A few days ago, the estimable Dr. Dawg asked an honest question regarding the Suaad Hagi Mohamud in Kenya affair. "Where was the NDP?" One hyper-partisan NDP commentator angrily accused Dawg of seeking to "rat-fuck" the party at the start of its federal convention in Halifax, but I thought it was a worthwhile question to ask. Now, it's possible that the NDP only has so many relevant public figures (federal leader Jack Layton, human rights or foreign affairs critics Wayne Marston and Paul Dewar, for example) and that they might have all been busy with other portfolios. Or it's possible that they read the official DFAIT story (see the link at Dawg's site) and believed it and went on to other things. But on the outside chance that the NDP leadership is leery of being seen as going to bat for potentially disastrous political causes and therefore pointedly ignored the Mohamud case, I'm going to offer the following "rat-fucking" myself.
But here's the thing NDP: Those people are vermin. Let's forget for a minute that they constitute at most 20-25% of the electorate. Let's forget for a minute that stephen harper already has a lock on most of this scum's vote. Let's focus instead on the fact that these people are vermin. If you're trying to keep quiet so as to bring the screeching about the NDP being a party of terrorist-sympathizers, Islamo-fascist-enablers, useful-idiots for "Canadians of Convenience," ... you're pandering to vermin. And when you pander to vermin you allow them to infect the politcal culture more than they'd otherwise be able to.
The NDP ought to realize that the hegemonic neo-con, neo-liberal worldview is out-to-lunch on the facts. We on the left were spot-on about the dangers of free trade (or does the loss of Ontario's manufacturing base not matter?), we were spot-on about the follies of high-end tax cuts and slashing social spending. We've been proven right on the non-existence of Saddam's WMDs. We've been proven right about how the NATO occupation of Afghanistan would be a shameful clusterfuck. We're also right about respecting the citizenship rights of Muslim Canadians.
Latest important prediction: Left-wing sources are saying that this "economic rally" is bullshit. That the fundamentals of our economy remain an over-extended consumer base and continued layoffs and stagnation. The present economic growth is based on misplaced government stimulus (primarily to the financial sector).
Sure, if the NDP comes on loud and strong about the rights of people like Suaad Hagi Mohamud, there will be a predictable outcry in the media, in the comments sections of the media, on letters to the editors pages, etc. But this outcry only comes from a minority that's never going to vote for you and whose demonstrable ignorance and stupidity on all important issues is a part of the public record. We should do them what governments led by right-wingers have consistently done to us for time immemorial; they've ignored us [the people who have been correct all the time] and mocked us. And how have we been able to retaliate? Not at all. We've had to wait until the fruits of their own policies have discredited them. And even now they still manage to set most of the major terms of the debate.
But they've been able to do this because there's a perception that all their noise equals real political power. It doesn't. If we mock them. If we face them down, they'll be shown to be the empty buffoonish posturing that they are. Soon, however much noise they make, the idiot-fringe will be shown as the dangerous kooks that they are. But this depends on a strong, confident opposition, that's willing to call things as they are and put this reality clearly before the political culture's attention.
So, NDP, if you were being reticent about helping Suaad Hagi Mohamud out of fears of a possible backlash, please rethink that reticence. Because the backlash will come only from the idiots who would (in a sane world) be inconsequential.
The NDP ought to realize that the hegemonic neo-con, neo-liberal worldview is out-to-lunch on the facts. We on the left were spot-on about the dangers of free trade (or does the loss of Ontario's manufacturing base not matter?), we were spot-on about the follies of high-end tax cuts and slashing social spending. We've been proven right on the non-existence of Saddam's WMDs. We've been proven right about how the NATO occupation of Afghanistan would be a shameful clusterfuck. We're also right about respecting the citizenship rights of Muslim Canadians.
Latest important prediction: Left-wing sources are saying that this "economic rally" is bullshit. That the fundamentals of our economy remain an over-extended consumer base and continued layoffs and stagnation. The present economic growth is based on misplaced government stimulus (primarily to the financial sector).
Sure, if the NDP comes on loud and strong about the rights of people like Suaad Hagi Mohamud, there will be a predictable outcry in the media, in the comments sections of the media, on letters to the editors pages, etc. But this outcry only comes from a minority that's never going to vote for you and whose demonstrable ignorance and stupidity on all important issues is a part of the public record. We should do them what governments led by right-wingers have consistently done to us for time immemorial; they've ignored us [the people who have been correct all the time] and mocked us. And how have we been able to retaliate? Not at all. We've had to wait until the fruits of their own policies have discredited them. And even now they still manage to set most of the major terms of the debate.
But they've been able to do this because there's a perception that all their noise equals real political power. It doesn't. If we mock them. If we face them down, they'll be shown to be the empty buffoonish posturing that they are. Soon, however much noise they make, the idiot-fringe will be shown as the dangerous kooks that they are. But this depends on a strong, confident opposition, that's willing to call things as they are and put this reality clearly before the political culture's attention.
So, NDP, if you were being reticent about helping Suaad Hagi Mohamud out of fears of a possible backlash, please rethink that reticence. Because the backlash will come only from the idiots who would (in a sane world) be inconsequential.
2 comments:
Unfortunately, these are the people the NDP leadership listens to.
Despite moving more and more to the right over its history, the NDP was still seeking to continue its tailing of the Liberals, what with getting advice from Obama's people and dropping taxes on small businesses.
But all the Right has to say is "It's not enough! You're a bunch of socialists, and socialists are EEEEEEEVIL!", and the ride keeps going.
That they could be fooled by Obama and Clinton is incredibly worrisome.
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