Orwell Comes to Manitowoc - Why I Cannot Support Jim Brey

The following is an email I sent to the Manitowoc County Democratic committee.  The specific origins of this message are less important than the fact that I have come under tremendous political pressure to drop my objections to the presence of Jim Brey in the Democratic Party and accept him as the best deal I can make to represent my values.  I do not.

[Member of the committee],

It is possible to back and forth endlessly on this subject.  Allow me to explain in a broader sense why I cannot participate in supporting Mr. Brey.

I suggest that everyone read Orwell's essay, "Notes on Nationalism".  As a professor of American History I would think it would be of particular interest to Chairman Trask.  In that essay Orwell said the following:

"By ‘nationalism’ I mean first of all the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of people can be confidently labelled ‘good’ or ‘bad’. But secondly — and this is much more important — I mean the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognising no other duty than that of advancing its interests.

[...]

The nationalist does not go on the principle of simply ganging up with the strongest side. On the contrary, having picked his side, he persuades himself that it is the strongest, and is able to stick to his belief even when the facts are overwhelmingly against him. Nationalism is power-hunger tempered by self-deception. Every nationalist is capable of the most flagrant dishonesty, but he is also — since he is conscious of serving something bigger than himself — unshakeably certain of being in the right."

see: http://orwell.ru/library/essays/nationalism/english/e_nat

If you believe I am saying that I support Mr. Tittl, let me state without hesitation, that I do NOT.  He is himself a nationalist which is what the TEA Party is, a nationalist movement in its truest form.  But, in supporting Mr. Brey we are no longer Democrats.  We have become nationalists ourselves.

As someone very much closer to the historical events Mr. Orwell is noted for criticizing it should come as no surprise that I take his warnings very seriously.  I refuse to participate in the self deception that supporting the likes of Mr. Brey in any way advances the cause of true Democratic values which are my sole concern.  As Ron so aptly put it, "My values are my priority".

I would hope that you could respect that and take seriously my campaign to support and defend those values which I always believed we had in common as Democrats.

Bernie