Gunslingers, Partisan and Otherwise

One thing I argue a lot about with other liberals, including my lovely and talented wife, who is also the sainted mother of my child and all-around urban goddess*, is the concept of left-leaning people who "make us look bad" to the American electorate by saying or doing things that are or could be perceived as being overly partisan, or even downright stupid.

My belief is that this consideration is for the most part a fabrication of the right, which is accepted by many on the left because of our characteristic pessimism on the question of whether "our" beliefs and ideas are palatable in the mainstream.

I have always believed that this idea, promoted aggressively by GOP-lite corporate Democratic organizations who want to dampen the enthusiasm and activity of the party's left-leaning electoral base, is best refuted by holding up the numerous completely outrageous things that right-wingers consistently say and do in the full light of dawn, which never seem to cause the Republican party (or conservatives generally) much harm in the public arena.

I have seen very few examples of this phenomenon that are as clear as this one brought to us by Tom Tomorrow. A Fox News commentator had this to say on the subject of the unarmed Brazilian shot dead by British police last week:

IT WOULDN'T BE OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR THEM TO PICK ON SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT BE MIDDLE EASTERN BUT WHO MAY LOOK MIDDLE EASTERN. SAY, SOMEONE WHO IS FROM SOUTH AMERICA, SOMEONE WHO IS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA, AND, SAY, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THEY'RE RACIAL PROFILING US, SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET SOME PUBLIC OPINION ON OUR SIDE. LET'S DRESS THIS GUY UP, TELL HIM TO ACT SUSPICIOUS, AND IF THE POLICE APPROACH HIM, TELL HIM TO RUN AWAY, AND WHEN THE POLICE CATCH HIM, THEN HE APPEARS TO BE INNOCENT, SO, YOU KNOW, IN ESSENCE, THEY START SENDING OUT DECOYS. THEY CAN DO ALL KIND OF THINGS WHEN THEY KNOW THAT YOUR NET -- THAT YOU HAVE CAST A NET THAT'S THAT NARROW.

Yes, al Qaeda found a Brazilian guy and sent him to England wearing a jean jacket, knowing he would be chased by police, in an effort to attract sympathy for global militant islam.

Yet liberals are concerned that opposing John Roberts will make us look bad.

Guh.

Oh, and on the "otherwise" tip, there is a passage in one of Stephen King's Dark Tower books that I always liked as a kid, where King informs us that Roland's mother doesn't tuck him in at night because "all gunslingers must face the night alone" or some such.

This always seemed very Romantic to me, especially since I often wish half-heartedly that my own upbringing had been characterized by a little more sternness.

However, all the Romanticism was drained from the concept last night as we finally decided the little monkey herself, at six months, is ready to face the night alone and cry herself to sleep when she awakens.

The result was one excruciating hour of listening to baby shrieks from the next room in 15 minute bursts (interspersed with listening to baby shrieks from right next to the baby, which is strangely easier), an excellent night of sleep, and a crippling feeling of guilt upon awakening.

Which, if you've never had kids, may sound vexing. But if you're a parent you know - any time a good night's sleep is on one side of the ledger, the other side's got some serious catching up to do. This one is, I'm ashamed to say, a slam dunk.

*on the advice of a married fellow blogger, this terminology has replaced "the wife",