Chris Hayes has a great look back at MoveOn, which makes a point that's too rarely uttered: If these are radicals, then the word "radical" has no meaning. MoveOn is activism suited to the "non-shouters," the citizens appalled at the direction of the country but temperamentally unsuited to laying down on the White House front steps or tossing a rock through the RNC's front window. They're the type, rather, who signed petitions, sent money, sent letters to the editor; who are comfortable with the tools of middle class PTA leaders, not Weathermen. As Eli Pariser, MoveOn's political director, says, "It's essentially a service organization that helps people who are busy advocate in politics. We're providing something that's valuable to people and using technology to amplify the quality of the service you can get. It's not unlike Netflix or Flickr." That MoveOn has been recast as the province of scary extremists is simply evidence of how effective the Right, and the establishment, have been at narrowing what's considered acceptable dissent.
