On Knowing Who We’re Dealing With

Just last night I re-read some second hand advice on blogging: “Usually it is a bad idea to tell a big blogger that they’ve fucked up big time.” Well, I’ve never been that good at taking advice. Nor was I ever consistent about knowing when to keep my mouth shut. And a mouse that roars is rarely noticed much by towering giants. So, since Lauren is too buried in paperwork to engage in the thoughtful writing that I’ve seen from her before, I’m going to go out on a limb and disagree with Ezra about what kinds of posts should be beneath progressive bloggers of quality.

Can someone explain to me why folks think Townhall.com is important enough to read? I mean, I realize there’s a humor element there, but reading every column they publish in a day in order to make a couple jokes is really giving them way exposure and power than they deserve. Townhall, after all, isn’t reading Feministe or Pandagon and summarizing their points each evening.

What’s missing there is actual engagement with the good, or at least sound, arguments that pop up across the aisle. That’s not to say George Will, or QandO, (or, if you’re a Republican, Kevin Drum and EJ Dionne) or any of the more reasonable folks are right or convincing, but that the ideology they express isn’t a caricature, and there’s something comforting about that. It’s easy to hate ill-intentioned hacks, but when folks are engaging in a fairly honest attempt to work through problems and arrive at conclusions, even when they end up in the wrong place, they’ve taken a respectable journey. And sometimes, highlighting that would be a bit more useful than mocking Ben Shapiro.

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It wouldn’t have shown up on Ezra’s radar, but what’s also missing here is a point I made when I pointed out Jill’s post.

This post from Jill over at Feministe reminds me of something Oprah Winfrey Maya Angelou once said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” It’s probably a good rule of thumb when it comes to dealing with at least some right wingers, because every once in a while the mask slips and they show us who they really are.

Well, sometimes the mask just comes off entirely. When it does, it’s worth pointing out. There is a definite value in knowing — and being reminded of — who you’re dealing with. Sure there are some thoughtful conservatives out there who can often be, as Ezra puts it, downright “reasonable.” But can you honestly look at where we are today — on anything from the economy to the war in Iraq — and actually convince yourself that these “reasonable conservatives” we should really be engaging with are actually driving things or that they have much actual power in their own party. The folks driving much of the agenda aren’t “reasonable.” The base is not “reasonable.” And the guys in charge didn’t get where they are by listening to “reasonable” folks, even in their own party.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The “reasonable conservatives” are in the back of the bus with us. If anybody’s driving, it’s the folks at sites like Townhall.Com or the author of the article Roxanne points out, entitled “How a husband should handle his wife’s submission.” If they aren’t driving, they’re at least navigating, and Dems like Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton cozying up to them in hopes that they’ll at least get a peek at the map and maybe a chance to suggest a slight detour. Laughable attempts, yes, but at least Joe and Hillary aren’t kidding themselves about who’s running things these days.

The point is that while we’re having “serious cross-aisle engagement” with “reasonable conservatives” (which usually results in stuff like reproductive choice and gay & lesbian equality getting jettisoned like so much excess baggage) it might behoove us to look up every once in a while a recognize who’s driving. Because we ain’t on anything like a “respectable journey” and our “reasonable conservative” friends aren’t exactly scrambling to grab the wheel. But as long as we remain intense discussion with them, at least we aren’t bothering the drivers. In fact we might just forget who’s driving altogether.

So, I think it’s worthwhile to look up every so often, remember who’s at the wheel, and remind others. Then maybe a few more folks in Washington will have the temerity to suggest we might be a bit off course, instead of enjoying the scenery as it rushes by. Slim chance, maybe, but worth trying. But first, we have to know who we’re dealing with.