The main point is that while American politicians can be progressive, in favour of less economic inequality, they *cannot* be really liberal about human-rights and foreign policy,. and remain enough inside the "Overton Window" of discussion that allows them the support to pursue progressive goals.
The main point is that while American politicians can be progressive, in favour of less economic inequality, they *cannot* be really liberal about human-rights and foreign policy,. and remain enough inside the "Overton Window" of discussion that allows them the support to pursue progressive goals.
There were comparable moral paragons to those who call today for a ceasefire, when the human-rights atrocities were being committed by America itself, at Guantanamo, Iraq, Afghanistan. They protested and protested, and were not much joined; there were few marches, and they did not grow, and the ongoing human-rights horrors in all three locations were just sullenly accepted, by the only "Left" visible to me, for *decades*.
The more-compromised, human-rights-weaklings, bad liberals, who offered only a few muted protests, who indicated their willingness to vote against Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo if somebody would just bring a good bill the floor, (never came)...they all still had their jobs.
So, my main point is: you're wrong. "The Left" will forgive the ceasefire-weaklings. Moral paragonhood will not be demanded, any more than it was for previous opportunities to show courage, in recent years.
NB: Our issue may be definitional of "The Left". You can't throw the Clintons out of it, not in America these days, because it's a binary distinction, and The Right is entirely occupied by Trump. David Frum is also part of "The Left", these days, as I'm forced to define the term. You only have two parties to vote for.
The main point is that while American politicians can be progressive, in favour of less economic inequality, they *cannot* be really liberal about human-rights and foreign policy,. and remain enough inside the "Overton Window" of discussion that allows them the support to pursue progressive goals.
There were comparable moral paragons to those who call today for a ceasefire, when the human-rights atrocities were being committed by America itself, at Guantanamo, Iraq, Afghanistan. They protested and protested, and were not much joined; there were few marches, and they did not grow, and the ongoing human-rights horrors in all three locations were just sullenly accepted, by the only "Left" visible to me, for *decades*.
The more-compromised, human-rights-weaklings, bad liberals, who offered only a few muted protests, who indicated their willingness to vote against Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo if somebody would just bring a good bill the floor, (never came)...they all still had their jobs.
So, my main point is: you're wrong. "The Left" will forgive the ceasefire-weaklings. Moral paragonhood will not be demanded, any more than it was for previous opportunities to show courage, in recent years.
NB: Our issue may be definitional of "The Left". You can't throw the Clintons out of it, not in America these days, because it's a binary distinction, and The Right is entirely occupied by Trump. David Frum is also part of "The Left", these days, as I'm forced to define the term. You only have two parties to vote for.