October 27, 2008
Liberalism vs. Conservatism*
In his new book, Why We're Liberals, Eric AltermanIn his new book, Why We're Liberals, Eric Alterman points out that conservatism can be explained very simply while liberalism can not. Since it took him a whole book to explain why he's a liberal, he has a point.
Conservatism can be summed up in a few words: "freedom," "democracy," "privatize," "deregulate," "less government," "let the free market decide" (but does not apply to the oil, coal, gas, timber, airline, insurance, pharmaceutical, banking and finance industries) and of course, "tax cuts."
Liberalism isn't that simple. That's because liberals can think. Conservatives can't. Liberals have ideas. Conservatives don't. Liberals come up with different solutions for different problems. Conservatives can't. And I'll prove it.
Here are a few of the issues we face today with the conservative/Republican "solution":
Terrorism
At the point of a gun, bring "freedom," "democracy," and "free markets" to Afghanistan, Iraq and everywhere else there isn't "freedom," "democracy" "and "free markets."
Here are my ideas on terrorism, Iraq and the surge (Aug. 2009 insert: and torture).
Social Security
"Privatize" and hand the money to their (deregulated) buddies on Wall St.
No comment necessary.
The Economy
"Tax cuts," "tax cuts" and more "tax cuts."
If Republicans don't think taxes aren't low enough, why didn't they lower them even more over the last seven years so they wouldn't have to keep calling for them? They certainly had the power to. So that should prove it's never about "cutting taxes" at all. It's about redundant and unimaginative talking points that's meant to rile up, and tease, the Republican base while putting the Democrats and "tax and spend liberals" on the defensive.
Also, since they wouldn't raise taxes when we were running a surplus, wouldn't raise them after 9/11, wouldn't raise them while we're fighting two wars, wouldn't raise them with an exploding budget deficit and debt and wouldn't raise them when we lost New Orleans to a hurricane, I'd hate to think of what would have to happen for them to raise taxes.
They also throw money at the oil, coal, gas, timber, airline, insurance, pharmaceutical, banking and finance industries, and are for "deregulation." But they don't use that word. I guess it doesn't poll well. Instead they call it "less government" which does.
Health Care
Health Savings Accounts or Flexible Spending Accounts which use "pre-taxed" earnings - a "tax cut!" - to fund an account from which medical bills can be paid.
The theory behind this is that by "shopping the marketplace" to find the "best deal" (works wonders when you get hit by a bus) it lowers costs. But this is a gift to the insurance companies. It also increases the deficit which is the only thing Republicans have proven to be very good at.
John McCain's "plan" calls for - surprise, surprise - a "tax credit" so you can buy an insurance policy in this grand "marketplace." This too is a gift to the insurance companies.
So the conservative health care "plan" is - what else? - "tax cuts," "get government out of it," "let the free market decide" and allow the insurance companies to handle it; which is basically how we've been handling it for the past 200 years.
The country should be insulted by such "solutions" to the most asinine health care system in the world.
Energy
Tax cuts, tax breaks and multi-billion dollar largess to Big Oil. Oh, and let's not forget "drill, baby, drill." (Help me, I can't take all this imagination and creativity!)
They're also for - surprise, surprise - a "gas tax holiday" and more nuclear energy. But that's more about "deregulation and "less government" then anything else so their buddies in the industry can build more nuclear power plants. But after what the Republicans did to the banking industry, you'd have to either be insane or a politically partisan Republican hack to think you should deregulate nukes. Probably both.
Since they're unable to think, that's all they have for a vital and complicated issue that's demanding leadership, creativity, imagination, conservation, a hike in the gas tax, real investment in public transportation and the country's infrastructure, and a practical long term plan that looks decades into the future that encompasses renewable energy and not ethanol.
But when has the Republican Party put forth a practical long term plan on, well, anything? The Medicare prescription drug plan? That legislation was written by the pharmaceutical industry for the pharmaceutical industry; legislation that prohibited the government from using their vast buying power - a.k.a. "the free market!" - to negotiate lower prices!
The last time Democrats put forth ground breaking legislation, or at least tried to, was President Clinton's 1993 health care plan. But that became another casualty to the G.O.P's powerful propaganda machine. So when Democrats came forward with an idea, Republicans attacked it by
What a way to govern, huh?
Let the record show that Republican talking points have not provided a single student with a college loan, provided a single American with a quality low-cost health insurance policy or lowered a local tax bill. But it doesn't matter because their objective isn't to deal with the country's problems
Seriously, when have conservatives come forward with a real idea and a real plan on a major (or minor) issue that put the country's interests ahead of the special interests ("Country First," if you will)? When have they not ridiculed and insulted Democrats or liberals? When have they not repeated their moronic talking points? When have they not acted like whiny children? When have they actually brought something to the table and engaged in a mature, honest and serious policy discussion? Never.
All they bring within shouting distance of the table are their talking points. Throw in their hate, anger, lies, arrogance, belligerence, personal attacks and a mountain of spin and hypocrisy, and it's clear what this party's true intentions are (then again, throwing stones at Democrats, liberals, the "tax and spend liberals," "big government," the so called "liberal" media and Keith Olbermann is a hell of a lot easier then picking them up).
Since conservatives believe everything can be solved with "tax cuts" and "less government," there's no reason for them to be well-read, interested, curious and inquisitive. Because if they were, they would have a variety of thoughts and ideas of their own, like liberals do. But they don't. That's why Sarah Palin can't tell us what she reads and why George Bush is, well, George Bush.
Not everyone's "a thinker" and there's nothing wrong with that; unless you run for President, Vice President or any public office because - call me a silly liberal - the country desperately needs men and women (this goes for Democrats too) who are well-read, who are interested, who are curious, who are inquisitive and have ideas running our government. The last thing we need are empty heads who think every problem can be solved with unimaginative talking points such as "less government" and "lower taxes."
That said, conservatives have spent so many years repeating and repeating and repeating their talking points and attacking Democrats and liberals, that they've lost the ability to think, assuming they had the ability to begin with.
That's why I'm a well-read, interested, curious, inquisitive liberal.
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