Opposition ABC's

I missed this Stan Goff piece on Counterpunch Thursday, but happened upon it over the weekend--coincidently, C-Span found their spine and rebroadcast George Galloway's testimony several times as well.

Of course, the Senate committee still hasn't produced a transcript of Galloway's opening statement, despite the fact that it's freely available on any of a number of web sites.

The point isn't that the MP is a saint, or martyr, or anything of the sort--but he DID demonstrate, as Goff notes, "[how to speak] as an opposition:"

Since there seems to be a great dark space in the middle of your heads where the notion of opposition should be ­ a void filled by parliamentary molasses and the pusillanimous inabilty to tell simple truths ­ I suggest you all review the recordings of Galloway's confrontation with Republican Senator Norm "Twit" Coleman to see exactly how effortless it is to stand up to these cheap political bullies. While you are at it, you can watch your colleague Carl Levin demonstrate exactly what I mean about most of you and your party, as he alternately hurls petulant cream-puff insults at Galloway and kisses Coleman's stunned, clueless ass to give that toothy dipshit some comfort in the wake of Galloway's verbal drubbing.

Galloway didn't have to walk up to the docket and slap the cowboy shit out of Coleman ­ though I admit I still struggle with my own secret urges to do just that with most of the air-brushed, combed-over, Stepford meat-puppets who now people the United States Congress. No, all Galloway had to do was tell the unvarnished truth, and it had exactly the same effect. If Democrats had half the spine that Galloway does, if you would stop chasing your creepy little careers through the caviar and chicken-salad circuits of duck-and-cover American political double-speak, then not only would people like me not be calling for all to abandon the Democratic Party and take their fight to the streets like good Bolivians not only that, but you'd have won the last election.

Goff notes the same thing as Krugman (see below): Democrats, at least on the national level, have been badly outmanuevered, and at least in part the result of their own doing. Remember when the common slur against the party was that they were only interested in what was going on "inside the beltway?" That STILL seems to be the case, even as the GOP pisses/spits on common folk while claiming it's warm rain.

Admittedly, in exchange, the GOP sanctions the politics of hate, which seems to be as strong a vote-getter these days as ever. Last fall it was "smear the queers," previously it's been "black--get back," and it's ALWAYS been "feminist=feminazi,"--a pyramid base of prejudice. Given that this hate is, interestingly, sanctioned by the peculiar brand of Christianity common among the mouth-breathers, a solid base of support awaits those who tap into the fear and loathing.

That said, the shrinking violet approach to opposition has NO chance of success, while "GOP-lite" is even worse (allowing "a little bit of hate" is sort of like implying that someone can be "a little pregnant").

Now, there's plenty to be disappointed about with one Howard Dean, but this weekend he at least gave Tim Russert a bit of a pranging--and the looming battle royale over "the nuclear option" could signal a turnaround among the Dems, if they follow up.

However, getting back to Goff:

People follow those who speak plainly and fight. Aside from Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, and Cynthia McKinney (not surprisingly Black women who know where it goes if you let rich white men get away with giving you a bunch of shit) and a precious few others, the Democratic Party is not only just another party controlled by big capitalists; it is not even a good *capitalist* opposition party (much less a real opposition).

In other words, he doesn't think there's gonna be any follow up:

You don't deserve anyone's support, not even as a tactical matter any longer, because you end up doing ritual verbal combat then give the "cornpone Nazis" of the Republcan Party any goddamn thing they want. That's why Galloway rhetorically spanking that soap-opera-looking shitbird was the most satisfying thing many of us have seen in months.

Goff is a former Army careerist (and NOT one on the "corporate" career path--he was a soldier) who doesn't mince words--nor does he tolerate any bullshit. As such, I'm not too surprised he's ready to cut the Democratic Party loose.

I'm not nearly as inclined to do the same, perhaps in part because I'm willing to tolerate a lot more bullshit--but I think the Democrats could do a hell of a lot better if they'd stop agonizing and apologizing, and instead throw a few punches. One major offensive can and should be one pointing out that it's NOT America that's tarnishing it's reputation throughout the world--it's a bizarre combination of cracker capitalists and ignorant Christ cultists who neither know capitalism nor Christianity. And the REAL problem with waiting until they fail is that they'll be dragging down with them a whole lot of people.

Again, as noted below, I can only hope that isn't gonna happen.