Dumb State, Cool State, Red State, Blue State
Look, I’ve lived in “blue states” all my life. I wanted John Kerry to win the 2004 Presidential election. And I resent that my country’s counterterror policy is being screwed up by voters in places who face no risk of terrorist attack. But I think blue-staters need to take a long look at themselves before making blanket denunciations of “red state” culture.
Even as he tries to take a moderate tone, Tom Tomorrow makes what I think is a mistake:
There’s more, and I don’t agree with all of it, and I’m sure it will annoy a lot of you, especially if you happen to be a liberal living in a rural setting. But, sorry–your existence does not negate the larger point they are making, the thing that a lot of people trying to grapple with right now: there are two sets of values in America. And to be blunt, ours are better. So how do we win this fight next time around? Figuring out who “we” are seems like a better place to start than wasting time wondering how to appeal to knuckle-draggers who worry that gay marriage will lead inevitably to matrimony between men and animals, if not kitchen appliances.
But what are “our” values, and what are “theirs"? Who are we, and who are they?
Here’s the sleight-of-hand. “We” get to be Manhattanites who read the Guardian online and can explain in great detail the history of US middle eastern policy and what we think is wrong with it. “They” have to be the folks waiting in line at Wal-Mart to pick up the latest installment of Left Behind. “Our” wonks get compared to “their” base. Who’s going to win that one?
But two can play at that game. Democrats have a base, too, and it doesn’t subscribe to the American Prospect. I lived a long time in Philadelphia, and rode a lot of buses. There are plenty of people in that city who can contend with your favorite Texans any day in child abuse, ignorance of science, hatred of homosexuals, and consumption of apocalyptic Christian pulp. And most of them voted the same way I did on November 2.
If you frame the debate as one of Ramesh Ponnuru’s values against the values of clowns on Democratic Underground, the Republicans win. If it’s Robert Reich against freepers, Democrats come out ahead. But neither comparison proves anything.
So if yelling about how the other guys’ base sucks is a way to win converts and get your base to the polls, then go ahead. But don’t delude yourself into thinking your side is that much better.