An Exercise in Negation is Not an Exercise in Unity
Da Goddess postulated thusly:
It's amazing, that diverse collection of people coming together at a rally to "stop the war". You'd think that they'd all have the same goal. Yes, most of us would think that. But that's not how these so-called anti-war groups work.
International A.N.S.W.E.R., the ISO, CodePink, Military Families Speak Out, FIST, the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice, and Al-Awda were the main groups in attendance at San Diego's "Stop the War" rally in Balboa Park under the guise of ending the war in Iraq. There issues presented aren't just about the war in Iraq though. No, they cover everything....
The problem with throwing in all these other things is that you can't please your entire audience. When the "we have to drive the Jews out of Palestine" contingent starts shrieking their demands, a protester rushes the stage and is obviously upset. "I’m TIRED of this CRAP! You people keep bringing this up! This is supposed to be an ANTI-WAR rally, not an ANTI-ISRAEL rally!"
The police have to break up the arguing crowd.
The entire time, the San Diego Chapter of Protest Warrior stands quietly across the street with their signs "Thank You Navy", "Thank You Marines", "We Support the Troops", and their American flags. Even though our group is diverse, we have a clear, united message. We don't lure folks in with the idea that we're gathering for one reason and then slip them a new agenda upon arrival.
It's a study in human behavior, observing the differences between the two groups. One gathering is scattered in message and angry and fighting amongst themselves; the other is calm and fairly joyous in their message and modest numbers....
The implication is that liberals are unfocused, while conservatives are calm and focused.
However, as I mentioned in the comments, I think that there's something else that possibly explains the difference:
To be fair, I don't believe that the clear-headedness or lack thereof is a result of one's position on the political spectrum. It's basically the thought of having a simplistic message and trying to attract everybody through that simplistic message.
Look at the equally simplistic message "Dump Jimmy Carter," which was supported by an uneasy coalition of conservatives, neo-conservatives, businesspeople, religious folk, and "Reagan Democrats," each with different concerns - while one wanted to reduce the "misery index" (inflation rate plus unemployment rate), another wanted to make sure that "Our Bodies, Ourselves" was taken out of the schools. I still don't know how Reagan held all those people together.
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DG