Like Kos, I am saddened by John Cole's anguish -- I would feel the same way if my party had been hijacked by gray-suited Nazis.
I am not surprised by the assault on Stark -- Allen's staffers and his local gangs are jackboots in suits. I spent a little time around that campaign and saw and experienced somewhat less violent but still shockingly bad behavior on the part of both staff and supporters. Even the media realize something is very wrong here. I hope the voters in Virginia do too.
kos: posted Tue Oct 31, 2006 at 11:35:19 PM PST
Some might read this blog post from conservative blogger John (not Juan) Cole with glee, but I don't. It makes me sad.
Excerpt: I still think of myself as a Republican- but I think the whole party has been hijacked by frauds and religionists and crooks and liars and corporate shills, and it frustrates me to no end to see my former friends enabling them, and I wonder 'Why can't they see what I see?" I don't think I am crazy, I don't think my beliefs have changed radically, and I don't think I have been (as suggested by others) brainwashed by my commentariat.
I hate getting up in the morning, surfing the news, and finding more and more evidence that my party is nothing but a bunch of frauds. I feel like I am betraying my friends in the party and the blogosphere when I attack them, even though I believe it is they who have betrayed what 'we' allegedly believe in. Bush has been a terrible President. The past Congresses have been horrible- spending excessively, engaging in widespread corruption, butting in to things they should have no say in (like end of life decisions), refusing to hold this administration accountable for ANYTHING, and using wedge issues to keep themselves in power at the expense of gays, etc. And I don't know why my friends on the right still keep fighting for these guys to stay in power. Why do they keep attacking decent people like Jim Webb- to keep this corrupt lot of fools in office? Why can't they just admit they were sold a bill of goods and start over? Why do they want to remain in power, but without any principles? Are tax cuts that important? What is gained by keeping troops in harms way with no clear plan for victory? With no desire to change course? With our guys dying every day in what looks to be for no real good reason? Why?