Sunday, February 22, 2004
‘This is a liberal country’: A paradox of American politics is how so many Americans embrace liberal concepts but cringe at the sound and look of the outspoken liberal proponents of these policies. The chest-beating Mitchell Rofsky obviously understands the first half of the preceding sentence and hasn’t a clue about the second. ... Among the many problems with liberalism is its excesses (‘people will die’ if we cut the budget, etc.), its non-egalitarian elitism (‘Americans are so dumb’ etc.) and its hyper-criticism of Americans when liberals don’t get their way (morally demonizing the opposition at every turn, etc.) ... Rofsky neglects to mention one of the greatest triumphs of conservative thought in the 20th Century: Capitalism. Remember that evil word? It’s now just an accepted fact, left and right and across the world, that the once demonized free-market system is essential to the well-being of both the elite and the masses. ... Though I believe in many liberal policies (the right to abortion, keeping the hands of Wall Street off of Social Security, etc.), I still count myself as a moderate conservative, largely to offset some of the scarier liberal ideas that would take us over the cliff. ... Let’s not even get into national security issues. ...
... Hey, the once-Socialist India is going gaga over capitalism. Another rejection of excessive you-know-what and a triumph for you-know-what. ...
... Hey, Rofsky gleefully mentions -- gulp, for all you Bushie diehards -- how George II is embracing bigger government, comparing him to -- double gulp -- Richard Nixon. ... All is not going well for George. It’s that damn WMD issue! ... But here’s some good news for George, though I don’t think Ralph will get as many votes this time around.
‘There has clearly been a backlash ...’: I thought I sensed an anti-gay-marriage backlash in the making. This poll seems to confirm it. No doubt the Catholic church’s stance has helped shift the numbers. But, as a recent convert to supporting gay marriages, I must say I was turned off by, you got it, the stridency and silliness of the gay rights protesters (all the ‘hey ho’ and ‘what do we want’ chants etc.). They don’t want the people to have a say in this. They want the court-ordered ruling to stand. ... Non-egalitarian elitism indeed. ... The comparisons to the Civil Rights Movement also annoyed. Not surprisingly, a lot of people kind of know at a gut-instinct level the difference between fighting Jim Crow laws and permitting affluent Yuppies to get married on the hilltops of Vermont or in the seaside banquet halls of Provincetown. ... Rhetorical excesses indeed.
... Hey, the once-Socialist India is going gaga over capitalism. Another rejection of excessive you-know-what and a triumph for you-know-what. ...
... Hey, Rofsky gleefully mentions -- gulp, for all you Bushie diehards -- how George II is embracing bigger government, comparing him to -- double gulp -- Richard Nixon. ... All is not going well for George. It’s that damn WMD issue! ... But here’s some good news for George, though I don’t think Ralph will get as many votes this time around.
‘There has clearly been a backlash ...’: I thought I sensed an anti-gay-marriage backlash in the making. This poll seems to confirm it. No doubt the Catholic church’s stance has helped shift the numbers. But, as a recent convert to supporting gay marriages, I must say I was turned off by, you got it, the stridency and silliness of the gay rights protesters (all the ‘hey ho’ and ‘what do we want’ chants etc.). They don’t want the people to have a say in this. They want the court-ordered ruling to stand. ... Non-egalitarian elitism indeed. ... The comparisons to the Civil Rights Movement also annoyed. Not surprisingly, a lot of people kind of know at a gut-instinct level the difference between fighting Jim Crow laws and permitting affluent Yuppies to get married on the hilltops of Vermont or in the seaside banquet halls of Provincetown. ... Rhetorical excesses indeed.
