In 2004, a serious and very public division arose within the House of Labor. It was led by the SEIU’s Andy Stern and his vision for the future of unions. In 2005, at the 50th anniversary of the re-unification of the AFL-CIO, Stern and a handful of other union bosses took their unions out of the AFL-CIO in the biggest clash in 50 years. Nevertheless, a year later, both federations, the AFL-CIO and the new “Change to Win” spent hundreds of millions of dollars and coordinated their activities to win Congress.
In 2006, traditional opponents, the union movement and the environmental movement, came to the realization that in order to get their progressive agenda pushed through in Washington, they would have to work together. Thus, the Blue-Green Alliance was born.
In the build-up to the 2008, unions once again fought publicly over whether Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would be the Democrat nominee. Once again, once the nominee was chosen, the unions worked together, spending hundreds of millions of more dollars coordinating their efforts to put their puppet in office�and we all know how that turned out.
Heretofore, I have not weighed in publicly on the events and outcomes that have torn apart friendships and forced divisions on one of the most respected Right-of-Center sites on the internet. I have not wanted to because I’ve felt it has been a tremendous distraction to the bigger issues at hand. [You should also know that no names will be named, and no fingers be pointed here either.]
Because of the time it is taking to write this post, there will be one less post of likely greater consequence than this topic that will not be written. And, frankly, writing a post on the SEIU striking a medical center over union dues or how the greenies are teaming with union bosses is much more satisfying than writing on the issue of infighting at RedState.
Nevertheless, this needs to be said:
Since coming to RedState more than a year ago, I have found much kinship among readers, diarists and commenters�in addition to several front page contributors. Despite this (or perhaps because of this), though there are issues or candidates that I may disagree with, it would be a rarity for such a disagreement to spill over into such a public display of disrespect among should-be allies as has happened here on this site of late
It is not that I shy away from a good brawl (actually, they’re fun at times), but I believe the types of brawls that have occurred here should have and could have been handled in the back room�it is what is taught in Management 101 courses, as well as basic civics classes. More importantly, petty disputes and temper tantrums is not why I am here writing on this site.
While the adage praise publicly and criticize privately is largely impractical on a political website, there are innumerable instances where bad blood and ill will has spilled over on these pages�by both sides and in contravention of the purported site rules, which has become nauseating.
An existential threat. A few weeks ago, the situation became intolerable and, as opposed to lobbing a grenade and saying a ‘pox on all your houses,’ I chose to remove myself from RedState for an indeterminate period of time in the hopes that cooler heads would prevail and egos would be put in check. However, my departure was short lived and here’s why:
The fight to save this nation is bigger than sniveling over a post, a poster (or posters), or the egos involved.
While at CPAC, during dinner one night, one of the editors (from another site) made a statement that struck a chord because it is, in essence, how I have felt all along as I’ve watched people rip each other apart on this site. The friend stated:
“Our nation is facing one of the gravest existential threats in its history. Our country may not be here in five years, and here we are debating stupid crap.”
Now, while he was referring to the various controversies surrounding CPAC, I applied it to the situation that caused me to temporarily step away from RedState. �I decided that evening to end my self-imposed exile here.
This past weekend, unfortunately, the egos were again unleashed�whether intentional or not, I do not know. However, as a result, there are allies in the fight�several of whom who are moving the ball far beyond the occasional blogpost or comment by their actions on the streets and in the townhalls�who are no longer on this site.
Equally troubling, there are a few who remain silently, a couple of whom I fear will never post on these pages again because of the ill will that has been allowed to develop. These are the ones who are doing even more on the streets and in the precincts than almost any diarist or commenter�on the Right or the Left of this site. My hope is they do not leave entirely because their work off of these pages is more important than the disdain that has grown on these pages.
You see, for all the words that flow on this site (and all sites), none of it matters in the long run if this nation falls.�What the Left has known for years, the Right still cannot seem to figure out�The Left acts in unison, while the Right is spending its time shooting its allies.
You should know, before you confuse this for a “why can’t we all get along” plea, be assured that my interest in big tents is only to ensure that our tent is bigger than their tent. In a war such as this, only one winner will emerge�either the fascists on the Left, or the Americans who still believe our nation is the greatest nation on earth. This fight is too big for alienation to occur among would-be allies.
You and I may disagree on a policy, an issue, or a candidate. However, if we cannot agree to discuss it civilly, then we will take it to the back room. One or both of us may emerge bruised or bloodied (or not at all), but if we are allies, we will both emerge the better and, as our opponents on the Left have so aptly done, we will join forces in getting the job done. We can always beat each other up again later on.
So, for those on the Left-hand side and the Right-hand side, it’s time to stop with the nonsense and get back to work.
If you haven’t noticed, the real fight is out there. Not here.
_________________
�I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.� Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776
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