General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: A Short Note On The Democratic Party And The Progressive Left.... [View all]The Magistrate
(96,043 posts)It is a commonplace partisans do not notice their own behavior nearly so closely as they do those of their opponents.
Any neutral or reasonably dispassionate observer would hesitate to award the palm for the making of the most and the most bitter attacks to either group of disputants. I see 'EVERY SINGLE DAY" attacks from so-called centerists and so-called leftists against those they respectively consider too far to the left or to the right, and further, see both claiming only the other engages in this behavior.
The question of who is the base of a party is one open to objective examination. Two claims can be made: the faction which is most numerous can claim to be the base of a party, on the simple basis of providing the largest portion of its votes, and the faction that can be relied on without question to vote for the party's nominees can claim to be the base of the party, on the basis of being its most reliable source of votes. A faction which cannot claim it is the largest, and which frequently threatens to bolt, pretty much rules itself out of contention.