Why Do Liberals Act Like Conservatives???

[illinoisprogressive]

Yglesias: Why do liberals go along with conservative efforts to demonize Democrats?
by Barry Ragin | Jan 21 2007 - 6:59pm | permalink
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Matthew Yglesias:

It's no surprise that conservatives try to turn every leading Democrat into not only an ideologically objectionable figure but a personally mock-worthy one as well. It is surprising how willing people are to internalize this stuff.

No matter who it is the Democrats nominate, that person is going to wind up mocked as obviously the wrong the choice; obviously just an absurd person who absurd primary voters picked over dozens of more appealing choices.

it seems like every time i've logged into the Chimp over the past 3 weeks, there's half a dozen active threads devoted to telling us what's wrong with whichever Democrat has just announced their candidacy. I think i've posted almost the exact same comment on threads about Hillary, Edwards, Obama, you name it. Our candidates are better than their candidates. The nation simply cannot afford a President McCain, a President Romney, a President Brownback.

I made this mistake in 1980, thinking that Jimmy Carter was simply not good enough to continue as President. He was too conservative, too corporate, too wishy-washy, whatever.

So, great, we got Ronald Reagan.

Now, of course, Jimmy Carter is a hero to what passes for the left in the US because he's willing to tell some truths about Israel and Palestine. But in 1980, he was just another candidate of one of America's two corporate parties, and as far as we were concerned, it didn't matter which one was elected.

I've learned my lesson.

atrios snarks well on this topic:

if your criticisms and general thinking about a particular candidate or politician sound eerily like something Maureen Dowd could or did write then maybe you should step back and rethink.

__http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/4924

[mdmc]

1. One corporate party with liberals and conservatives on the wings

[omega minimo]

2. seems he's trying to poke a hole in that notion, but

who said this in 1980?:

"But in 1980, he was just another candidate of one of America's two corporate parties, and as far as we were concerned, it didn't matter which one was elected."

It was really clear in 1980 that one advantage Carter had over Reagan is HE WASN'T RONALD REAGAN. AFAIK no one was using back then the rationale " just another candidate of one of America's two corporate parties, and as far as we were concerned, it didn't matter which one was elected."

[antiimperialist]

3. Jimmy Carter was smiling this morning

He was asked by some mainstream media analyst if he thought including "apartheid" in his book title was a mistake, and he smiled, calmly and convincingly saying: NO, and proceeded to issue a good explanation about it. He knows that the only ones against him are Zionists and right-wingers.

[GreenTea]

4. I've always stayed far left in my life and have never been proved wrong...In other words

I'm a hard core radical democratic ideologue that leans strongly toward socialism...and have yet to be proven wrong by the greedy, the capitalist, the selfish, the non caring and the other conservative fascist assholes and moderates.

[JeffR]

6. Man, I love this response

It's so concise I don't have to bother trying to put my stance into my own words. I absolutely, unconditionally, utterly thank you.

[silverlib]

5. Phil Ochs addressed this same thing...

Love Me, I'm a Liberal (about Humphrey in 1968 for those too young to remember)

I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
Tears ran down my spine
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
As though I'd lost a father of mine
But Malcolm X got what was coming
He got what he asked for this time
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
as long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crain?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I read New republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like Korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I vote for the democratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal