> thx that was good to read and ponder. i think a well thought out seriies of
> observations, and offers a balanced overview for the non-partisan open
> minded individual.
>
> ok, is there a "now what" ???
>
Take power away from the monarch (executive) and balance it with the
other two branches of representation, the representatives of the elite
(legislature) and the rights of each individual (judiciary). It seems
that like the article implies, the tug of war between conservative and
liberal elites has diminished the rights of each individual as the
final judge of worth.
From the article below it is easy to tell that 3 dimensions are turned
into two, as the tug of war between liberal and conservative elites
robs the power from each of us. We going liberal then, cheer for your
side, sell your freedom short brother.
Republicans have devoted a lot of resources to the smearing of
liberals, but Eric Alterman is not going to let them get away with it.
He has a mission to correct misconceptions spewed by conservatives and
regurgitated by mainstream media. ...many others shy away from the
word because it has been corrupted by conservative political
activists. Because of the clever, dishonest conservative campaign to
discredit liberal programs, far too many in the electorate dismiss
liberal political candidates as unpatriotic, elitist, atheistic, free-
sex, reverse-racist, murderous (a.k.a. pro-choice) wimps.
Alterman labors mightily to erase the myths and bury the lies pushed
by antagonists such as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and others. The
trouble is that defining liberalism is a difficult matter, which makes
Alterman’s polemic anything but laser-like. ...conservatives are
frequently as elitist and hypocritical as they claim liberals to be.
Despite the presence of George W. Bush in the White House, Alterman
claims opinion polls prove overwhelmingly that the majority of
Americans prefer the liberal agenda.
“Alterman spends a lot of time clearing away the falsehoods spread by
both right-wing and mainstream media figures, but the core of the book
is a vigorous defense of liberalism as a credo—a credo, Alterman
argues persuasively, that most Americans actually subscribe to in its
constituent parts. Acknowledging that liberalism is notoriously
difficult to define, he nonetheless provides an extensive and nuanced
analysis of its substance.”
Thanks to the machinations of the right, there is no dirtier word in
American politics today than “liberal”—yet public opinion polls
consistently show that the majority of Americans hold liberal views on
everything from health care to foreign policy. In this feisty,
accessible primer, bestselling author Eric Alterman sets out to
restore liberalism to its rightful honored place in our political life
as the politics of America’s everyday citizens.
In Why We’re Liberals Alterman examines liberalism’s development and
demonstrates how its partisans have come to represent not just the
mainstream, but also the majority of Americans today. In a crisply
argued though extensively documented counterattack on right-wing spin
and misinformation, Alterman briskly disposes of such canards as
“Liberals Hate God” and “Liberals Are Soft on Terrorism,” reclaiming
liberalism from the false definitions foisted upon it by the right and
repeated everywhere else. Why We’re Liberals brings clarity and
perspective to what has often been a one-sided debate for nothing less
than the heart and soul of America. Why We’re Liberals is the perfect
election-year book for all of those ready to fight back against the
conservative mud-slinging machine and claim their voice in the
political debate.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Were-Liberals-Political-Post-Bush/dp/0670018600
