"If you think liberals per se can't be quite intelligent (e.g., Daniel Patrick Moynihan), it may be you who needs to get out more."
Perhaps you didn't notice that DPM has been attacked viciously by his fellow Dems and liberal groups for his papers on the black family and on social security? he's not the kind of lib that has driven so many from the Dem ranks, nor the type who has created the current discord.
Yes, I did notice. That doesn't change DPM's status as a liberal - he wore the label proudly. Frankly, I don't see many postings to FR which differentiate between "types" of liberals. Perhaps we need to establish some form of taxonomy for our discussions of "political animals".
More to the point, my comments have been in response to the broad contention that "liberals can't be smart" and that I therefore need to become acquainted with a "smarter" crowd. I can certainly cite others (e.g, Gore Vidal) who are (a) more to the left than DPM, (b) extremely intelligent, and c) very much putting their $.02 into "the current discord." My two dear friends would also fall in this category; we do ourselves a disservice by assuming that anyone who holds "liberal/progressive" views is by definition not smart. It is the ideas, principles, and approaches that we are discussing and debating, not the people. That's why I'm waiting to talk with Sis - she matters far more to me than her political views.