Time to Demonize "Conservatism" for a change.

[NativeTexan]

Recently, in my hometown paper, a local writer and friend of mine, wrote a very truthful opinion piece about what the Bush Administration had done to this country, and how untruthful they had been in everything from starting a war to invading the privacy of the citizens which they had the responsiblity to protect.

A conservative gentleman, who has lived around the area longer than I have been alive, wrote a short sweet response, telling the writer that "when you only listen to the left-leaning liberal media with its revisionist history and its ignoring of the truth just so it can advance its own political agenda", then this kind of article is what you can expect.

The following was my response published last Thursday. I am trying to point out that the present use of the word "conservative" SHOULD be demonized for what it has become.....


Mr. Avon Acker's comments about Bob Thomas' column really got my attention. "Left-leaning liberal media" revising history and ignoring the truth to advance their agenda?

I keep thinking about the "extremist right-wing media" such as FOX News doing nothing BUT advancing the Bush agenda that the country is finally realizing is so far out of the American mainstream. Or Rush Limbaugh who kept calling for the imprisonment of all users of illegal drugs, only to be found to have "doctor shopped' for Oxycontin and then given a sweetheart deal by a "conservative" judge at sentencing.

And ignoring the truth? Well, the truth is that Mr. Acker is still part of the 29% of Americans who believe this administration. The American citizenry is finally seeing what the "left-leaning liberal media" (which is code for whoever doesn't follow the Bush spin machines propaganda) has been trying to point out for 5 years now. They haven't been honest. And they have no concern for the Constitution if it doesn't advance THEIR agenda.

"Conservative" doesn't mean what it used to mean. It used to mean being against too much government, not expanded. It used to mean keeping the government out of you life, not forcing it further into your life than it already was. It used to be for balancing budgets, not record deficit spending. And it used to carry the argument that Democrats just wanted to "tax and spend". The new conservatives LOVE to "borrow and spend", thus leaving a very uncertain future to our kids and grandkids.

To be a "conservative" you didn't use to need to pass a litmus test about your religious beliefs. You never had to consider yourself unpatriotic to disagree with a president. A lot of real conservatives have been left behind by the extreme moves by the right in the area of Constitutional rights, extreme deficit spending, expanding government, nation building, allowing executive power to go unchecked by the Congress, and many other things that have totally gotten out of control since a few leaders, who became loyal to someone or something other than the betterment of America, took control of the Republican Party and then the country.

Thank goodness that a strong 65% of the country has seen the light.

Maybe Mr. Acker, and others like him, will see that same light someday, but I sense that there are about 25% that never will.

[The Magistrate]

1. An Excellent Piece, Sir!

Congratulations on a splendid effort!

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[AX10]

2. What "Conservative" now means:

"Conservative" means to "conserve" the power in the hands of the elite 1% of the population who have most of the wealth and connections.

"Conservative" means to deny equal opportunity to all people.

"Conservative" means to discriminate against minorities.

"Conservative" means to use gays as a political "whipping board" to up support for their fringe base of voters.

"Conservative" means to bankrupt the country's treasury.

"Conservative" means to smear the once good name of America.

"Conservative" means to make America less secure.

"Conservative" means to make America susceptible to Terrorists.

"Conservative" means to always use violence as a means of solving a problem.

[napi21]

3. All you say is true, but it's way too long to promote.

Most people don't have that long an attention span.

Maybe something very short and sweet, like:

Conservatism = Big business bigger and the middle class GONE!

[AX10]

4. But its a good start.

Bush has destroyed the conservative movement, and now progressives can start their own movement and have great success in the coming years.

[cyclezealot]

5. Lynn Nofzinger of Reagan's era

Is who put to an art, demonizing liberals. Reagan in the master of cliches. Just turn to Nofzinger and we have a master at the schol of demonization.

[NativeTexan]

7. VERY GOOD!!

Thats the other shoe that has to be dropped!! THANKS!

[ruggerson]

9. Agreed with all

but what does it boil down to in a soundbyte?

One suggestion: Conservatives have made America weak.

Liars tend to destroy everything they touch.

[NativeTexan]

17. Exactly...and a very good talking point for US......

...good points!

[iam]

24. Sound bite? Here it is

"Liberalism is Liberty!"

Besides the above, Liberalism doesn't do sound bites well because a basic tenet of Liberalism is analysis, and analysis is a long-term activity. This also shows why the military is a conservative institution because breaking things and killing people isn't analytical and concentrates power in the hands of the powerful. Thats why our Liberal founding fathers a put civilian in control of the military.

[fudge stripe cookays]

18. "Conservative means....

denying women the freedom to choose their own lives and determine their fertility by turning them into baby machines."

That one's a biggie too.
fsc

[SAMO]

81. Talk about hypocrites.

Pro-abortion peace lovers?????????????

[fudge stripe cookays]

82. Enjoy your stay, asshole.

All five minutes of it.

[Auntie Bush]

85. Let me say good-bye now because you'll be gone really soon.

:hi: Good bye!

[TroglodyteScholar]

88. Thanks for all the question marks

Why is it that one never suffices for these people?

[NativeTexan]

98. Pro War Fascist!!!

[WarhammerTwo]

34. Conservative means Corporatism.

"Compassionate Corporatists. Putting Big Business ahead of the Middle Class every chance we get."

There's yer soundbite right there.

Or perhaps, "G.O.P.: Greedy Old Pricks."

[AX10]

54. True.

[chat_noir]

79. Corporatism = Fascism per Mussolini

Mussolini: "Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power."

and...

FDR: "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to the point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group or any controlling private power."

[NativeTexan]

99. AMEN to FDR!!

[AX10]

83. kick

[ruggerson]

6. Good job

great that you got it published.

We should do exactly as you say, spreading the simple meme that Conservatism= two faced spin, lies and deceit.

[NativeTexan]

8. True. You know it USED to be that conservatism was...

....just the other side. No hate speech. No smear jobs. No name-calling. Just POLITICS that you disagree with, for the most part, but occassionally could actually agree with and USUALLY could find COMMON GROUND with.

[Telly Savalas]

50. When was this?

[NativeTexan]

69. Almost anytime before Nixon. At least then, Dems weren't afraid to ....

.....stike back!!! Lately we have been laying down and pouting about it.

[Warpy]

10. Man, I've been trying for YEARS

and I'm certainly not too polite to tell people that the problem isn't Stupid per se, it's the culmination of wrongheaded financial bungling that begain with Reagan and has taken this long to show everybody its inevitable outcome. The problem is that conservatism, supply side economics, antigovernment hysteria will never work, have never work, and are wrecking this country right now.

I don't restrict this to the GOP, either. Clinton spend 8 years in office and the only thing he did to roll back the idiocy of Reaganomics was an incredibly timid surtax on the wealthiest combined with an equally timid and inadequate rise in the minimum wage.

Conservatism is the problem. It infects both parties. It's time to figure out how to drive a stake into its wee raisin of a heart for once and for alll.

[NativeTexan]

14. REAL conservatism, I don't believe, is the problem.....

....but this neo-conservatism that actually started, as you point out, under Reagan IS. What I call "trickle-down" economics, you are right, has never and WILL never work! Unless of course, the destruction of the middle class is your goal.

But what I call "trickle-UP" economics has always been MY advocation. Starting back IN those Reagan years. Clinton actually practiced some of that.

The idea is that instead of empowering corporations and the rich more than they already are, economically empower the poorest. Don't limit them to burger-flipping jobs as Reagan's plan did, and call it a growth in jobs. THOSE jobs didn't pay enough so that the employee could get off of welfare, (thus still costing the government money), or pay them enough to owe TAXES, (thus depriving the treasury of much needed income).

Clinton FIRST had to add taxes BACK to the rich, to pay for Reagan's huge DEFICIT caused mostly in the first two years of his presidency when he had a Republican Senate and an EXTREMELY conservative House, that gave him EVERYTHING he wanted, INCLUDING taxcuts while increasing defense spending in leaps and bounds. THEN he was able to do more empowering to the unemployed by taxing the working class less, AND watching the economy start to take off because of the paying off of the deficit. THEN many of those on the bottom were able to buy clothes, TV's, appliances, furniture, cars, etc. That in turn cause a need for more manufacturing plants, creating more better paying jobs, AND burger-flippiing jobs (because those working folk had to eat)!

It trickled UP.

Of course, then Bush took AWAY from the middle class, gave BACK to the rich....started OUTSOURCING the good jobs overseas, started a war without asking the rich to sacrifice to pay for it, even though the working class' kids are sacrificed for Bush's fallacies. And the whole thing not only starts OVER....but is more like REAGANOMICS ON CRACK!!!

[Eric J in MN]

21. Conservatives like Grover Norquist glorify Ronald Reagan.

Conservative William J. Bennett was part of the Reagan Administration.

We should call the policies of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush "conservatism," and regard the lip-service about conservatives believing in limited government as a sham.

[NativeTexan]

28. Couldn't agree with you MORE.

They ARE the face of CONSERVATISM now!! They are the poster boys for what conservatism has become, which is downright EVIL and GREEDY these days. The conservative agenda IS the wiping out of the middle class, and the forced servatude of the under classes!

[The Wizard]

43. The British philosopher

Thomas Carlyle said he couldn't understand the American Civil War. The South wanted to own their slaves and the North wanted to rent them by the hour. What Republicans do best is take money out of circulation where it winds up in Swiss or Cayman Island tax havens. And for the dupes who voted for these embezzling borrowers, how much more money is in your pocket from tax cuts for the wealthy?

[Eric J in MN]

20. Exactly. The George W. Bush administraton is a continuation of Reagan,

in some cases by people who worked in the Reagan Administration.

Tax breaks for the rich, huge deficits, massive military spending.

[movonne]

11. That was really good..you hit every point well..

[kentuck]

12. These people are not "conservatives"...

Better to demonize Republicanism in its present form. How George W Bush and the Neocons destroyed our country and the Republican Party.

[Eric J in MN]

22. That's fine, too, if you attack the Republican philosophy.

But if we just attack individual Republicans while saying (like Janeane Garofalo) that they aren't really Republicans, we can't gain traction as the next candidate is rolled out.

[NativeTexan]

25. AGREED....in total!

[Telly Savalas]

47. Sure they are

Bush and his cronies are just like their predecessors Reagan, McCarthy, Hoover, Harding, etc.

[iam]

55. So...

Conservatives break the whole world and you want to give conservatism a break by saying the destroyers aren't conservatives? Did you hear any conservatives saying Jimmy Carter wasn't a Liberal? They beat him over the head with it! We all need to understand what conservatism means, what Liberalism means.
Conservatism means concentrating power, Liberalism means distributing power, apply these points to any political argument and you'll see who is conservative and who is Liberal. If we don't understand what we're saying, we're not saying anything! If we don't understand our premise, our foundation, we have no foundation and we become the party that doesn't stand for anything!

[pretzel4gore]

13. how can an old man be so...obtuse?

i know well fed old men who got this idea that they are a persecuted minority when their type have in fact been running the horrorshow since, well since adam and steve. But at an elderly age, one would think that selfish motives for maintaining a self satisfactory world view wouyld be secondary to being blunt honest; after all death is slowly reaching out for them! Yet they pretend they're stupid or they really are dense as knots in a 2 by four!
I'm old too, and try not to delude myself anymore... hell im willing to admit osama did 911 just as the 'man' says, and all the questions have been answered by the authoritahs BUT i need some evidence that isn't plainly preposterous! why can't the righteous old goats do the same? William Blake, the best authoritah on earth imo once said 'a fool shall not enter into heaven be he ever so holy' yet these guys act like it's their own very punched ticket!

[ruggerson]

15. Btw, I like "Conniving Conservatives"

as a one size fits all sound byte that we can use to hammer home how untruthful they are.

[NativeTexan]

16. You may just have something there, ruggerson

[Eric J in MN]

19. Hell YES!

My biggest problem with "Air America Radio" is that Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo say that Bush-and-his-cronies aren't really conservatives.

Instead they should be using Bush to bash conservatism.

Being a conservative has long meant concentrating wealth, kowtowing to corporations, and attacking civil liberties.

It meant that under Ronald Reagan, the conservative hero.

We should be speaking out against conservatism.

[Mythsaje]

39. That's why Hartmann's the best of them....IMO

He reveals the fatal flaw in their whole economic ideology. That their arguments are based on originally unproven theories that have been revealed as pure nonsense.

[iam]

56. Right!

Conservatism is the enemy, not the moron or reagan, it's their belief system which is uncivilized.

[marions ghost]

91. ditto

conservatives have got to OWN this one. No fair this "good" Republican / "bad" Republican split among elected representatives. They are all complicit.

Seems to me that 'Conservative" as well as "Liberal" have both been destroyed by the Neocons.

[struggle4progress]

23. Go after "Bush Republicans." Demonizing "conservatives" is meaningless.

[NativeTexan]

26. Bush Republicans need to be demonized........

But, to help some get passed the "liberal" demonization by the right, we have to make them understand that "conservative" is NOT good...is NOT the right way to go....and was WRONG in the way it treated THEM under the Bush Crime Family!!

[struggle4progress]

33. By now, "liberal" and "conservatives" are such meaningless ..

.. labels, that it is nearly impossible to use the words in political discourse without falling into tired old memes -- so one makes noise without saying anything meaningful, opening the door to charges of partisanship.

I personally resent the demonization of "liberals" -- but we really will do better to take a scientific approach to the political game:

First, use "Bush" and "Republican" in the same sentence as often as possible: he's a flop and a wannabe dictator, they're collaborators, so why not drape W like a millstone around their necks?

Second, decry the fiscal irresponsibility of the "Bush Republicans," their obsession with corporate boondoggle payouts, their entangling foreign wars, &c&c; these are nominally "conservative" issues which can be used to split the so-called "conservatives," because, frankly, not all conservatives are bad folk, and not every conservative idea is an idiocy (unless pursued in an unbalanced and ideological manner), and the Bush Republicans screwed the paleo-conservatives bigtime.

Third, Democrats should push our "liberal" policies (environmental protection, universal health coverage, &c&c), but without using the terms "liberal" and "conservative": for years, polls have shown that Americans agree with "liberal" policies, even while recoiling from the word "liberal": so shouldn't we ask ourselves, whether the policies or the labels matter more?

[Eric J in MN]

36. Bush won't be around in 2 1/2 years. Conservatives will.

We need to show that the conservative philospy of massive military spending, deficits, tax cuts for the rich, and privatizing Social Security doesn't serve most Americans.

[struggle4progress]

46. The damage done by the "Bush Republicans" will take a generation ..

.. or more to repair -- and will be obvious to everyone.

Attacking something as vague as "conservatives" will give little mileage: in less time than you imagine, "conservatives" will be claiming "liberals" created the massive deficits, leading to more endless "he said she said"-style discussions in the future.

We need to craft soundbites with some historical authenticity ... Just beating up on "conservatives" won't do the trick ...

[Eric J in MN]

89. John McCain can be portrayed as the solution to the damage

Bush did unless we criticize conservatism.

[struggle4progress]

95. Are ya talking about this guy?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/images/20050829-5_p082905pm-0125-515h.html
Senator "I held a birthday cake photo-op with W while 1500 people were dying in New Orleans"?

.. Friday, August 26
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA
.. Saturday, August 27
GOV. HALEY BARBOUR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN MISSISSIPPI
.. Sunday, August 28
.. 7AM CDT – KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE
.. MORNING — LOUISIANA NEWSPAPER SIGNALS LEVEES MAY GIVE
.. 9:30 AM CDT — MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES FIRST EVER MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NEW ORLEANS
.. AFTERNOON — BUSH, BROWN, CHERTOFF WARNED OF LEVEE FAILURE BY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR
.. 4PM CDT – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES SPECIAL HURRICANE WARNING: In the event of a category 4 or 5 hit, “Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer. … At least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. All gabled roofs will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed. … Power outages will last for weeks. _ Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards.”
.. LATE PM – REPORTS OF WATER TOPPLING OVER LEVEE
.. APPROXIMATELY 30,000 EVACUEES GATHER AT SUPERDOME WITH ROUGHLY 36 HOURS WORTH OF FOOD
.. LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD REQUESTS 700 BUSES FROM FEMA FOR EVACUATIONS
Monday, August 29
.. 7:30 AM CDT – BUSH ADMINISTRATION NOTIFIED OF THE LEVEE BREACH
.. 11:13 AM CDT - WHITE HOUSE CIRCULATES INTERNAL MEMO ABOUT LEVEE BREACH
.. MORNING – BROWN WARNS BUSH ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DEVASTATION OF KATRINA
.. MORNING – BUSH SHARES BIRTHDAY CAKE PHOTO-OP WITH SEN. JOHN MCCAIN
http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline

[Telly Savalas]

48. "Bush Republicans" are just "Reagan Republicans" without

a Democratic Congress to keep them in check.

Trying to paint the Bush Administration as exceptional is just encouragement for people to vote for a different set of conservatives in the future.

[Oak2004]

70. Now that's a good soundbite

and very very true.

Of course many Bush Republicans are also Nixon plumbers who didn't get caught.

[struggle4progress]

71. I agree nothing is exceptional about the Bush Republicans. But ..

.. the Reagan era was twenty years ago, and Reagan has remained popular in many people's memory, while Bush is increasingly unpopular today. So the starting point for discussion should be the strategies of the Republicans in the Bush era, from which starting point it is always possible to point out that the current policies are in fact the long-standing policies of Republicans. Calling these people "Reagan Republicans," while it may be accurate, is not likely to help our ever-forgetful electorate draw important conclusions ...

[NativeTexan]

74. But, keep in mind that...........

......presidents who become sympathetic figures and/or dead, tend to be remembered by more people in a positive way, than they were in office. I believe that is what has held his esteem so high after 20 years...not his politics.

[struggle4progress]

75. Of course. But if object is to defeat BushCo and their collaborators NOW

then political work must BEGIN where people actually ARE.

Many people today are increasingly skeptical of Bush. Why not start with that fact?

In dealing with particular individuals or subgroups, certainly, one might adopt a different starting place, but for general political strategy linking Bush and his disasterous policies to the Republicans who have whole-heartedly supported those policies makes more sense than p*ss*ng on Ronald McReagan's teflon grave or attacking "conservatives" -- since there are, for example, moderate-conservative Democrats who we should be supporting in November, as well as moderate-conservative swing voters who might be appalled enough by BushCo vote for our side.

The prospect of Bush Republicans pretending to be "independent," and trying to show lots of daylight between themselves and Dimson, as the campaign season gears up, offers delicious possibilities, I think ...

[Oak2004]

77. We have such a local "independent"

The Republican candidate for the Senate in VT, Rich Tarrant, is claiming in his TV commercials to be a "true independent". He is, of course, running against Bernie Sanders ;-)

It's good for a belly laugh.

[NativeTexan]

97. Struggle, you couldn't be more correct!

My problem isn't actually where the demonization of "liberal" started, or even, the thing that has always irritated me the most, the changing of our party's name to the "DemoCRAT" Party, as if "Democratic" was a term that was not reflected in our hallowed institution.

It is just that "Republican" is turning into a nasty word with the electorate, but when the term "conservative" comes up, it still rings as something POSITIVE....which we all know that these days, it isn't!

I am what USED to be called a moderate-conservative Democrat. But I REFUSE to use the "c" word anymore, just as some liberals have begun to use the word "progressive" because it doesn't have that negative connotation that the neo-cons successfully tagged it with.

We need to show people that "LIBERAL" is a GOOD thing.....a LITTLE GUY thing.....a REAL COMPASSIONATE THING.....but to do so, I think we have to spell out 21st Century "conservatism" for what it really is.

Keep in mind, that the one thing that I never heard ANYBODY say, was that for someone to be a "Compassionate Conservative" had to be an admission that "Reagan" conservatism was anything BUT. Of course, then we learned that "compassionate" in the Bush sense just meant "we will beat your poor asses down as 'compassionately' as possible"!!

[PinkyisBlue]

27. Conservatism

Conservatism chooses large financial gain of a few over moderate financial gain of many. Money is more dear to a conservative than a clean environment, good public schools, available health care, world peace.

GOP = Greed Over People.

We need to bring back the idea that if something benefits the public at large, it's good, and if something only benefits the most wealthy or elite, it's bad. What ever happened to shame?

I think the period when greed and selfishness began to be seen as positive attributes was during Reagan's presidency. And the rest is history.

[NativeTexan]

30. So right, Pinky! And.........

....don't forget the phony ass morality of this bunch....

GOP = Good Ole Pedophiles

The time to take the fight back to these greedy old farts is NOW! Take back the Congress and we are well on our way to reclaiming America FOR THE PEOPLE, so that it can again be governed BY THE PEOPLE, so that it can again be a place OF THE PEOPLE!!!

And our Dem lawmakers need to understand that when it comes to lobbyists, corruption, and corporations...NO MEANS NO!!!!

America works best when the everyday people rule without the military industial complex, and others, decide they no whats best.

[tired of the right]

29. The great hero of the right

began this movement to demonize liberals. He managed to turn the word liberal into a dirty word when he ran for president. Ever since, the Bushies and their ilk have been guilty of piling on with one lie after another. Look what they have done to our country. And that is why I named myself tired of the right.

[ladym55]

31. Conservatism didn't used to be this warped

You are ALL right. Conservatism needs to be demonized--because it has TOTALLY lost its roots. Once upon a time, it did advocate things like fiscal responsibility. When I was growing up, it was the Conservatives who urged balancing the budget. They would have been APPALLED at the idea of invading individual's privacy and deciding who can have sex with whom. They were reasonable people who had different ideas--you could actually DEBATE with them and have a civil conversation...maybe even get a good idea or two.

NOW Conservatism = crazy spending on warmongering, hatred of ANYONE who is remotely "different," self-righteous invasion of people's privacy, clustering of wealth in the hands of a very select few.

When I look at the neo-cons who are driving our country into a ditch, I see a coalition of greedy businessmen, racist homophobes, and right-wing "Christians." (oh, and I forgot people who really, really want to blow up small countries for fun)

Yep, demonize them -- often. Make the word conservative a dirty word--just like they have done with the honorable term liberal. They've destroyed what conservative meant.

[NativeTexan]

32. GREAT POST, lady...and WELCOME TO DU!!!

[The Wizard]

44. Conservatism

evolved into totalitarianism. When the working class has fewer choices as to where to find work, it is beholden to Byzantine corporations for survival. They have squandered our national treasure on nation building folly, shredded our Constitution, and made us less secure on all ends. In short, Bush has fucked up everything he ever touched. His Bush-Davidian base is but a small minority, the wealthy and the ignorant. The rest of us will be paying for the damage for the rest of our lives. And as Bush-Davidians are wont to say, "It's our money."
What good is a $10 tax cut when it costs $30 in borrowing? The morans can explain that to their kids and grand kids. Why do they hate the children?

[marions ghost]

92. I totally agree

we need to get past these illusions of 'conservatism' as well as 'liberalism' as opposing forces that have some useful meaning, other than to describe the past.

Soon it will be time to let them both go as relics of the Dark Ages.

[Up2Late]

35. All I can say is, Amen Brother! And I have to tell ya, getting an...

..."Amen Brother" from a Buddhist (and former Catholic), takes some doing. :patriot:

I guess you Texans aren't all bad after all. ;)

[NativeTexan]

60. THANKS, up2late....and remember.......Bush isn't.......

......a Texan. He was born in Connecticut. That makes him a northeastern elitist.....lol

[orleans]

37. good work! nicely said. n/t

[Indy_Thinker]

38. Embrace Liberalism!

Ifdon't believe it would be that easy to demonize conservatism. I do think there are ways to turn around the negative connotation that the word liberal carries since the neocons perverted it. And let's face it, they've done an excellent job of just that (I think perversion comes easily to them).

And they plan to use it again in the 2006 elections. Here in Arizona they’re using it as the thrust of their attacks on Dems and independents already.

I think that Democrats need to embrace the word with something like:

“If being a liberal means I don’t wish to see young Americans die in a fabricated war, or I believe that middle-class Americans deserve a tax break, not the wealthiest Americans; if it means I do not support the destruction of the entire middle-class, and I’m against the government spying on it’s own people; if it means I believe that the president is not above the Constitution; and I’m against torture under any circumstances; if it means I have a moral obligation to tell the people I serve the truth, then by God, I am a liberal!”

[The Wizard]

45. Or

"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."
JFK

[NativeTexan]

61. you go WIZ!! JFK knew the truth and JESUS was a liberal!

[OneBlueSky]

40. I think we do ourselves a disservice by demonizing conservatives . . .

we SHOULD be making the distinction, and demonizing neocons -- but NOT conservatives . . .

there are many people who self-identify as "conservative" who are NOT in agreement with the neocon agenda, but they're confused . . . these people have considered themselves conservatives so long that it's become central to how they perceive themselves . . .

looking at BushCo's supposed "conservative" agenda, these folks can't figure out who's crazy -- them, or the people running this country . . . to believe the latter, to them, is something akin to heresy -- it's downright unpatriotic! . . .

these people are potential allies against BushCo . . . all they have to do is learn to make the distinction between conservatives (them, the "good guys") and neocons (BushCo, the bad guys) . . .

rather than demonizing conservatives, we should be HELPING conservatives make this distinction . . . helping them understand that they can oppose BushCo's illegal/immoral/unethical policies and STILL self-identify as "conservative" . . .

once long ago I suggested that the "Top Ten Conservative Idiots" should be re-named something else -- the "Top Ten Neocon Idiots", say -- but it wasn't well received . . . I STILL think that we're alientating MANY potential allies by attacking "conservatives" when many of them have no use for the BushCo agenda . . . they just don't know what to do about it . . .

[Telly Savalas]

49. Did that work for Reagan?

"We don't want to alienate liberals by demonizing their philosophy. Rather we should help them make the distinction between bad liberals like Carter and the good guy liberals."

[tired of the right]

57. Reagan was actually the initiator of

the idea that liberalism was some kind of dirty word. The Bush administration takes it further with its brand of perverted Reaganism.

[NativeTexan]

84. And REAGAN was a liberal, before he met Nancy!!

[NativeTexan]

62. I agree. My point is to demonize the "conservatives"......

....now in power, and their "conservative" agenda. Yes they are neo-cons, but the average American doesn't really understand "neo-con" just like they don't really understand "progressive".

We have to knock their feet out from under them first.....embrace liberalism to the point of making them understand that the "EVIL" is in the conservative cause, and that liberal-leaners are on the side of the angels...and thus exposing modern conservatism for what it is....

[rman]

41. The MSM won't cooperate,

but small local media very well might.

[NativeTexan]

63. I am not completely sold on that....as my sainted Daddy would......

....say. The MSM "is anybodys old dog who'll hunt with it". They were SCARED into embracing so much of the Bush Fascist agenda. They are starting to edge toward the clearing so they can make a run for it. Stay tuned.

[rman]

78. The MSM is owned by big corporations - not just anyone's dog

Same corporations that own government for the most part.
Fascism never just comes out of the blue - it takes time to build. I has gotten worse with Bush but it's not essentially different then before.

[PurpleChez]

42. All true!

I'm no James Carville, but long, LONG before * weas even a blip on the radar I lamented the fact that our side had allowed the RW to demonize the term 'liberal.' I think we all wanted to take the high ground and didn't make a fuss. Well...we can't afford to do that anymore.

[NativeTexan]

64. AMEN, Purple!!

[NoAmericanTaliban]

51. Very good response. Conservative now = incompetence

That has been their mantra for years is that the gov't should be run like a business & it would work better and be more efficient, but as it turns out it is just the opposite with lots of corruption added.

[NativeTexan]

65. Give government its first MBA prez, and you get big business......

...corruption. YEP, he's running it like a corporation!!

[Bob K]

52. Nothing....

.... more to the point, can be said! Great piece!

[NativeTexan]

66. THANKS, BOB...and WELCOME TO DU!!

[DirtyDawg]

53. The late John Kenneth Galbraith...

...said it best when he labeled Conservatism 'as the search for a better excuse for selfishness'. Every action, every motivation, every thing, that Conservatives have done and still do - particularly the neocons - is predicated on how I can make more money and keep it. Their only reason for wanting political power is so they can get closer to the cash-flow and loot more of the treasury for themselves and their buddies. Name me one Republican that has ever done anything that could be described as 'selfless' - even those that give away their money have made sure it was to position themselves to make more down the road, or to be sure it was 'deductible'...Selfish Bastards. And don't even begin to suggest 'Compassionate Conservative'...geedubya made a joke and a lie out of that even before he got it out of his mouth.

[tired of the right]

58. Good post

[NativeTexan]

67. The only one I can think of is Eisenhower, and he WARNED us........

........about the military industrial complex and its evils!!

[calimary]

90. Dang, that is just STELLAR! What a terrific quote!

They ARE the "Party of Cain." That's because they care NOTHING about the idea of being "thy brother's keeper." A typical CONservative or republi-CON would answer God's query with some version of "to HELL with my brother! Fuck him! I GOT MINE, let him get his own!!! Stingey snot-noses who never wanted to hear about sharing in kindergarten or preschool, I suspect.

[agincourt]

59. If people tell me," that's not real conservatism".

I simply say that I judge the movement by the actions of the people whom comprise it.

[NativeTexan]

68. AMEN, agincourt

[Doctor_J]

72. With no access to TV, radio, newpapers, or weekly zines,

how exactly can we demonze anything?

[NativeTexan]

73. We are gaining more and more access.........

....as the real news media, (read that as NOT FOX), is starting to bail as Bushs poll numbers drop to record lows. They no longer fear the threats from an unpopular administration with absolutely no credibility with 65% of the American public!

[njdemocrat106]

76. Awesome response! Thank you!

I could probably bring myself to respect what I call "old-school" conservatives, which is the type of conservative you so accurately described in your editorial, even though I would respectfully disagree with their politics. To be a conservative today (a "neo-conservative"), all you have to do is utter inane hate speech about the left, without offering any rationalization to your hate. Neo-conservatives can never come up with any ideas of their own, or think for themselves. Everything that the Republicans in Washington and Limbaugh says is taken as gospel. Until today's neo-conservatives pull their heads out of their collective asses, and open their eyes to the world outside of their white-bread mansions, yacht clubs, and FOX news, I don't think they're worth giving the time of day.

Again, an excellent piece! :thumbsup:

[NativeTexan]

80. Thanks, nj...and.........

.........you are SO right! It is all about hate speech, lies and denials!!

[Klukie]

86. Airplanes weren't the only thing.......

that was hijacked on 911. I concede that these nutjobs were in power before 911 happened, but until that disaster occured, the neoconservatives couldn't fully take over the party. They needed one crucial element to push their agenda and that was fear. It really needs to be pointed out to those who consider themselmes conservatives that the neoconservatives who run their party and this country were considered crazy prior to 911.

[NativeTexan]

87. Well Noted Klukie!!!

Nothing but truth to your statement!

[marions ghost]

93. thanx for posting, OP

:thumbsup: excellent letter

LTTEs are still VERY important. A lot of people read them and for many, it is the only alternative to TV.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

94. good piece tex... you're nearing 1000 posts all good by me.

congrats on a great op

[NativeTexan]

96. Thanks, Ghost! Yeah, it seems like only yesterday, when......

...you welcomed me on about my 5th post or there abouts. We've been a little busy giving opinions nobody asked for, haven't we?