Quick Hits: Alex Wagner on How the Game Is Played

Power's not evil; only what's done with it.

Hot on the heals of this piece on using power — “How the Left Should Exercise Power Once They Have It” — comes a perfect example, this time from the Right.

I know, the Right is the Hated Right, so the following is presented by the MSNBC host as a Bad Thing. And indeed, for those involved it’s a Very Bad Thing.

But it’s also a perfect example of how to use power once you have it. You execute your agenda, and you don’t let yourself get embarrassed into backing down.

Three quick points:

• This was done by the Right in a strikingly graceless manner. In my “self-styled President Manchin” vs. “real President Sanders” example, the deed doesn’t have to be this much in-your-face. It just has to be the deed, just has to be done.

• How many times has the self-styled Left left power on the table, left points on the field, while their enemies on the Right have done the opposite?

• This is evil only because of the deed. The means in this case are neutral.

Here’s Alex Wagner to show how the game is played.

“The takeover has begun.” Or, as I called it earlier, cleaning house.