Which Side Is the Left On?

New York Times ^ | October 7, 2001 | Michael Kazin

[jalisco555]

I'm certainly heartbroken that the Left is fissuring. Aren't you?

[jalisco555]

Yikes, I didn't mean to post this under breaking news! Sorry about that.

[KeyBored]

"Even symbols of the earlier movement are making a comeback — an ad in The Nation features the peace symbol, now colored red, white and blue."

That's right - and if our newly "patriotic" leftists hurry, they can probably still scarf up some Chairman Mao posters on Ebay.

Wrapped in a flag, of course.

[Thebaddog]

I love hearing about these little "thinkers" tying themselves up in knots over their ideas but I just can't read the whole darn article. Their ideas are lame and the world has passed them by. The NYT is trying to get in the flow, but it won't be possible to come to center from so far left.

Maybe someday the news really will be the news without the tilt.

[Quix]

The "left" has had a divide and conquer strategy for a very long time--at least 50 years. . . . if it weren't for the issues they've used so fruitfully for that, they'd dig up others.

Label a subgroup disadvantaged. Then set them at odds more and more violently with the larger culture. Great strategy for evil. . . .until God Almighty pulls the rug out from under the whole sheebang.

The alternative is for those who Know God and His values to be compassionate and growthful, protective, instructive, etc. toward all. . . .

But since the enemy has been so good at getting believers to devour one another out of pride, fear, possessiveness--there's not been much reaching out to the poor compared to what might have been. Still, many have managed to do a lot of good over the centuries. . . often the only good being done.

[Caipirabob]

...and wants to help unemployed workers pay for health insurance.

I'm interested in what people think of this idea. In the current state of uncertainty, many people who are normal hardworking Americans are finding themselves faced with unemplyment and subsequently no insurance for their families. Under the circumstances, I'm inclined to think we should consider sound, solvent means of providing reasonably priced access to these individuals, something like a less expensive COBRA (which can break the bank for many of the unemployed.)

Look, I'm not turning left, but I'm wondering what we can do, during circumstances that are pretty much a state of war and directly impacting our economy and the lives of normally hard working Americans, what can we do? Just food for thought.

While the left is dissintigrating, we might as well pull the rest of their teeth and lay to rest as many social issues as possible so that once we save America and return to normal, they have nothing significant to whine about. Let's bury these enemies once and for all and take care of our own.

[randog]

Hmmm......has the left finally figured out that they have a major PR blunder on their hands with the 'peace' movement (actually, it's more like a twitch)?

[DoctorMichael]

Their own.

[Mr. Mulliner]

Just remember folks, this is the New York Times speaking. What we call Left isn't always what they call Left. Quoting from Christopher Hitchens, yes, that qualifies as Left in just about anybody's book. But while most of us here consider the vast majority of the Democratic party to be Leftist, that isn't how the NYT sees it. Leftist, though rarely used, usually means the fringe elements. And notice how they mix it in with the word "progressive," their sanitized word for the Left.

[HENRYADAMS]

Question: What side is the left on?

Answer: They are on the side of any force which exhibits hatred and violence against: (a)tradition, (b)any person who asks for renunciation rather than argues over distribution,(c)any group that hates the Christian religion;(d)they are against any person who loves his country even unto mob violence;(e) against any person resisting slavery;(f) any person, firm or entity that is against The West-the list goes on, feel free to add to it.

[lavaroise]

Yes, but for how long will it fissure? What is going to happen is that the left is very well aware that the business community and Bush would rather rely on arab armed welfare to protect our country and oil interests abroad rather than fight the war ourselves. Hence, since we are relying on foreign protectors instead of our army now peace keeping (while our own nuke plants are open for terror attacks), and that those protectors find it easier to turn on us than attack Saddam, Russia, China or India, we will get killed.

Then the left will ask us to turn to Russia, China, Saddam and India to turn agaisnt the terrorists, instead, again, of fighting the war ourselves. The result is that we are going to help our enemy destroy our assets in the middle East. A few glowing nuke zones around Saudi gas and oil wells will make us completely dependent on Russia and leftist nations for oil. Then those nations in one clenched fist will destroy us because they will raise the oil price so high that we will either have to fight them or implode in a revolution against the bourgeoisie.

See, that's what the left has in mind. Tactical failure do not scare them, because they predicted them and they have a long range strategy and algorithm ready made to destroy us, and proven by years of experience and experiments against us in how we react to the Vietnam war, Somalia blood fears, Gulf war type hybrid coalitions and what not.

[wattsmag2]

Which Side Is the Left On?

I'd say around the backside and about 30 degrees below the equator, which should put them right on Uranus.

[backhoe]

I think you raise a good question that needs some mulling over. I don't feel like typing out all the details right now, but suffice it to say that neither my wife ( who is "cured" now, or my sister-in-law ( who just died ) could have paid for their treatments without the insurance their employers provided. No way on earth.

[johnny7]

They're not fissuring... only evolving. The liberals are fissuring. Gephardt, Daschle, Kennedy, Schumer and others, don't know how to attack Bush when the two towers of world finance lay in ruins and 7000 dead lay under them. No, it's the real left, the commies, greens and pseudo-intellectuals that will champion another inside assault on our republic. They will blame us instead of radical Islamics for 911.

[the_rightside]

Don't trust the left -- nver had, never will.

[SouthCarolinaKit]

The LEFT has Always been anti-American; it just more obvious to everyone now. It'll be interesting to see if they admit it. Surely, they were not against the Viet Nam War, per se, they just didn't want the US to win ANY war! The sit in the richs of capitalism while glorifiying communism. If they were serious, they'd move permanently to some communist country: China!

[DeaconBenjamin]

Which Side Is the Left On? I sympathize. My wife says I still have this problem. ;)

[LadyDoc]

Humorist P.J. O'Rourke was once asked why the Left could mount demonstrations of thousands for any reason at all, but it was rare for conservatives to demonstrate.,

That's because conservatives work for a living, he replied.

The ultimate result of all the deaths may be that the socially conservative union members will desert the progressive causes: alas, they still send their dues to the leftist union presidents to funnel to the Dems.

[Jim Noble]

>> But activists on both sides fear their chance to build a new left may already have passed<<

It passed a long time ago.

The NYT hasn't noticed however.