Hammer this

(Posted initially as a comment at edcone.com)

For many years, I was a solid independent and centrist on all things political. Some might even say I leaned right, given my military training and business background.

But then something happened: The radical right wing of the Republican party began its ascension, engaging in a kind of political speech that quite honestly caught me off guard. I couldn't imagine how anyone with any intelligence would tune in and listen to people like Rush Limbaugh. Then came the Hunting of President Clinton and the feeding frenzy of right-wing commentators. Then came the swiftboating of John Kerry.

Most progressives I know sat back and watched this devolution of public debate incredulously. And while I'm sure many on the left pushed back hard, I personally did not. I personally believed there was common ground to be discovered and celebrated.

Then came Karl Rove and the disastrous presidency of George Bush, with its politics of hate, division, threat and fear. At first I held fire. At first I thought "this too shall pass." But with every new day, the lies and the manipulation and the trampling of basic decency have driven me toward a level of polarization I could never have imagined. As a result, I have personally chosen a radical stand. I have personally chosen to fight against those on the right - the media, the corporations, the politicians, the Puppetmasters - with every bone in my body.

If I have to resort to ridicule and sarcasm, so be it. If I have to call liars liars, so be it. If I have to make fun of a whining schlock jock on a local radio station, so be it. If I have to taunt and tease, fine by me. Whatever it takes to annoy, intimidate, embarrass and distract the government-hating right, I'll do it.

I don't care what people think of me. I am on a mission. And I don't expect to change any minds. There may be a few people in this world who are truly confused about whether to support the Republican torturers on the right or the progressive left, but I don't see them. And if they're so lame as to be undecided at this late date, I really don't care to see them. There are more of us than there are of them, so the issue is really about mobilization and engagement.

Today we see an enormous amount of whining by right-wing reactionaries who are used to getting a free pass from thoughtful people on the left, people who wouldn't strike back, people who believed in reasoned debate. They whine because reasonable people shun their corporate media. They whine because the mean old libruls call them names and make fun of their stupidity. They whine because they are chickenhawks.

The days of hoping for reasoned debate are gone.

My goal now is to drag the center back to the center, kicking and screaming if necessary, away from the flaming lunatic fringe where it's been for the past five years. (A commenter at Cone's site said you have to pull from both sides to get back to the center, which only goes to show what a sleep-walking imbecile he is.)

I am neither a liberal nor conservative. I am a pissed-off progressive. And I flat-out 100% dedicated to stopping what the @$$holes on the radical right are doing to this country.