post cloture unwinding

There has been a lot of talk – angry, horrfied, mournful, scornful, confused, raging, screaming, crying, swearing to the heavens, damning to hell, pouring gasoline on electronic personae and lighting them ablaze, reaching out with a comforting blanket – about the fact that Senate Democrats couldn’t block cloture on the debate about the confirmation of Samuel Alito.

It’s gotten nasty. On Daily Kos, wars of words have been waged since the early afternoon. Barbs have been dealt, olive branches extended and withdrawn, and the politics of the personal have taken center stage.

I, myself, haven’t been immune – all of my posts have been tarred with the dreaded “1” rating, which is akin to being labeled a “troll.” And why? Because I didn’t agree with them about a filibuster, about the feasibility of blocking cloture, and about the Dems’ opportunities to wage a strong battle in the months ahead. I wasn’t trying to attack people; I was just trying to insert an alternate voice, some levity, perhaps a dose of reality – nothing more, nothing less.

But even in the global community – especially one populated largely by like-minded folk – a civil society is not always found. (Wow – wouldn’t Claire Gaudiani be proud to read that line!)

That’s why I find a post by the user named “thereisnospoon” so refreshing. He plants a wonderful does of reality into the mix. Yes, Alito is far from the ideal replacement for Sandra Day O’Connor, but he’s not the end of the world. We will all live to fight another day, perhaps in another war that the Dems will win, with strength that will show our real power as the party of the people and for the people.

So click on the link and read – it’s a nice antidote to the venom witnessed (and experienced) in today’s blogosphere.

“Alito has no power – we have lost nothing”