Posted on 03/24/2005 7:15:12 AM PST by Pendragon_6
The Feb. 28 issue of The New Republic, that venerable liberal journal of opinion, published editorials by half a dozen of its writers discussing what's the matter with liberalism. That something is the matter with it wasn't seriously disputed.
Its long-time home, the Democratic Party, is virtually powerless. The Republicans, solidly controlled by the conservative movement, possess not only the White House and Congress, but almost all the major governorships and even the mayoralty of New York City. Time was, 40 or 50 years ago, when the situation was almost exactly reversed. What has gone wrong?
The writers advance a number of interesting ideas, but the prize indisputably goes to The New Republic's editor in chief, Martin Peretz. He wastes no time trying to spare his readers pain. He recalls that in the 1950s notable economist John Kenneth Galbraith contemptuously dismissed the conservatives as "bookless" – which was to say that they simply had no seminal ideas. The shoe, Peretz asserts, is now firmly on the other foot: It is the liberals who are "bookless." It has been several decades since they had a really fresh basic idea – what Richard Nixon, or more likely one of his speechwriters, felicitously called "the lift of a driving dream."
It wouldn't be fair to say that the liberals haven't come up with any new ideas at all. But since the triumph of the civil-rights movement 40 years ago, liberalism's initiatives have all fallen short of manifest and near-universal appeal.
Continued
The left has plenty of ideas. Unfortunately they are all communist/socialist/anarchist in nature and makes the average American citizen want to vomit.
Slave reparations, disarmament, paying medical bills for other people, blaming innocent victims, badmouthing our troops in wartime, sueing manufacturing companies for the actions of the end user, yadda yadda...
Bloomberg may have a (R) after his name, but all similarities to being a conservative stop there.
The principle values of Liberalism are: less individual freedom and less individual responsibility. There was a time when people really thought we'd all be better off if society were a great machine, run by a political elite, and the workers just did as they were told, and were taken care of from cradle to grave.
That idea didn't work. But Liberals hang on to those principles. And where can they go from there?
"Hey! I have a new idea! I just realized how we can REALLY decrease indivdual responsibility!! When people learn of my plan, we are sure to win the next election!"
Not gonna happen. Liberalism is dead. New ideas can't revive dead principles.
Without the driving force of Republicans there would never have been any "civil rights" legislation in this country. Since the New Deal was really the legislating of the Bull Moose Party Platform, I think it can be reasonably argued that "political liberalsm" has never put forth an original idea.
The problem with liberalism is for it to work, human nature must be supressed.
The new PLATFORM FOR THE Democrats is "DEATH"
Liberals for DEATH !!
It's simple. Liberalism has rejected capitalism as its favored organizing economic system. Their attempt to "sell" the alternative flies in the face of events and reality.
To show how of out of touch the left wing lunatics really are over at DU, they post everyday how quickly this county under the BFEE has turned into a fascist state.
I guess, since there are no Bogey man left to demonize, they make bizarre fantasies up that Bush is a fascist They are quite a confused group of people.
I hate to disagree with the great William Rusher, but it's not that liberals are "bookless," it's that they are Godless.
"Liberalism" means liberated from all absolutes, whether it be God, morals, or the rule of law. As such, they attempt to substitute the arbitrary and capricious rule of man, as evidenced by humped-up judges who are drunk with delusions of omnipotence.
>>The left has plenty of ideas. Unfortunately they are all communist/socialist/anarchist in nature
Those aren't ideas....they are same-old, same-old.
Great tag line material.
Exactly. Back in the college days I read a ridiculously fanciful book called Utopia. The prof, a liberal arts lefty, loved the book (of course), but the fatal flaw in Moore's logic was instantly recognizable by those of us that lived on planet Earth--Utopia will only exist if you eliminate human behavior. IOW, Utopia might work, just not on this planet.
Most liberals big problem is that they still refuse to acknowledge human nature and innate human and sex differences. Look at the Larry Summers case for instance. Therefore, according to libs, if there is no human nature, then anyone can be shaped (or reshaped) to fit in with the liberal way of doing things...their master plan to reorganize humanity. Until libs figure out that most peoples problems are created by themselves, they will continue to lose elections to the people who know that government cannot solve all problems.
Progressive liberalism = The Enemy Within™.
All they can do is react defensively to attacks from both their right and their left, desperately trying to hold ground.
Traditional liberals have alot of good ideals. Their historic open-mindedness and enlightenment, unfortunately, has become so bright it has blinded them to common sense.
The latest generation of Michael Moore / MoveOn.Org liberals are no more worthy of consideration as civilised people than Nazis or Communists. That's the problem - they adhere to an evil cause, evil means and evil ends. Rational, civilised human beings recognise this and want nothing to do with it.
Regards, Ivan
When I was a senior in high school and then for perhaps a year or two after that, I went through my own "liberal phase." I graduated in 1968, so just after the passage of the first level of the Great Society. I think it actually took Richard Nixon to put the icing on the catatsrophe that was the Great Society. Anyway, from roughly 1967 through about 1969 I used to extol the brilliance of the Great Society and what moral folks we were to do such a thing.
My father used to say (he still does for that matter) simply that it doesn't make any sense to pay people who don't work. To me that simple thought sums up the perfect corruption that is THE foundation of liberalism. Every other addition or evolution to societal decay would not likely exist if someone somewhere didn't have the thought that we could make people better by saying they have a "right" to "live better" even if someone else must pay for it.
"What's the matter with Liberalism?"
In a odd way, Liberalism has become more conservative than the Republican Party. The simple fact of the matter is, Liberals are no longer progressive. Hell, these are people who live and act as if they are still in the 1960's... a complaint often levied at Republicans for not wanting to move foward.
It is liberals who see Vietnam in every war we fight...or still think black people can't make it own their own despite the fact that we've come a long way since the Civil Rights era. Unfortunately, this once proud party that fought for civil rights for everyone are now the ones oblivious to the rights of others around the world as they fight Republicans who have taken up that mantle.
Even when it comes to new ideas and reforms for "old" broken programs, it is Republicans who are the progressives. Whether it's Social Security, Education and now, the important issue of civil rights for all people (including Muslims and women)...it is Republicans with the new ideas, while the left defends the status quo...and actually objects to these measures.
I should conclude the above with the observation that Liberals have become nothing more than the anti-Republican Party...irregardless of their own beliefs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.