Evolution

Billmon asks a good question, just how many readers does Blueprint have?

Under the circumstances, the DLC's blur-the-differences approach may well be the smartest way to oppose the Rovian machine -- which the corporate Democrats hate as much as progressives do, since it deprives them of what they consider to be their fair share of the gravy.

Cowardly? Definitely. Uninspiring? Absolutely. But until the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party demonstrates that a principled, progressive strategy can win some general elections, it's probably naive to expect your average Democratic politician to show much in the way of guts.

But the problem with the DLC approach (aside from the corporate corruption) is that it assumes the political balance will never change, that America will always be a center-right country, and the best progressives can hope to do is accommodate themselves to the corporate new world order.

They may be right. For those in North America who still care about social justice, tolerance and rationality, Canada might be the better long-term bet. But unless someone is willing to challenge the conservative status quo in this country, unless activists are willing to try to cultivate and grow the liberal base, the DLC's political philosophy will become a self-fufilling prophesy.

The take away, I guess, is that the Dems need both their wings right now -- the liberal rabble rousers
and (grits teeth) the DLC dinos. But instead of trying to create some kind of fatuous, and flatulant, "united front," maybe it would be better if the two camps just sort of ignored each other, at least when it isn't primary season. Live and let live. Let the netroot activitists do their thing -- growing and evolving -- and let the dinos do theirs -- staving off extinction for a few more years.

Essential reading.