Where Have All The Progressives Gone?

When I showed up on AC it was March, 2007. Progressives were on their way to their pinnacle. Pelosi had won the House, Democrats owned the Senate, and Bush was on his last two years. The Republican star was descending, the Democrat star just rising over the horizon. At every turn in the op/ed pages could be found lefty amateur pundits telling me, the conservative new kid, that I missed the boat, was a day late and a dollar short, wrong, obtuse, etc. They never deterred me...I wrote even more often than I'd intended to.

Obama won in late '08 and all we heard was "Republican's are dead for a generation at least!" Yet within a few months suddenly lefties stopped publishing so much. Of course, they never really read my work all that much as I am in their little brains a conservative bully hater, thus not worth wasting their precious time upon, and I get that. They were the cool kids...I sat in the back of the class and ate erasers as they shined. But as time passed and Obama and progressives revealed themselves to be all show and no go, the ranks of lefties willing to crack on me dwindled to non-existent. How does that work exactly?

When they were on top one could not swing a dead cat over their head without smacking a half dozen lefty pundits pronouncing themselves, as Leo DiCaprio did, "King of the world!" As the months rolled on and Obama proves to be all mouth and noting else, suddenly it's hard to find a lefty pundit around here. What happened? Where have all the progressives gone?

When I was in the tiny minority of conservative op/ed AC'er's at every turn was a lefty driving home how wonderful their Utopian panacea was and how lame, tired, old and hating me and mine were, yet now not so much. Now the world had awakened and saw the truth and light of progressive politics. I am left to conclude they are largely a spineless bunch. I mean what else can I think? When the going gets tough, progressives get the Hell outta Dodge! When it doesn't go their way they get scarce. That does not sound like guts to me. That sounds like "Good Time Charlies." Show up when there is a party but when time to chip in to pay for the beer or clean up, the SOB"s are long gone.

I will confess though this does seem a lot like that progressive "level outcome playing field" stuff. How, ya ask? Well, as long as they were winning, they were thick as thieves. When they start not doing so well they gather up their toys and boogie. When they were winning there was no talk of level playing fields (read: BIPARTISANSHIP!), yet now all we hear is how we need to be "bipartisan."

I guess now, as in their version of kid's sports, conservatives need to spot them 10 runs out of the gate so they can compete. Hell, even with a 10 run lead these clowns can't compete. I mean controlling both Houses of Congress and the White House is indeed having a 10 run lead. Being entrenched in the "liberal bureaucracy" spots them another 10 runs out of the gate. Add in the admitted lefty media and that's another 10 runs for them before they even take the field. Now toss in their last generic benefit...that most young folks and Black American's are lefties, and suddenly before batting practice has started the lefties are up 50 - zip! So even with a 50 run lead, these clowns slink back into their darkened lairs? That's guts for ya!

Like the petulant children I have always pronounced them to be, when they are not winning they're damned scarce. Yeah, it takes a big man to show up and jump on the bandwagon for sure. Progressives are, to me, typical sports fans who suddenly pop up and love the team who wins or has the huge advantages. Oh! Now I get it! Fair weather pundits, is it? Okay...that explains a lot.

But me and mine, we never faltered. We never ran from the challenge. We never got scarce. It takes guts to be a vocal conservative. Ever notice how in a "crowd" there are always those who have no compunction about espousing their lefty leanings in public no matter where they are? Notice that there are folks who's mouths drop off the cuff comments that assume everyone within earshot agrees with them? And so many conservatives are too timid to speak up. Why? Because lefties will point that gnarled finger at a conservative and pronounce them bigot, racist, homophobe. How does one reply to that? It's like the question, "So, STILL beating your wife and kids?" How the Hell is one to reply? Personally, that's when it is just getting good to me.

Honestly, with all due respect to the progressive who does NOT do this, the rest of them prove to be lacking fortitude and backbone. They are big mouths in a crowd, but one on one, not so much. Why? If their ideology is the be all and end all, why the silence when exposed? They are guilty of piling on, of the proverbial "late hit" in football. They are the ones who are not going to be in the fist fight, but they are the biggest mouth in the gathering crowd that eggs on the combatants. What guts!

Allow me to do the lefties a mitzvah. I want to compose my ode to them and their valiant actions. Anyone remember the Peter, Paul and Mary ditty "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Here are my not so musical stylings in tribute to them:

Where have all the lefties gone, long time passing?
Where have all the lefties gone, long time ago?
Where have all the lefties gone?
Hiding in Mommy's basement, everyone.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?

Where did all the lefties go, when they needed them?
Where did all the lefties go, couple Tuesdays ago?
Where did all the lefties go?
Watching MSNBC, everyone.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?

Where have all the Democrats gone, long time passing?
Where have all the Democrats gone, so long ago?
Where have all the Democrats gone?
Out of office ALMOST every one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?

So, where have all the big mouths gone? Did that tingle up their legs suddenly become annoying? They were sure they'd won forever and they were wall to wall meaner than Hell, yet when they discover the wool was over their own eyes and not ours, they are long gone. Yeah, that takes real guts. Kudos. Clearly that "spine" thing is lacking in some of them. Perhaps they need to become critters with an exoskeleton, ya know, like bugs? Like bugs when the light comes on the bugs get gone? As the old commercial says "RAID!" How fitting. Now run your arthropod butt on back to the darkness.