Tag: Liberals

Here Come The Liberals

I read then posted a piece on McCain the liberal…..utter BS but I thought about a piece I read the other day and just had to throw it into the mix…..I am guessing that my conserv friends will take exception with the findings but……whatcha gonna do?

Now for about a decade we liberals have been bad mouthing conservs and the conservs have gotten even by insult the liberals……to the point that you would think that there is truly deep hatred on both sides….a hatred that sounds like it could result in massive violence…..

Recently there was a huge study, I believe it was NBC/Wall St. Journal poll, that found that most of us are really centrists…..that poll was a bit of a BS outing in my opinion…….according to this poll I am a centrist………what they call a ‘pick-up populist’…..I answered the questions as I always do and about a decade ago the result was I was so far Left that I almost fell off the chart…..but now I am a centrists?  Can you explain that?

Anyway……..I have some bad news for my conserv brethren……..

More Americans are calling themselves liberal today than at any point since Gallup started measuring in 1992, according to a new Gallup analysis—though conservatives still far outnumber them. The ranks of self-identified liberals swelled to 23% in 2013, according to the analysis, which collected data from 13 polls spanning more than 18,000 people. That leaves liberals 15 points behind conservatives (38%), tying the narrowest margin ever. Those new liberals appeared to come at the expense of moderates, who declined to 34%—their lowest point ever, down 9 points from Gallup’s first analysis in 1992. Liberals have always been at the bottom of the totem pole. Why the recent gains? It could simply be that the term “liberal” is now more acceptable, the pollsters write, or it could indicate that the Democratic Party “is increasingly dominated by those from the left,” as the Republican party is by the right.

Personally, I think polls and surveys are CRAP!  People will lie and mislead……the question can do the same thing…..but if there is any accuracy in this latest Gallup then my conserv friends need to worry for their future…..

How About Dem “Bubba” Politics

I have been asked by many Dems what my problem with the Clintons is…..and there are many.  Let me enlighten those people that ask that question of me…….

With the Weiner thing we are hearing a lot about the Clinton’s mainly because his wife worked for Hil in the State Department…….and also Bubba is making quite a name for himself with his Global Initiative…….and of course Bubba is trotted out at just about every main Democratic function so he can bring the heat for the candidate….personal I get a knot in my stomach whenever I hear a liberal chattering on about the accomplishments of the Bubba admin…….

Yeah…you guessed it!  I think Clinton was horrible for the Democratic Party and it will take decades for it to recover from his and his buddies at the DLC and the damage they have done…….

Bill Clinton!  if you are a right winger then you cannot get past the BJ……..if you are a centrist Dem then you worship him for returning those Reagan Democrats back to the fold….but if you are natrue Progressive you feel the pain of the soul being ripped out of the Democratic Party by Clinton and his DLC cronies……Oh, i am sure there are those out there that will take exception to my statement and I will defend my assertion…….

In 1992 with the election of Bill Clinton as president I warned people that they should hold their approval for awhile for I saw a screwing coming…….boy did I catch Hell….more so than I did when I warned people that there would be NO change coming with the election of Obama………but I got to utter the 4 most beautiful words in the English language….”I Told you So”!

So why do I dislike Clinton?  Simple he with the assistance of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) handed the Democratic Party over to corporate America…..they made outsourcing lucrative…….they made the 2008 recession possible by the repealing of Glass-Steagall…….they allowed and lead the attack on poor people……they also helped labor become the dirty word it is today……and their damn foolish free trade acts killed American jobs…….

A true Democratic Party is dead!  Clinton and the DLC took the party and began dismantling everything that it stood for and worked for in the past.  Thanx to these asshats the Democratic Party has its mouth fixed permanently to the buttocks of corporate America and moved the Dems firmly to the right of center for decades to come.  Unfortunately the party shall never return to its roots……why?  Corporate America will not allow it!

Progressives and liberals should find another party to associate with in the future…….the DP is almost as conserv as the GOP…….the party that had a soul has been crucified on a pile of cash…..and driving the nails were the Clintons and the DLC.

So….NO!  I have NO use for him….no matter how much good he is supposedly doing with his cash cow…the Global Initiative.

What we need is a true “Liberal” party……..the one we have now is not doing the job………

Is Everybody Is Running Scared Of Hilary?

The 2016 election is quickly approaching…….we have NO idea who will be the GOP candidates save one….it seems the Santorum has pretty much decide to amuse us again….but after that the field is obfuscated….

We know that the conservs are running scared of the the only Dem mentioned so far…Hilary.  They have a Super PAC dedicated to ruining her chances and most commentators are mentioning her at every opportunity……but who else is getting any attention on the lib side of the equation?  So far….NO one!

The Left, I mean the real Left not these darn centrists, are saying that there needs to be someone hit Hilary from the Left……but who would say that….and at this time?

Report from The Hill:

Ralph Nader tore into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s liberal bona fides on Monday and said a candidate should challenge her from the left if she runs for the 2016 Democratic nomination.

“Somebody must challenge from the left, because, I mean, Hillary Clinton, who started out as a progressive out of Yale Law School and Wellesley, she’s become almost the poster child for the military-industrial complex,” Nader said in an online interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd.

“She hugs Kissinger; she hobnobs with Bob Rubin and the Wall Street crowd — I mean it’s almost a caricature,” Nader added. “But you know on social issues, like pro-choice, children’s issues, you know she keeps that liberal sheen.”

The former Democratic presidential candidate, who has also run for president as an independent and for the Green Party, said Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), both of whom have been vocal proponents of Wall Street reform, would be solid challengers.

Oh great…the great and powerful media whore Nader has spoken!

While I may agree with Nader’s proposition that someone on the Left, the real Left, needs to jump in in opposition to Hilary…..I do not put much credence in Nader’s opinion……he is a media whore that likes to see his name in print……for me his days of relevancy has long past.

The Left needs a true spokesperson…….Nader ain’t it!

The War On Science

I am sure by now you have heard the accusations that the Right is having a war on women, a war on minorities and a war on science…….but you know the Right is not by itself…….liberals are just as bad and as hard on science……I know….what the Hell?

(Newser) – Conventional wisdom holds that Republicans, not Democrats, are waging a war on science. But “there’s a liberal war on science” too, writes Michael Shermer in Scientific American. Yes, it’s true that 58% of conservatives believe humans were created, by God, in the past 10,000 years. But 41% of liberals hold that same belief. Similarly, 51% of Republicans doubt the Earth is heating up, but 19% of Democrats feel the same way. “These numbers do not exactly bolster the common belief that liberals are the people of the science book,” Shermer writes.

And there’s more: Liberals tend to be against nuclear energy (waste disposal issues), hydroelectric energy (dams in rivers interfere with ecosystems), fossil fuels (climate change), and wind power (bird deaths). And then there’s the fight against genetically modified foods, even though GMOs are really the only way we can feed the planet. “The underlying current is ‘everything natural is good’ and ‘everything unnatural is bad,'” Shermer writes. The truth is that both sides treat science just about equally, they just feel strongly about different issues. It’s time to encourage moderation on both sides. Click for Shermer’s full column.

Hypocrites!  Any thoughts?

Progressive?

After the prez and his inaugural address I read the reviews…..just about all call it a progressive speech for a progressive future…….poppycock!  I am and have always been a progressive and nothing Obama has done is progressive.  He may have a few progressive ideas but they went NO where……

The media is defining the term progressive……stop it!  A progressive is liberal but a liberal is not necessarily a progressive…….I refuse to let the media define me and my beliefs…….I am an old fart and being such there is a difference…..the media has successfully made the word liberal and progressive synonymous……they are NOT!  Only to mental midgets and partisan bobble heads are they the same……

A Progressive is favoring or promoting political or social reform through government action, or even revolution, to improve the lot of the majority……….Progressives in the 21st century continue in this tradition of democracy building and open transparency of corporate and political power. Progressive values are rooted in the American traditions of equality, fairness, due process, and democratic decision making at the deepest level possible. Progressives recognize that institutional power, both public and private, has created inequalities of race, class and gender, and that democratic governmental regulation is needed to make necessary social justice corrections for humanity worldwide. Progressives believe in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Bill of Rights, open access to corporate and governmental information, democratic media and individual human freedom. Progressives believe that human freedom includes the freedom from hunger, homelessness, unemployment, environmental pollution, discrimination based on physical attributes and long imprisonment for non-violent crimes.  (from a piece written by Peter Phillips for ShorewoodVillage.com)

Obama promised change and we got a toothless financial package, and impotent health care bill, and I expect no more come this second term……..Progressive politics is about moving society forward to a better life for its citizens and Obama has not accomplished that as of yet……..and I doubt if it will this time around.

And please do not say that Clinton was a progressive…..that is total crap!  Clinton and his cronies did nothing to move society forward, all his so-called accomplishments did was make profits a lot easier with the promise of a trickle down con……..and as we know, trickle down is total crap……

All this is leading to my point…..I demand an apology from the media for using progressive to characterize Obama…….it is insulting to us progressives…….

There Is Always A “Type”–Part 2

My last post was about the types of conservs out there…..I want to be fair and balanced (unlike some that claim that mantle)….then what are the types of liberals out there?

The Prometheus Institute tries to answer this question…..there types are as follows…..

1. The College Student

In college, previously disinterested students are inundated with leftist rhetoric from college professors who seem to have all the world perspective the students themselves lack. College students are further blessed with lots of free time, time which they can now use to save Nelson Mandela via a cardboard protest on a busy campus intersection. (Or did they save him already? Oh well, we can just change the signs to read “IMPEACH BUSH.” Great idea, Tad!) It makes sense that such idealistic young people would gravitate toward the Dems. They see the Republican Party as about holding onto past ideals and conserving, and the Democrats as the forward-thinking alternative. To many young adults, new always trumps old. Since they have little or no previous convictions to hold on to, these students often are swayed toward new ideas which seem to them novel or even brilliant at first glance. That’s why it is with no bit of irony that Kucinich once said, “I hold in my heart that rebellious spirit of youth that demands change.”

2. The social liberal but economic moderate

The classic liberal, as it was originally defined and is currently found all throughout Europe, is extremely different from the breed of liberal found in the US. Classic liberals support the free market. Usually these people would vote Republican (due to their pro-market positions), but many are so revolted by the Christian Right’s domination of the party that they feel compelled to support the Dems. This is often the case when the voter regards social issues as more significant than economic because he or she is already wealthy. For example, Steve Jobs is regarded as a liberal, yet he is a passionate defender of the free market. It is his social positions that resemble those of the Democrats.

3. The socialist

This voter believes in the corrupting power of Capitalism and supports the Democrats on social issues. However, his economic policies often stray left of the traditional party line. Dennis Kucinich and his cohorts are examples of Democratic Socialists. They generally believe in immediate withdrawal from NAFTA, preventing any privatization of social security, and creating single-payer universal health insurance. They are also extremely liberal on social issues and support same-sex marriages. They are so far left that even Hillary Clinton would blush at their latent, unrepentant communism.

4. The minority

Minorities are essentially born into the Democratic Party. Many are raised to believe that programs like Affirmative Action give them the boost they need to be competitive in America. Their leaders (e.g. Rev. Jesse Jackson) have hoodwinked them into believing that they need handouts in order to contend with their white counterparts. The tendency for minorities to be affiliated with the Democrats is so widespread that those not registered as Democrats are often scorned and ridiculed by their peers. Larry Elder, the black champion of libertarianism, is often called an “Uncle Tom” or “anti-black” by his detractors. Instead of asking Mr. Elder how he got to where he is today, they criticize him for not toeing the party line.

5. The victicrat

A victicrat* is someone who views his government as a form of protection against the evils the rest of us call life. They look for handouts before helping themselves. To be clear, victocrats are not necessarily found in the welfare line. They are often affluent heirs who blame illegal immigration for taking their jobs, or minorities “accepting” their lot in the US because of their skin color. Not only do they refuse to market their differences, they use it (them) as an excuse for their lack of effort. Like Dr. Dre has said, breaking out of the “slave mentality” is crucial to succeeding in business.

While I do not agree very strongly with this characterization…..it is a pretty good list…..anything to add?  My list would be something like…Reactionaries, Cowards, Deep Pocket Dems, etc…..

Please….your thoughts.

The Evil Of Liberalism

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Neo-Liberalism

The closer we get to the general election, the more savage the insults toward people on the opposite end of the political spectrum….that is both sides…there are NO innocents when it comes to verbally assaulting another person for the political beliefs….me?  I just try to help.

Before too many get excited that I may have strayed away from my more Leftist positions….sorry….No can do!  I hope that people will take this post for what I intend, an explanation of a term that is in use liberally (no pun intended) in the media and among pundits.

In these days of anonymous insults via Twitter, Forums, etc, much has been said about the parenthood of liberals, and the mental capacity of said people and best of all the socialist thing….but I will talk about just what a liberal is……not from a media based definition but rather from a political philosophical position.  And yes there is a difference.

The media looks for ways to explain complex theories in 30 second sound bytes.  So what you know about conservs and liberals may be a bit off the point.  I would like to remind readers that I am speaking from a political philosophic point.  I am NOT condemning any philosophical point of view….only trying to help people understand the more complexities to political philosophies……

To all my conserv readers and friends….do you believe in the following?

Privatization of public enterprises

Deregulation of the economy

Massive tax cuts

“Monetarists” solutions to keep inflation in check even with the chance of increasing unemployment

Strict control of organized labor

Reduction in public expenditures especially social spending

Down sizing government

Expansion of international markets

Remove controls on the flow of global financial markets

Answer these questions realistic, please.  If you agree with most or all of these proposals then you are a LIBERAL….granted it is neo-liberalism…..but a liberal none the less.

Bill Clinton is a neo-liberal….I wish pundits would STOP calling his a liberal!…….look back at his presidency and his membership in the DLC he fought for damn near everything on that list and succeeded on numerous occasions and thanx to that success we have the economic crap we are suffering with today.

My point in this post is to show that in the strictest philosophical sense, that in this world of political correctness, you may be mistaken when you are trying to pigeon hole others.  The list is pretty much the whole agenda of today’s conservs, at least that is what we call them…..when in actuality they are a neo-liberal and not a conserv in the classic sense.

I want people to think….not tell them what to think…..

Who Was The True American Liberal Lion?

Yesterday was Constitution Day and keeping with the thought I decided to post this draft I have had for some time and could not decide when to post it……..A title many have sought, but few can claim……..NOW is as good of a time as any……

With the death of Ted Kennedy many have been calling him America’s liberal lion….a good title for a man that work tirelessly for the middle class and the poor his whole career and did so with the help of many Repubs in the Senate…….he deserves the title….but was he America’s “real” liberal lion?

There have been many Americans that could claim this title….How about FDR?  Regardless of what you think of his politics, he was and is an American liberal lion.  His policies did more to help the American people cope with a massive depression and still be able to look to the future, even when all was bleak.  Without his policies there would be many more Americans living in poverty than there are today and we have way too many doing so these days……but does he deserve the title of “American Liberal lion”?

Or….let us step back a little further into our history……how about Woodrow Wilson as the American Liberal lion?  I know…I know…he got us into WWI….but there was more to him than that….besides being the only president that had a PhD……….he gave us many liberal policies, unfortunately most have been totally crap on in the years afterward…policies like the Fed (who many think is some sort of anti-Christ)….or the Federal trade commission….or the income tax (which he is being demonized for)…..or Clayton Anti-trust Act…….or the Federal Farm Program (which is a buzz kill for conservs)……and the League of Nations, forerunner of the UN, was his idea (which is being crapped on from all quarters)……whether you believe in his policies or not….they were very liberal for the day and in some cases liberal by today’s standards as well……with all his accomplishments can he wear the mantle of American Liberal Lion?

Another step into history……how about our Teddy Roosevelt?  Yes!  I said TR was a liberal!  Not while he was president but later when he and Taft had the split in the GOP.  Why would I say he was a liberal?  The Progressive Party that he founded for the 1912 election….some could say that his battle with Taft gave Wilson the presidency….that would be his detractors……but a liberal?  Believe it or not…a liberal!  Some of the policies pursued by the Progressive Party……national health insurance, women’s suffrage, workers compensation, limits and disclosure of campaign donations, just to mention a few of the ideas……so yes….very liberal ideas….but a liberal lion?

Let me stop pussy footing around……we can look at each of the so-called “liberals” through our history but the one true American liberal lion is……Thomas Paine!

Why would I say that?  After all he was a Brit that came to the Colonies for a job in printing…..good one!  But shows a serious lack of American history….

Before the publishing of  “Common Sense” which Paine wrote about the colonies should declare independence and establish our own country….most of the so-called revolutionaries were more concerned with reconciliation with Mother England than declaring independence…..even the “hero” of the revolution, Washington once wrote to a friend….

If you ever hear of my joining any such measures, you have my leave to set me down for everything wicked.

And then there is everybody”s “hero”,  Jefferson…….

“Believe me , dear sir, there is not in the British Empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain more than I…..It is neither our wish or our interest to separate from her (England).  ……Let them name their terms and let them be just….”

As you can see most of the Founder’s were more concerned with reconciliation than independence….all that changed after the publishing of  “Common Sense”….once the common man heard what Paine was saying the movement for independence became more common place…..Paine’s very liberal concept…..but it did not stop there…..

Paine was the first person in the colonies to talk about ideas publicly like….

He proposed the Abolition of Negro Slavery; proposed Arbitration for International Peace; advocated Justice for Women; pointed out the Reality of Human Brotherhood; suggested International Copyright; invented a suspension bridge and smokeless candle; proposed the Education of Children of the Poor at public expense; suggested a Great Republic of All Nations of the world.  He urged the Purchase of the great Louisiana Territory.  He proposed pension payments or Old Age Pensions.  He also suggested protection for dumb animals.

All ideas are LIBERAL….he was very outspoken on these issues…..and because he was so outspoken….he deserves the title,  American Liberal Lion……all others that came after Paine are just pale imitations of a TRUE Liberal Lion…..if we had listened to the others then our independence would have been a long time coming and we would look more like Canada…….

We should honor him for what he was……THE TRUE FOUNDER OF THE USA…..Why?  He was even the FIRST person to use the title United States Of America………and AMERICA’S ORIGINAL LIBERAL LION!

We Must Challenge The System

College of Political Knowledge

Today is Bastille Day, July 14, the French equivalent to our Independence Day…..and since it started a revolution I thought I would give a few thoughts……

Everybody wants change!  Repubs want the entitlement system changed…..Dems want the financial system changed……and the people want change…..the problem is the politicians want change and know what they want to change….the people are another story….they want change but have NO idea what change they want….. we would have a lot fewer political and economic problems if the voter knew what they were doing when they cast their vote……..and there is the rub…….they have NO idea what they want or even what they are doing when it comes to the country and its governing style…..

I have been lecturing, writing, analyzing and teaching about politics for a long time and the one thing that has been constant is the complete ignorance of the voter…….

If the American people want to take back the government then they need to challenge the system we have today….this can be done by pushing for the end of the electoral college, pushing for term limits, demand participatory democracy and finally, demand an end to all the money in the campaigns and a shortened campaign season…..none of this would be easy….but it can change our country and our system and return it to the government….of the people, for the people and by the people……

You can call this a revolution if you want to….does not matter……but remember the word revolution does not necessarily mean an armed insurrection……and now you are thinking what a crock of crap I am feeding you, right?

Okay, I can live with that…..but ask yourself what are some of the common causes of a revolution?

Do not hurt yourself…..the leading cause of a revolution is an unmanageable national debt and a grossly inequitable process of taxation and food scarcity and a reactionary persecution of religious dissenters……there more but these seem to be the most common….these were there for the French revolution and the Russian…..if the state promises but cannot deliver on those promises………..and if you look carefully they are here in the country we all love…….the conditions are taking shape…..

It is time for the people and especially the politicians, to realize that this country is teetering….and all this game playing in Washington could be the finally shove that could be fatal….it is our country….let us make it better for all!


Which Way Do You Swing?

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Political Theory

Gotcha!  No, this is not some post on being sexual….one way or the other…..it is about political theory…..as any political philosopher would do….ask you questions and have you answer and then learn about one’s self……

Are you a conservative or a liberal?  You may take a political aptitude tests that tells you if you lean left or right….but are you a conserv?  Or maybe a liberal?  Could a Marxist slip in there?  I will not give you the answer but ask some questions and see where the answers lead….

Do you believe in……?

Privatization of public services

Deregulation of the economy

A more liberal trade and industrial policy

Massive tax cuts

Monetarist policies to check inflation, even at the chance of high unemployment

Strict controls of organized labor

reduction of social spending

down sizing government

expansion of international markets

remove controls of world financial flows

Are you on board with any of these proposals?

Please all my readers give me their thoughts  on this…..I will explain in the comment section after I have heard from you guys…..thanx for playing along….I appreciate it…..