Insulted by Reality
by tdaxp ~ May 8th, 2008
If facts are against you, you an still win an argument by claiming you are insulted by those facts, and pretending reality is a personal insult to you.
Consider, for instance, Obama-backer Donna Brazile’s respond to Clinton-backer Paul Begalada’s statement that Obama’s coalition of blacks and educated whites is the “Dukakis Coalition”
Here’s the specific remarks. Begala points out that Obama’s coalition has led to Democratic defeats in the past:
If there’s a new democratic party that doesn’t need or want white working-class people and latinos count me out. We cannot win with eggheads and african-americans. That’s the Dukakis coalition which carried 10 states and gave us 4 years of the first George Bush.
And Dona Brazile queues up “you insult…”:
We need to not divide adn polarize the Democratic Party as if the Democratic Party will realy entirely on white blue-collar males. You insult every black blue-collar democrat by saying that. So stop the division, stop trying to split us into these groups.
Obviously, I’m against race-baiting anti-COIN protectionists — I oppose Barack Obama. In a just world, he wouldn’t have a chance of being a major party’s nominee.
We don’t live in that just world, though we may live in one almost as good: the Democratic Party may be retreating into the Dukakis Coalition.
As long as it works as well for the Democratic Party in 2008 as in 1998: good.
I think this is your...
May 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
It would be nice to know what Briazile said before Begala spoke? As far as the “insult” goes, that’s just Standard Operating Procedure for that particular political faction.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:19 am
[...] seen how far they can get by being insulted by fellow liberal Paul Begala, Team Obama not tries to be insulted by fellow liberals at The New Yorker. The New Yorker’s [...]
July 27th, 2008 at 8:20 am
[...] Obama supporters are often insulted. Donna Brazille was insulted when a fellow Democrat noted that Obama was re-forming the failed Michael Dukakis coalition. Likewise, the Obama campaign was insulted by a cartoon. Now Obama supporters are insulted when [...]