Reply #88: Well, one thing is certainly obvious [View All]

[MadHound]

That being your distaste, your dislike of the left and most things liberal. Your broad brush attacks on liberals is something that has become common amongst those who pride themselves on moderacy in their political dealings. Your belief that the left has "ceased to be concerned much with material matters" is disproved over and over again, most lately by the protests against the Iraq War. And while I would call people such as Kucinich and Wellstone dedicated and passionate in their liberal beliefs, I certainly wouldn't say that they "brow beat" anyone. And quite frankly, you've lost almost all rhetorical credability with the following statement: "The result has been that the left has become rooted in the academy and privilege, and concentrates most of its efforts on self-indulgence." You obviously having been paying attention to several political/social movements the past twenty years, things like enviromentalism, globalism, poverty and the list goes on. Who are the folks who do the grunt work in these organizations and movements? It certainly isn't 'Pugs, or even conservative or moderate Dems. It is much more likely to be those "elites", the liberals, out there doing the dirty work. Gee, who was it again who orgainized the anti Iraq War protests? Certainly not those residing in the cushy seats at the DLC. They couldn't be bothered. Nope, it was those "self indulgent" folks from the left, over at Not In Our Name and ANSWER.
And if I remember correctly, it was the centerists who were wringing their hands that "OMIGOD! The Communists are running the protest show! This will reflect badly on us! We must do something! Sheesh, talk about self indulgent and self centered, well there is a shining example, straight from the DLC moderates.

As far as your historical observations go, I'm sorry, but your wrong. The split between the left and the working class DID NOT occur until the early eighties, or have you forgotten Reagan Democrats? You may have had a long life, but a lot of us have had a long life also, and many on the left are better students of history. And your hesitancy(bordering on denial) of the medias' role in the marginalizing of liberals strikes me as almost pathological. What, you don't think that Limbaugh and his ilk HAVEN'T had an impact? You don't think that the media sways peoples' worldview(including your's and mine)? Then let me ask you one question. If this is the case, why was one of Reagan's high prioties when in office was the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine? Why did he wish to make a one sided world view possible on the nations' airwaves? Was he just full of it, or did he actually have a point in acheiving success in this matter?

One other matter, that I wish you to reflect on dispassionately. Do you not display, with your measured tones doling out insult after insult, the same sort of "elite" "moral hectoring" that you decry in others? Are you, with this grand display of sophistry and semantics, simply engaging in projection? Something you should think about.