Attachment of Many People, to Liberalism

[jbg]

I am responding to some thoughts from another thread (link) that I believed deserved a thoughtful response and not a shout. The fact is that liberalism, over the years, has been a sunny, progressive philosophy that believed that government should help everyone, not the select few. Conservatism, on the other hand, was backward looking a crabbed. Liberals were responsible, in the U.S. for bringing racial minorities to the center of national life so that their individuals could make their unique contributions, unfettered by the color of their skin. Liberals decided to knit the country together, first with rails, then with roads.

Unfortunately, many who carry the liberal banner today do it a severe disservice. And I am not pointing to the posts who I quote below.

Ask him about his dead father.

He had a father?

The point Bubber is trying to make is that I cite political activities with my father to support my being a liberal.

Maybe I shouldn't cite those. However, it is well known that Jews default heavily to liberal political positions. If you read Norman Podhoretz's book (I'll admit I haven't, link to excerpted version here) Jews' connection to political liberalism is multigenerational and deep. It causes severe angst to have to ally, every once in a while, with some out and out creeps on the right. But many current liberal positions are severely impractical and counterproductive.

So, Bubber and Oleg. It isn't only my father that grounds me to liberalism. It's thousands of years of history.

And as I started to say at the beginning of the post, liberalism was and should be a beautiful philosophy. There are barriers in society that shouldn't exist and must be smashed. That is why, in my heart if not always my head, I remain a liberal.

[Oleg Bach]

I am responding to some thoughts from another thread (link) that I believed deserved a thoughtful response and not a shout. The fact is that liberalism, over the years, has been a sunny, progressive philosophy that believed that government should help everyone, not the select few. Conservatism, on the other hand, was backward looking a crabbed. Liberals were responsible, in the U.S. for bringing racial minorities to the center of national life so that their individuals could make their unique contributions, unfettered by the color of their skin. Liberals decided to knit the country together, first with rails, then with roads.

Unfortunately, many who carry the liberal banner today do it a severe disservice. And I am not pointing to the posts who I quote below.

The point Bubber is trying to make is that I cite political activities with my father to support my being a liberal.

Maybe I shouldn't cite those. However, it is well known that Jews default heavily to liberal political positions. If you read Norman Podhoretz's book (I'll admit I haven't, link to excerpted version here) Jews' connection to political liberalism is multigenerational and deep. It causes severe angst to have to ally, every once in a while, with some out and out creeps on the right. But many current liberal positions are severely impractical and counterproductive.

So, Bubber and Oleg. It isn't only my father that grounds me to liberalism. It's thousands of years of history.

And as I started to say at the beginning of the post, liberalism was and should be a beautiful philosophy. There are barriers in society that shouldn't exist and must be smashed. That is why, in my heart if not always my head, I remain a liberal.

I don't want to live in a commune - a community - under communist rules - or kabutz teamism. Liberalism should liberate - the individual - and not enslave him to collectivism. Liberalism is the thinking mans' socialism. Going back into my own family history -My grandfather was exiled from one nation because of his individualism. He set up a buisness in the far reaches of easter Siberia. I suppose he thought that it was far enough away no one would bother him - eventaully he controlled 2000 acres of land and had about 100 employees.

The spread of communism was slow across old Russia - by the time it got to him it was near the end of the red take over. The persecuted him for about six years - and finally after many tries convicted him like a common crimminal - worst part is they shot him first and had the trial later...THIS is my grounding in conservatism..That a person with natural energy and God given smarts should be allowed to grow and have their own little empire - that we are not all the same - that some are gifted with more and should not as old Sam said to me "They punished them for being smart and working hard"....It was socialist liberation of stupidity that I resent. The death of my grandfather deeply effected my dad - and his hurt effected me - This evil does not fade quickly it is generational - so I dispise any movement that demands the death of a good man in order to rule.

"Is one good man more important that the state of ROME?" I would say yes- because when one good person is destroyed - the whole collective becomes tainted with rot..Liberals should liberate - or change their title.