My Fellow TMVers,
I recently sent out an email to many of the members of TMV with regards to where TMV and the blogosphere in general is going. While I will not reprint that email here in full, I would like to post a portion of it. From my email:
I hope that we can continue to focus on engaging in constructional criticism of policies and issues rather than posting inflammatory posts that might be perceived as personal attacks against an entire political party. Calling out politicians and political parties out on their mistatements and hypocrisy is a necessary part of political blogging. I hope we can avoid assigning hateful motives towards those we disagree with (i.e. accusing individuals and groups of individuals of racism, bigotry, lack of patriotism).
As of today, there are 17 major party candidates in the running for president. But by mid-March (for all intents and purposes), that number will have dwindled down to just 2. I hope my fellow TMVers will refrain from jumping into either the Democratic or Republican camp and turn TMV into a Democrat-versus-Republican or left-versus-right war that is all too common throughout the blogosphere. A number of third party candidates will be running in 2008, and the possibility remains that a current/former Democrat or Republican will jump ship and make an Independent run for the presidency.
We should not shy away from criticizing those politicians or idea we disagree with in order to placate those who might have a problem with TMV’s political leanings. But those of us who feel compelled to fiercely defend one of the two major political parties while criticizing the other will be perceived as partisans whether we regard ourselves as such or not. Let us remember our first president, George Washington, who shied away from the bitter Federalist-versus-Democratic-Republican infighting during the 1790s and famously warned against the formation of a two-party system in his 1796 farewell address:
I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.
This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.
The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.
We are individuals first and members of any particular political party only second. Let us give the blogosphere a reason to view TMV as a group of individuals and not partisans.
Sincerely,
nic
Birthplace: San Diego, CA
Birthdate: That’s for me to know
Political Party: Independent
Political Philosophy: Libertarian-liberal