(no subject)

[barking_iguana]

chemoelectric nails it on Senate Democrats

One of the reasons Washington Democrats do things like welcome home Joseph Isadore Lieberman and extract from him essentially no penalty is to make the people who vote for them scream bloody murder. This is a rite that increases their stature in the Beltway Establishment; they even talk about it that way in Establishment circles, though they construct their sentences differently...

Comments

[chemoelectric.livejournal.com]

My knowledge of this subject comes mostly thanks to Glenn Greenwald.

[tayefeth.livejournal.com]

I don't understand why causing one's constituents to rant and rave would increase one's standing inside the Beltway. Is it some misguided posture of not bending to the latest opinion poll?

[barking-iguana.livejournal.com]

I'd say it shows one is not beholden to the irrationally impassioned rabble; that one is serious and statesmanlike (not always conscious translation: willing to work for non-ideological actors, and therefore a full player in the Washington power game.

[tayefeth.livejournal.com]

Because, in the Western mind, emotion is always irrational, I suppose. This reminds me to an irritating extent of the sexist tropes about women being irrational and emotional and therefore without worthwhile arguments.