NP: John Cage, 4'33"

If there's a single compelling reason to not take the "netroots" seriously, it's their insistence on coming up with petty, pejorative nicknames. Jay Carney and Joe Klein at Time's Swampland both take issue with MoveOn.org's ad about General "Betray Us." And we know how much the netroots respects criticism from Joe Klein.

On the one hand, pass the popcorn, this should get fun. On the other, I agree with Klein, at least directionally. Name-calling is stupid, playground bullshit, and that goes for both sides. Throwing a hissy fit isn't going to win anyone over, and if you're not winning anyone over, you're not helping change anything. Of course, in this scorched-earth political world we live in, disrespecting the other guy is the name of the game. We're seeing now how the "play hard to the base" strategy may be dooming the GOP. Will the rise of the lefty extremists see the Democrats follow them over the cliff?