August 20th, 2009 2:30 am

“For Alinsky And His Machiavellian Radicals, Politics Is War”

Back in June, I noted that Obama doesn’t seem to have that much of an interest in wars in other countries, perhaps because he’s too busy with conflating warfare and politics in regards to domestic issues:

A few months ago, President Obama was quoted as telling a Democratic congressman who was against the president’s “stimulus” plan, “Don’t think we’re not keeping score, brother.”

Coming from the president of the United States, and aimed at a member of his own party, that’s threatening stuff. But from remarks such as that to his repeated verbal attacks on Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and businesses in general, President Obama has demonstrated that he’s always eager to view American politics as the continuation of warfare by other means, to flip Von Clausewitz’s axiom on its head. Certainly class and culture warfare at least. It’s the Chicago way, after all.  And last year on the campaign trail, Obama more than once referred to “civilians” when discussing opponents whom he thought should not be publicly attacked in the legacy media political battlefield — but would tacitly leave to his surrogates to demonize.

David Horowitz, who’s seen both sides of Radical Chic and its aftermath up close and personal, dramatically expands on that theme at his Newsreal Website:

The epigraph for the first chapter of Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals which explains that “The Purpose” of the rules is from the book of Job: “The life of man upon earth is a warfare…”

For Alinsky and his Machiavellian radicals, politics is war. No matter what they say publicly or pretend to be, they are at war. They are at war even though no other factions in the political arena are at war, because everyone else embraces the System which commits all parties to compromise and peaceful resolutions of conflicts. For tactical reasons, the radicals will also make compromises, but their entire mentality and approach to politics is based on their dedication to conducting a war against the System itself. Don’t forget it (although if history is any indication, Republicans almost invariably will).

Because radicals see politics as a war, they perceive opponents of their causes as enemies on a battlefield and set out to destroy them by demonizing and discrediting them. Personally. Particularly dangerous in their eyes are opponents who are wise to their deceptions and realize what their agendas are; who understand that they are not the innocents they pretend to be but are actors whose reality is masked. (It is no coincidence that the pod people in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers were inspired by radicals in the Communist era). Thus it is precisely because Glenn Beck is on a mission to ferret them out, that they are determined to silence him and have organized a boycott to drive him off the air. Sarah Palin is another conservative they consider extremely dangerous and therefore have set out to destroy, personally. The list is as long as there are conservative leaders. This is because when you are in a war — when you think of yourself as being in a war — there is no middle ground.

As the saying often attributed to Leon Trotsky goes, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” Even if sometimes, the frontlines are difficult to discern.

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4 Comments

1. Ed Driscoll » “For Alinsky And His Machiavellian Radicals … » words:

[...] Continued here: Ed Driscoll » “For Alinsky And His Machiavellian Radicals … [...]

Aug 20, 2009 - 7:18 am 2. David Thomson:

Saul Alinsky believed that the ends justify the means. He once opted not to damage a opponent’s life by revealing his homosexual inclinations to the general public. Alinsky thought such behavior to be “loathsome and nauseous.” Does that sound decent and honorable? Alas, Alinsky contradicted himself in the very next paragraph:

“So far, so noble; but, if I had been convinced that the only way we could win was to use it, then without any reservations I would have used it. What was my alternative? To draw myself up into righteous ‘moral’ indignation saying, ‘I would rather lose than corrupt my principles,’ and then go home with my ethical hymen intact? The fact that 40,000 poor would lose their war against hopelessness and despair was just too tragic.”

—from Rule For Radicals (page 33)

Aug 20, 2009 - 8:03 am 3. Twitter Trackbacks for Ed Driscoll » “For Alinsky And His Machiavellian Radicals, Politics Is War” [pajamasmedia.com] on Topsy.com:

[...] Ed Driscoll » “For Alinsky And His Machiavellian Radicals, Politics Is War” pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/2009/08/20/for-alinsky-and-his-machiavellian-radicals-politics-is-war – cached page #Ed Driscoll RSS Feed Ed Driscoll » “For Alinsky And His Machiavellian Radicals, Politics Is War” Comments Feed Ed Driscoll This is a test. My Hazy Shade Of Wintour — From the page [...]

Aug 20, 2009 - 11:22 am 4. Steynian 375 « Free Canuckistan!:

[...] ED DRISCOLL– “For Alinsky And His Machiavellian Radicals, Politics Is War” …. [...]

Aug 21, 2009 - 11:23 am

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