The politics of vainglory is not unique to Trump or the Repugnant Republicans.
Trump is the creation of the GOP, but Trumpism is not unique to the right. Here in the ohso progressive Pacific Northwest two progressives are behaving like Trumpies.
In Seattle, Pramila Jayapal is running against Brady Walkinshaw. Her campaign has sunk to sexist and racial extremes so low that she has been called out by Dan Savage.
At a more state wide level, an elector, like Pramila another strong supporter of Bernie Sanders, Bob Satiacum, has announced that he will refuse to vote for Mrs. Clinton after she is elected on Tuesday.
What bothers me more than the behavior of Satiacum and Jayapal is the lack of outrage by the progressive community. My cohorts in that world remind me of David Frum . Last night on Bill Maher, this establishment GOP guy appeared and tried vainly to get Maher to accept some of the blame for Trump.
Frum is either despicable or stupid. For his career as a Republican thinker and pundit this man has done a wink wink at the support “moderate Republicans” have taken from the anti communist and racist strategy of reaching out to folks in hoods. Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Ted Cruz and Rush Limbaugh were not just tolerated, they were feted as long a Mr. Frum could get a job promoting McCain or Bush.
Bill Maher was not about to take the blame for creating Trump. But look at the thread below to see how some of our own progressives are defining Satiacum:
FACEBOOK edited thread
Chad Lupkes feeling disappointed. A difference of opinion is one thing. A declared witch hunt because of a difference of opinion is another.
Chad Lupkes Paul, your words tell a different story. If you were simply saying that Robert was making a mistake and that you would not support HIM for a future leadership position in the party because of the way he was making his choice, I would agree with you. But that’s not what you said.
You said that you wanted to know the names of anyone who supported Robert’s action so you could do everything in your power to prevent them from holding any office ANYWHERE in the Democratic Party. And even though I STARTED my response by saying that I don’t support his action, you declared my comment to be a defense of the action and that you considered me disqualified from getting your support for any office in the party.
That’s not a difference of opinion. That is running around a room yelling that everyone is either with you or against you, and pushing people who dare to try to find common ground, to calm things down, to listen to evidence and show compassion out the door. The only result that comes from that is you standing in an otherwise empty room.
I DON’T SANCTION THE ACTION. Read that a few times. But it doesn’t matter, because I have dared to show respect for a friend, even when talking to him to try and find out what evidence he sees in order to change his mind.