Posted on 09/22/2004 10:44:14 AM PDT by sampai
I was listening to KPLU, my local NPR station, this morning. I listen to NPR only because I love hearing liberals whine about how bad things are, and how powerless they are to do anything about it. Today's guest was Lewis Lapham (yes, that Lewis Lapham.) It was a particularly well-cocooned show. At one point, a caller named Alan said President Bush is a traitor and belongs in jail. Lapham said he agreed with Alan. I couldn't even bring myself to be outraged.
This is what modern liberalism has come to: elitist graybeards sadly shaking their heads at the sorry state of the world.
And it occurred to me that liberal pessimism explains why they've been losing ground for the last two decades.
Liberals weren't always pessimistic. FDR, Truman, Kennedy and LBJ were optimists who had big ideas. In his inaugural speech, FDR said, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Other Democrat presidents similarly exuded hope and optimism. Meanwhile, conservatives were reduced to darkly muttering about the ballooning budget deficit.
Then came Vietnam. Post-Vietnam Democrats are negativist cynics. In their eyes, America can do no good and the world is a depressing place. The '70s solidified these liberal beliefs. The liberals of today refer constantly to Vietnam and Watergate because those moments define today's liberalism.
Meanwhile, conservatives became the Morning in America party. Reagan won the Cold War and defeated recession. Bush 41 prevailed effortlessly in Iraq. Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America implemented much-needed reforms. Conservatives today have big ideas and are confident they can implement them.
Nowhere is the contrast more visible than on Iraq. John Kerry nags and nags, while President Bush lays out a hopeful vision of the future. Who benefits from the contrast? If you believe, like me, that Americans are optimistic and hopeful at heart, the answer is obvious. And John Kerry is making a giant mistake by making Iraq the centerpiece of the presidential campaign.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences."
-- C.S Lewis
great quotes
Andropov said, wisely, "Now all we have to do is to keep the Vietnam-era anti-Americanism alive.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.