Comments on: FDL Book Salon Welcomes Eric Alterman: Why We Are Liberals

By: dl63

dl63 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:33:31 +0000

Liberals don’t only have the problem of being smeared successfully by the conservative movement; they share the same problems conservatives have: they advocate some bad ideas. Now that may not be a bad thing if the objective is only to see your vision of the future win in the political sphere, but just as we’ve seen with the success of conservativism, winning doesn’t make bad ideas anymore right than losing makes bad ideas any less wrong. Liberals in politics go too far, and in so doing, they turn off many people who would otherwise support them.

Finally the middle class is wanting for a party that represents their interests. Conservatives represent the rich, and the Democrats represent the poor and disaffected. The middle class more often chooses to vote for the interests of the rich because they at least aspire to that class. No one aspires to be poor. The Middle Class is different than the poor and the rich. The poor and the rich look for government handouts; the middle class just wants the opportunity to fail or succeed on a level playing field.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:06:37 +0000

spork, bigbrother – I know everyone’s gone by now, but I wanted to say thanks for stopping by my blog. I aim for 3 times a week because I don’t just post for the sake of posting and it takes time for me to put together a coherent post, plus I work and have kids too…

By: degustibus

degustibus — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:27:17 +0000

They may not be 100% conservative, but consistently vote against their economic (&other) interests eg I’m thinking of What’s the Matter With Kansas.

I’m looking at what happens when you get health care || abortion. Education || sex education…. Civil rights || affirmative action || gay rights.

I was around in the 60s when reports first surfaced of people refusing to sign petitions ratifying the Bill of Rights. When (union) hardhats mocked & (beat up) antiwar protesters, America, Love It or Leave It.

Can anyone explain why middleclass people embraced taxcuts for the wealthy?

You can have the best possible liberal or progressiver candidate, and that candidate will be absolutely unelectable if he/she is an agnostic or atheist.

By: phastphil

phastphil — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:02:39 +0000

One of the things that drives me up the wall is when a Network commentator makes a statement like “well of course America is conservative” and the liberal Democrat sitting across from them let’s them get away with it.
Why hasn’t our leaders coached their members to call them on such statements? Just once I want to hear “yes they may check the box that says they’re conservatives, but when you ask them on any issue from taxes, health care, to education they align with us liberals.
Please someone stand up and be proud to be a liberal!

By: PLovering

PLovering — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:06:35 +0000

AK-47s sold in the U.S. are not assault rifles.

Assault rifles are automatic weapons.

By: spork_incident

spork_incident — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:05:28 +0000

Bookmarked!

Swell place!

By: bigbrother

bigbrother — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:02:11 +0000

Hi Alicia…great blog…you do make clear “Common Sense” is not a liberal value it is just plain common sense.
For me you define better the liberal political flavor. You also seem middle class or mainstream American in your brief bio.
Think I’ll be visiting…do you post daily their?

By: Biodun Iginla

Biodun Iginla — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:01:40 +0000

I’m all for not allowing Repugs and rightists to appropriate and define words like patriotism and Stars-and-Stripes for their own purposes, but I wonder whether the word liberal might not be to too far gone in this respect. That appropriation has gone on for so long that the word is now only one way by most Americans. I’m all for substituting progressive for liberal…

BTW, Eric: I’ve always been an admirers of yours from way back…I like how you’ve keep one foot in academia and the other in journalism. Not very many people can do that…Skip Gates; Stanley Fish (he sometimes falls short); the late Edward Said: These are the other exceptions I can think of at the moment…

By: BevW

BevW — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:59:02 +0000

Eric, Matt, thanks for coming to the Lake and spending the afternoon.

By: Alicia

Alicia — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:54:22 +0000

My pleasure, spork. The history of how it happened is pretty disgusting. I have a recent post up that gives a brief synopsis of the process and who financed it, if you’re interested.