Fuller voter participation is the best way to stop this tyranny by activist minorities. It won't happen through the primaries. Voters need, simply, to have alternatives to those who hide behind cutthroat identity politics.
Identity politics is like gang membership, born out of a desire to belong, and a form of mob rule. It is based on emotion rather than thought. Voters reject it if given a chance, but it is very powerful — and not always what it appears to be.
Just don't make the mistake of thinking it's limited to the left.
NOTE: The above post can also be read at my blog.
Article comments
1 - debbie
Very thought provoking piece.
I have listened to Dr. James Dobson, he comes up on our local Christian radio station, I have never heard him say that homosexual should be imprisoned. I don't know the other two that you mentioned.
I would have to agree that there are fanatics in any organization, people that believe that they have the insight and thus this gives them permission to ride roughshod over everybody else to get them to see "what is right". There are people in the Green party, Libertarian party, in you local groups, etc. That is the nature of things. There is always a bell curve, and there will always be extremists at both sides of an issue.
2 - Eric Olsen
pretty amazing Eric, very important. I think you are doing the very best thing you can do in shining a light onto these processes. Thanks!