Why Concentrate On Quislings?

First of all, it’s effective. I find it hard to believe that anyone with a political memory greater than a Fruit Fly (Goldfish have surprisingly long memories and can be trained using standard animal conditioning techniques, Fruit Flies’ entire lifespans can be measured in hours) doesn’t remember the over hyped but still effective Teabagger movement of 2010. I mean, it was only 7 years ago.

When I say ‘over hyped’ the truth of it is that most of the Congressional gains made by Republicans were the product of bog standard gerrymandering which has thousands of years of pedigree (that’s right, we “exceptionally” didn’t invent it). Most of the newly elected Representatives were ordinary “movement conservatives” (itself a radical and pernicious ideology but a subject for another day) and the vast majority of primary challenges from the Right were defeated with just a few prominent exceptions. Even today the so-called “Freedom Caucus” that represents the Institutional Teabaggers stands at a laughable 10% of the House.

What gives it any power is the rank cowardice of Politicians. Rather than stand for principle (hah!) or take any chance of losing their source of graft and corruption to the will of the voters they embed themselves in ever more homogenous enclaves and eschew any controversial attitudes.

Even so the Teabaggers have been fairly effective from a policy standpoint because of their iron willed and steadfast opposition, in addition to their frankly racist, bigoted, misogynous, and fascist program being normalized and endorsed by a Corporatist Media which likewise relies on unctious obsequiousness and complacency to maintain their positions.

I do not delude myself that Republicans can be reasoned with or appeased. They are are inherently insincere and have no concept of compromise (or rather that concept is- I get what I want and you compromise). Republicans must be removed from power on every level of government and in every State, District, Town, and Precinct; their Party is a Criminal Enterprise that should be Prosecuted, Convicted, and Expunged.

Democrats are nearly as bad, but nearly is not as.

One good thing about opposition to Trump is that it is activating politically the solid majority that despise him and equally so his enablers who hide behind their (D) badges. Purging the Quislings, or at least attempting to do so, gives the Left the opportunity to advance our agenda the same way the Teabaggers have. You may decry these tactics as unsportsmanlike but this is an existential struggle, I’ll pull out a ‘Fainting Couch’ for your delicate sensibilities.

Liberal voters warn Democratic officials: resist Trump or be replaced
by Lauren Gambino and Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian
Sunday 19 February 2017

On the evening Donald Trump announced his supreme court nominee, thousands of protesters gathered outside of Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer’s Brooklyn apartment. They chanted “Just vote no” and “Obstruct” while carrying signs – “Get a spine, Chuck” – and a prop skeleton to illustrate their point.

The protesters are part of a sudden swell of liberal activism that has drawn millions to city streets and airport concourses across the US, in a startling show of resistance to Trump’s presidency. Emboldened by this groundswell, some progressives have started using the word “primary” as a verb – and as a threat.

For Democrats in Washington, many of whom are still surprised by the scale and furiousness of backlash, the challenge is how to convert this energy into electoral success.

Schumer has significantly slowed the pace of Trump’s cabinet confirmations and excoriated many of the president’s nominees. But the activists outside Schumer’s home on that January night were unimpressed by his votes in favor of Trump’s nominees to represent the US in the UN and to lead the Pentagon, CIA and Department of Homeland Security.

“Our message to Democrats is simple: fight Trump or we’ll find someone who will,” said Waleed Shahid, a co-founder of the progressive group All of Us and a former organizer with the Bernie Sanders campaign. This week, the group launched the political action committee We Will Replace You, the latest in a series of projects to warn Democrats that failures to oppose Trump’s agenda will have consequences.

The group argues that Democrats need to exercise the little political power they still have. The activists have a long list of demands: votes against “all Trump appointees”, opposing his supreme court nominee, using congressional procedures to “bring all business to a crawl to block Trump’s agenda and demand Steve Bannon be fired”. Elected officials, they say, should “publicly support impeachment if Trump is found to have broken the law or violated the constitution”.

The activists have already circled a number of Senate Democrats who have failed to meet their standards, including vulnerable and increasingly rare red-state Democrats, such as Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Both Democrats are up for re-election in 2018.

“The Democratic party establishment wants the support of the Tea Party of the left but they don’t want to earn it,” Shahid said, alluding to the 2010 movement that mobilized rightwing activists, confronted moderate Republicans and helped the party take control of the House in a wave.

“They say they love the grassroots activism, but they don’t want to take the next step and challenge the Democratic leadership.”