A thought on Liberalism
I first want to say that I am sorry that I have allowed myself to get too busy to post even if only once a week. I think this is a great forum and even if it is a little preaching to the choir, makes for engaging dialogue. So, come on everybody, offer your two cents.
Anyway, I have a thought. I know, I know. But seriously, have the Democrats, and actually more to the point the Liberals/Progressives, actually become the status quo?
Over the course of the past 15 years we have seen an amazing ground swell of political correctness by the media, educational institutions, and other elite bodies in this country, to a point that it is genuinely accepted in the work place and mocked by late night comedians. I offer the theory that the Left have backed themselves into the status quo corner, where the Right spent decades trying to fight their way out of until the Reagan years. And even at that point could not find the majority voice they find now. It's as if the Left has begun to buy into its own propaganda and marketing without any regard for overall people's beliefs. Now, the Left is so caught up in these agendas, ranging from the welfare state to the PC movement, that they can't get out of their own way to think "outside the box." If you don't adapt and change, you will die.
Additionally, the Republicans, representing many conservatives in this country though not to be confused as one in the same, have adopted a philosophy of change and aggressive policy. Thus they become the provocateurs of change, not the "Progressives".
Yet another thought and observation on what has occurred politically in this country.
posted by Henry | 10:04 PM
3 Comments:
You are absolutely spot on The Newt. One observation from the latest election is that Bush, the incumbent, the definition of the "insider", was actually seen more as the outsider. Democrats are now the party of reaction, and Republicans the party of reform.
I think this phenomenon can be attributed to the New Deal legislation as well as the rampant success of liberal courts over the last 70 years. Liberal views were imposed on us during the great depression, which is clearly over, and were imposed on us by way of judicial fiat, instead of through the democratic process.
Liberal ideas are the root cause of many of today's problems. Social security and Medicare are a couple of classic examples. Also, the restrictions regarding the dissemination of intelligence between agencies is another. Because of this, conservatism has now become an ideology of reform. It was only a matter of time before the pendulum swung. As such, liberals have been relegated to defending their own programs for years.
I ask again: When was the last good liberal idea? They are no longer the party of new ideas, and because we've veered so far away from our constitutional principles, an ideology that takes us back to our constitutional principles is necessarily an ideology of reform.
Liberalism breeds intolerance of other's views. That is why they impose their will on the populace through national instead of local measures, and through judicial fiat instead of democratic action. American's have always been conservative, and are finally fighting back for their individuality and freedom.
As the great state of New Hampshire demands, "Live free or die."
I only take issue with one comment. You said that the Right occupied the status quo corner until the Reagan years. I disagre somewhat. Bob Taft/Goldwater/Bill Buckley conservatives have been fighting for change since the New Deal. Reagan was the first true conservative since Hoover, but that wasn't because the Right was defending the status quo. Rather, it was because the Right couldn't get elected. I think we had to compromise in order to chip away and finally get to where we are today, but I think that had more to do with the democratic-media complex as well as problems of the Right's own doing (such as nominating Dewey, Eisenhower and Nixon), rather than defending turf. The last century dealt conservatives many, many blows. But those blows became the status quo long before Reagan.
My only point was that the Republicans had limited success prior to the election of Reagan. Call it ground laying for the Reagan Revolution, if you will.
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