On the "Where are the Female Liberal Hacks" question, Echidne writes:
Then there is the civility question. The myth of the left is that it consists of either wimps who are good for nothing or best buddies of bin Laden who kill America by just saying something. Traditionally we have been seen as wimps, bleeding hearts, latte-drinking Birkenstock-wearing smelly hippies on welfare, and limousine liberals. Not to be trusted with the defense of the Fatherland. But the second myth is almost as popular: liberal as Islamofascists, and even in that case we can't be trusted with the defense of the Fatherland. So what kind of a female aggressive hack should the left support? Remember that recently the anger of the left has been determined to be "inexplicable". What better confirmation for that than a loony lefty goddess ranting on television, say?
It's a mess. On the one hand, overlong civility from our side contributed to the hell that we call the Bush regime by providing no real resistance. On the other hand, now that we have amended our ways the resistance is rewritten as the cause of the incivility that actually caused it.
That seems right to me. The meme that Democrats are angry is used to marginalize Democrats who display emotion, or passion, or intensity on the issues, as if thousands of death in Iraq and the ruin of the safety net are problems best expressed in a cold, measured tone.
