Democrats must learn some respect

Financial times ^ | Sept. 8 | Clive Crook

[meat skinner]

This article is not the first to note the cultural contradiction in American liberalism, but just now the point bears restating. The election may turn on it.

Democrats speak up for the less prosperous; they have well-intentioned policies to help them; they are disturbed by inequality, and want to do something about it. Their concern is real and admirable. The trouble is, they lack respect for the objects of their solicitude. Their sympathy comes mixed with disdain, and even contempt.

Democrats regard their policies as self-evidently in the interests of the US working and middle classes. Yet those wide segments of US society keep helping to elect Republican presidents. How is one to account for this? Are those people idiots? Frankly, yes - or so many liberals are driven to conclude. Either that or bigots, clinging to guns, God and white supremacy; or else pathetic dupes, ever at the disposal of Republican strategists. If they only had the brains to vote in their interests, Democrats think, the party would never be out of power. But again and again, the Republicans tell their lies, and those stupid damned voters buy it.

It is an attitude that a good part of the US media share. The country has conservative media (Fox News, talk radio) as well as liberal media (most of the rest). Curiously, whereas the conservative media know they are conservative, much of the liberal media believe themselves to be neutral.

[meat skinner]

His view of the demo policies is exactly where the left get their elitism and disdain for middle America. They just can't grip the fact that their socialist programs do exactly the opposite of helping the "less prosperous"

[xcamel]

Soon as a fish can ride a bicycle...

[Terabitten]

If they only had the brains to vote in their interests, Democrats think, the party would never be out of power.

McCain is going directly after this idea. The Dems can't imagine that anyone would ever vote for something greater than their own self-interest.

[refermech]

They will in November.

[meat skinner]

Looks like this was posted yesterday, my bad.

[bigbob]

Sorta related - I was trolling in the DUmp and saw they’ve started an anti-Palin thread called “Post pictures of ‘Real Women’”. Entries thus far:

Elanor Roosevelt, Rosylnn Carter, and Barbara Jordan.

Even DUmmies must not have pics of Cynthia McKinney or Gloria Steinem ;-)

[Invictus]

“they are disturbed by inequality, and want to do something about it. Their concern is real and admirable”. OH REALLY?
Show me a democrat “help” that has ever worked, and I’ll show you a complete waste of taxpayer money.

[xcamel]

Rosie O’Dingleberry?
Gloria Stumpage?
Barbara Poundsand?

[chesley]

If the really wanted to do something about it, what’s stopping them? They can dig deep into their own pockets and give to anybody they want to.

For example, Obama could give $12 to his brother, his own brother mind you, not a metaphorical brother, and double his annual income.

But that wouldn’t get Husseing anywhere.

[Senator John Blutarski]

The Left DOES care about the downtrodden masses ... but mostly in a theoretical, clinically detached academic way. They represent useful test subjects upon whom can be practiced all sorts of interesting social theories and experiments.

[Red Boots]

Democrats speak up for the less prosperous; they have well-intentioned policies to help them; they are disturbed by inequality, and want to do something about it. Their concern is real and admirable. The trouble is, they lack respect for the objects of their solicitude. Their sympathy comes mixed with disdain, and even contempt.

This tells me that they are in it only for themselves, their concern is mostly to be seen as good, compassionate people. That's why they don't even care about the results of their policies.

That's narcissism.