Katy Abram and what's wrong with the Left.

Katy Abram has become a star on the Right for the confrontational question she asked Senator Spector at a town hall. Of course, on the Left she is being roundly and loudly called "stupid". What passes for liberals in this country now are a sorry lot still often unaware that they are they're own gravediggers.

Abram then appeared on Hardball. The clip (and some editorializing within the clip) is below. The first thing that needs to be stated is that Ms. Abram does not appear "stupid" at all. She appears quite normal and reasonably well spoken for a person with no experience on television. Her shallow view of the Constitution is unfortunate but the norm. (Without knowing it she's talking about the Articles of Confederation, not the Constitution. Or just doesn't understand the amendment process.) With one exception, that you'll see in the clip, Lawrence O'Donnell makes fair points. Medicare is socialized single payer health care. That is a fact. However, O'Donnell is either misinformed or lying about Obama's previous statements regarding single payer. (Who is stupid now?)

Ms. Abram was written about here in the Washington Monthly. Which is really the prompt for this post. When I read it, all but one of the comments after the piece were from liberals. About 70% of those called Abram stupid in one way or another. Of those that disagreed with her but did not insult her personally- I agreed with much. The rampant condescension is what interests and concerns me. I've come to believe that it is the main reason even slight progressive reform fails so often though it is often logical and would benefit the majority.

My comment there with minor adjustment is below:

I agree with much that is stated in the comments here. However, the "screw the dummies, we don't need them" meme is dangerous and - in fact - dumb. We do need them. We need a narrative that carries weight and resonates with them. Believe it or not, there was a time before Rush L. There were once liberals who claimed the high ground AND spoke to the Abrams of America. Watch Harry Truman stumping in 1948.

The nasty thread that courses through most liberal talking head's talking points is condescension. Though I agree with much of Air America's policy views, I can't stomach the arrogance. Bill Mahr is often nothing but smug. Why should anyone who hasn't the time to invest in the complications of public policy listen to people who overtly call them stupid? Certainly not because he's funny. He's not.

Further: What liberals need to own up to is what is truthful in Abram's subtext: A real fear that the Government is controlled by monied interests that care not about the "little people." She is easy to manipulate not because this is false - but because it is true. On some level she knows it. We all do. Obama has not changed that. Today it looks like he's caving on the public option because some well connected senators from tiny states are obstructing. Why? Insurance money. The moment Obama flip flopped on public financing liberals everywhere should have put up their guards.

The adulation of Obama during the campaign was every bit as stupid and uninformed as Abram's riff on the Constitution. More so actually. At least Abram has a glancing understating of the need for check and balances. Watching Obama supporters last year one could easily see them trying to make him an American Caesar. Liberals too often mistook their projections on to Obama for reality of Obama.

Liberals shoot themselves in the foot as often as conservatives hijack the conversation with deceits.

One final note: Shut up about Palin. I disagree with her politics. But "Palin" is now code for "stupid" in the liberal blogosphere. Calling the millions of people who voted for her stupid relentlessly is bringing about a GOP backlash. Besides Palin in not stupid. It seems clear now that she is most likely finished on the federal level. Be satisfied with that and move on.

The health care debate proves one thing: We need the Abrams in this country to affect real change. The initial town halls may have been rigged, the polls on health care reform are not. Let's stop ceding all the Mrs. Abrams to Rush L. and the Right by calling them stupid.