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May 16, 2006

For the first time, I'm worried. . .

Abu Grahib never really bothered me. I realized almost immediately that AG was the result of bad apples given the keys to their own sadistic version of a candy store and they made everyone look bad in the process. I was just as outraged as everyone else that a few of our soldiers could be so incomprehensibly stupid, but I knew that the truth would come out and the end result would be fine.

Other "scandals" like the inconsequential "Downing Street Memo", the Koran Flushed, and the myriad of other "scandals" never really bothered me, especially when viewed in the context of my side of the aisle. I had faith and assurances within myself that the Right-Center of American politics would find their way out of the sandtraps and put the shot up close to the pin. Each and every time, this has been the case; we are not perfect as a nation, and we're certainly not perfect in the context of political parties, but generally, at the end of the day, we come out pretty well. We, being the Right-Center of American Political life.

Today however, I'm not as sure we're going to be OK. This is cause for great concern within me.

This issue that concerns me is the birth of what I'm going to begin calling the "Angry Right" who've become drunk with political power.

If you look at my blogroll, you'll see that it's pretty short. This is pretty intentional and I've fought to keep it small for a reason. It's a list of the sites I visit almost daily, at least weekly, and which I return to again and again in my examination of the world. It's not a complete list of sites I visit, but it's a list of those that I feel somewhat politically aligned to. It's a list of those who I think share a similar world view, and I want to promote that world view. I do visit Democratic Underground to see what the most loony of lefty moonbats are talking about, I visit the HuffPo to find out what their commanders are saying, I visit Drudge for gossip and breaking news and I'll even drop over to Freeperville to see what nuts in my own party are bitching about on any given day. I also just wander around cyberspace looking for this or that or the other, following random links and generally trying to discover whatever I can about whatever I can.

I'm noticing something within my own little sub-section of the web however, it's not all-pervasive, but it's there nonetheless. I'm seeing the rise of the Angry Right within a self-moderated community of people whom I have respected in the past and who I found close kinship with in my Political Construct. The issue that crystalized it for me was the current Immigration debate, although now I'm beginning to question how long it's been there and how deep the sentiments are.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way shape or form breaking with my Republican Party, nor am I moving to the left. I'm still firmly rooted to my Republican-Libertarian roots and living in my Pro-Demo-Captialist sphere, but I'm questioning some of my peers and betters, and even more so, I'm questioning their motives.

The Immigration Debate has turned some of my kinsmen into downright loons. Some have let their passion on this issue cloud their better judgement, some have let this image become their White Whale and some have simply gone off the deep end.

I think it's important at this point to state my own position on Immigration and in particular, Illegal Immigration. So lets just lay out my position in a list.

1. I'm all for a fence. I realize that a ocean to ocean fence is a bit of overkill, there are some areas that can be better controlled with UAV's and patrols, but a fence must be built in many areas, it should be a strong fence, preferably double or triple layered in areas; and it should be supported with sensors and all the technology we can muster to reinforce it. It should also be patroled by humans with their attendant technology. It should be built sooner rather than later.

2. I'm for an unskilled guest worker program, just as I am for a skilled worker program. We already have a plethora of guest worker programs, some with and some without a path to citizenship. I think we can easily accomodate another guest worker program and that program should have two parts, one with and one without a path to citizenship.

3. I oppose amnesty. Additionally, I don't view paying back taxes, paying current taxes, paying a fine and going to the back of the line a form of amnesty. I look at it as a form of restitution and probation. I don't see it as amnesty.

4. I oppose the idea of mass round-ups and deportation. I believe that if we offer a restitution and probation program, coupled with a guest worker program, and if we give that a reasonable period of time to get up and running, that we'll see a large number, a super-majority of illegals currently in the country sign up and work on getting straight with the American people.

After that reasonable period of time, I fully support incarceration at hard labor followed by deportation for anyone who remains in this country illegally for whatever reason and who does not take advantage of the restitution and probation options.

5. I support a national I.D., preferably supported with biometrics. Additionally I support a screening process for communicable diseases and criminal background checks. I support this for citizens, citizen applicants, guest workers and generally anyone who happens to set foot at any time on American soil.

6. I support using any and all available resources to support the above measures including the National Guard, local, state and federal law enforcement, citizen watches (a la The Minutemen), as well as any current or to be developed technology to support the above points.

My position I think jibes closely with the President's and I think it also jibes closely with the American people and our history as a Nation of Immigrants. My postion does not however seem to jibe with many of those who I felt were my kinsmen and women within what is generally called the Blogosphere.

This came especially to light with a popular site which I've always considered Right-Center, Polipundit.com. In recent weeks, the tone of the Polipundit.com authors/bloggers has become more and more hostile to one another. I watched as the various authors went from blogging about their views and opinions to a defense of their views and opinions against one another. Finally, today, the entire group blog broke down when the site owner declared that if any of the "guest authors/bloggers" disagreed with Polipundit (the owner/author, not the site in general) on the Immigration issue, that they were no longer welcome as "guest authors/bloggers".

Of course, this has resulted in much animosity within the community that Polipundit.com supports. It's caused "camps" to develop and strike out at one another, and much hate laced vitriol to be spewed back and forth among the authors, commenters, and unfortunately, even myself. I finally realized what was happening in a larger sense, shook my head and withdrew, loaded up my own admin page, and began this post.

What I am seeing however, is not merely limited to Polipundit, it's much more widespread and has "infected" a number of the sites on my blogroll. I'm curious as to why, and I have a theory.

Politics in America has become severly polarized. Actually it's always been polarized, it's just that politics is moving much faster now and the Army of Davids is experiencing for the first time in historical memory, a real sense of power, and further, actual real power. With power, however, comes corruption, and I don't mean corruption in terms of paying for this opinion or action or that opinion or action, I mean corruption of the ideas, and positions of the individuals that acquire power, the groups that acquire power, the BLOGGERS who have acquired power.

It didn't begin with Harriet Miers, but Harriet Miers was a sort of "turning point" where the pundits began to realize the power they wielded. When the uproar from Harriet Miers resulted in her pulling her nomination, the Right-Center blogosphere erupted with a sense of victory, a sense of accomplishment and a sense of the true power they could wield. They went from commentators and observers and influencers of public opinion to actual players in the political game. They realized that they had political capital to spend, and by golly, they were going to spend and spend and spend it like a drunken Congressman just before they crashed their car into a barricade.

The turned their sites on issues across the board. Some fights were good fights, some were bad ones (most notably in my opinion is here, with the reasons) they won some, and they won some more. Their capital increased and their spending of it increased.

Now, some, like Polipundit, are drunk with that power, and in their drunken stuppor, they are kicking people out of what was the big tent that the Right-Center blogosphere represented. Further, they have begun to turn on their allies and their leaders when they feel resistance. Some have even broken completely and are advocating outright rebellion. Polipundit is a medium sized fish, and I realize that, I also realize his passion for the issue. I still think I'll find common ground with Polipundit and I'm not going to de-list his site or turn this into a rant against him, because I'm not mad at him. I just think he's a bit tipsy or buzzed at the moment and will return to his sensible self soon and realize like anyone who's had a few too many that he may have said a few things out of line, made a few bad decisions and made some mistakes. Hopefully he can reconcile with his "guest authors/bloggers" and that happy little community can return to what it once was.

Others however, I'm a bit more concerned with. Michelle Malkin has gained alot of political capital with Harriet Miers, Dubai Ports and alot of other issues. She's invested alot, and I mean alot of energy with the Immigration issue, and I commend her for all the work she does, even the parts I don't agree with have been very valuable to me in exploring issues. However, now, she's taken the position of the beligerant drunk, breaking with her parties leadership and her allies on the immigration front and has begun a mini-revolt, using her capital not to invest in issues and causes, but to wield like a club and batter away.

Powerline's, John Hindraker has also begun to behave in a rather poli-drunk fashion, suggesting that he has the speech that President Bush should have given and linking to it again and again. Suggesting that the President dropped the ball and betrayed the Right with his stance on Immigration.

Bob Owens of the Confederate Yankee, one of my favs, seems himself a little tipsy now that he's started into one of the refuges of the left by assigning cutsy, derogatory names for President Bush. I think C.Y. has just had one or two completely legit poli-beverages and hasn't become drunk yet, nor do I think he will continue to binge, but rather is just enjoying his light inebriation. However, the trend is visible across the right-center blogosphere, and it's becoming disturbing.

These are just a few examples, and I don't need to go into any more, I don't see any of them becoming raging poli-holics anytime soon, I just think they are a bit over the edge, and the former bar owner and bouncer in me wants them to calm down, have a cup of coffee and rejoin the party and have a good time.

So what's the point? I think that what I'm seeing is not only a result of the Center-Right blogosphere having a few too many and getting a bit rowdy, but I think it's a result moreso of the Political Left sitting this one out. The Political Left knows that they can't play with the big boys and girls anymore, they've simply become marginalized and actually resemble the rambling, paranoid, ragin alcoholic who comes into the bar, bellies up and begins to rant about mind control devices, black helicopters and ChimpyMcHaliCheneyburtonBushHilter. Without the Political Left engaging on this issue, the bar-fight has broken out among friends, who are itching for a fight, but can't find a real enemy. (It's a brilliant move by the Left to sit this one out, probably the first actual show of political sense that they've had in years.)

Now that the barfight has broken out, the Political left is sitting back waiting for the bartenders and bouncers to step in and break it up so they can make a grab for one of the bottles behind the bar. They realize that the Angry Right duking it out may wind up as an opportunity for them, so rather than jump into the fray and try to stop it, or jump in and join the fight, they are sitting back waiting for the taps to be untended or the cash drawer to be left open.

So as the fight rages on with the Angry Right, I'm posting this as my small part in breaking it up. I don't think I'll have any large effect, but I'm a bouncer at heart (my mother would call me a gladiato, and in some cases I am), but I can't stand by while I see my party turn into a bar-fight. Bar-fights are stupid, they are counter-productive, and it doesn't matter if you started it or finished it, it doesn't matter if you were attacked or are defending, when there's a bar-fight, everyone involved gets kicked out, and the rest of the patrons go on their merry way, order another round and the bar becomes theirs. The bar-fighters get left in the cold.

So if by chance this ever gets to the eyes of those with the Political Capital of the Blogosphere in their hands, I hope they take a moment and reflect on just how many they've had, how intoxicated they may be and whether or not they want to remain in the bar for the party, or be shuffled out into the cold.

I've said my peace, and I feel better, thanks for reading this rant. All 25 of you.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at May 16, 2006 10:57 PM

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