals who are the problem, waging a “hate campaign” against Palin the Everywoman:
As it was, her family appeared on stage without a goitre or a club foot between them, and Palin made a fighting speech that appealed over the heads of reporters to the public we claim to represent.
Breathtaking nonsense: The McCain camp is trying to cow and deter the press from doing its job — which is to appeal “over the heads” of campaign spin doctors and report to the American people on Sarah Palin’s record. Cohen, amazingly, is on board and applauding Palin’s resurrection of Spiro Agnew. But this is what really got me:
At present, American liberals are not fighting for an Obama presidency. I suspect that most have only the haziest idea of what it would mean for their country. The slogans that move their hearts and stir their souls are directed against their enemies: Bush, the neo-cons, the religious right.
Hey, asshole: I am fighting for an Obama presidency. So are millions of my fellow Americans. The idea isn’t “hazy” at all. It means a fighting shot at universal health care, affordable tuition, a more just and balanced tax code, the restoration of habeas corpus and other basic constitutional principles, the checking of corruption and unabashed cronyism, the righting of America’s diplomatic and military course after eight years of abject failure. Yes, this involves making a case against Bush, the neo-cons, the religious right. If Cohen can think of reasons why they shouldn’t be criticized, he should articulate them and amuse us all.
Again today at Harry’s Place, we have Gordon swallowing the McCain-Palin message hook-line-sinker, writing about “the Democratic problem” and “wondering if the Democrats will ever learn some respect for parts of the American people, for those ‘flag waving patriots’….” For the record, there were thousands of flag-waving patriots at Invesco Field, taking part in American history as Obama delivered his nomination speech.
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