The Death of the Liberal Class

[Sunstone]

Interesting article.

"The presidential election exposed the liberal class as a corpse. It fights for nothing. It stands for nothing. It is a useless appendage to the corporate state. It exists not to make possible incremental or piecemeal reform, as it originally did in a functional capitalist democracy; instead it has devolved into an instrument of personal vanity, burnishing the hollow morality of its adherents. Liberals, by voting for Barack Obama, betrayed the core values they use to define themselves—the rule of law, the safeguarding of civil liberties, the protection of unions, the preservation of social welfare programs, environmental accords, financial regulation, a defiance of unjust war and torture, and the abolition of drone wars."

Your take on this?

 

[Storm]

My take is that he'll have a leg to stand on when there's a viable Progressive party. Until then, I make no apologies in voting for the lesser evil.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

As many people who voted Romney, as well as Obama said, "What other choice did I have?"

 

[Apex]

As many people who voted Romney, as well as Obama said, "What other choice did I have?"

Don't vote.

 

[MissAlice]

I vote because if I don't someone much worse may be elected by those who are bent on regression. It's a question of which is the lesser of the 2 but yeah, it's not much of a choice considering they're both mostly on par with each other. Yet still people believe anyone who votes Democrats is one of them nasty commie socialist stinko pinko liberals.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Don't vote.

And not do the only real thing that can be done to help keep the lesser of the two out of office?

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

Interesting article.

"The presidential election exposed the liberal class as a corpse. It fights for nothing. It stands for nothing. It is a useless appendage to the corporate state. It exists not to make possible incremental or piecemeal reform, as it originally did in a functional capitalist democracy; instead it has devolved into an instrument of personal vanity, burnishing the hollow morality of its adherents. Liberals, by voting for Barack Obama, betrayed the core values they use to define themselves—the rule of law, the safeguarding of civil liberties, the protection of unions, the preservation of social welfare programs, environmental accords, financial regulation, a defiance of unjust war and torture, and the abolition of drone wars."

Your take on this?

That is interesting. It's all wrong, of course, but still interesting. If the election season showed us anything, it's that liberalism is alive and well, while conservatives, particularly social conservatism, is dying out. I don't think it will ever die completely, but it's power as a force in national politics is over. Many GOP pundits have decried the extremists in their camp, and are now starting to say that they should shy away from that segment of their group. I think that America is wising up that crony capitalism, through conservative politics, doesn't represent the majority of Americans. Why is this not the death of the liberal class? For all the reasons your quote mentioned, is representative of the lower and middle classes, the vast majority of Americans.

 

[DanaTheJewishYogini]

I loathe a lot of Obama's policies as a liberal, but I prefer him over the others.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I just read my last post, and realized that I didn't comment on Obama. While he was the lesser of two evils, he doesn't adequately represent the liberals in this country. I would even go so far as to say he's just another tool of the right. This is the problem with the political structure in the US, there are no true liberals running for office. This last election, Jill Stein and Stewart Alexander were the only two really worth voting for. Unfortunately, I don't see a Green or a Socialist as POTUS for a very long time.

 

[Falvlun]

Interesting article.

"The presidential election exposed the liberal class as a corpse. It fights for nothing. It stands for nothing. It is a useless appendage to the corporate state. It exists not to make possible incremental or piecemeal reform, as it originally did in a functional capitalist democracy; instead it has devolved into an instrument of personal vanity, burnishing the hollow morality of its adherents. Liberals, by voting for Barack Obama, betrayed the core values they use to define themselves—the rule of law, the safeguarding of civil liberties, the protection of unions, the preservation of social welfare programs, environmental accords, financial regulation, a defiance of unjust war and torture, and the abolition of drone wars."

Your take on this?

People think the president has more power than he actually does. Obama isn't responsible for all of that, and even if he were, he doesn't have the power to do anything about it. It's in Congress' hands. Obama can make statements about what he would like, but as has been made so painfully clear, he can't make them do what he wants.

As for the position that the President actually does occupy, I think Obama has precisely the sort of personality I want for a person in his position: intellectual, methodical, presentable, steady. If the Republicans weren't hell bent on destroying Obama and the government, in that order, this presidency would be marked for its bipartisanship.

Don't vote.

I truly fail to see how not voting can accomplish anything.

 

[Valjean]

That is interesting. It's all wrong, of course, but still interesting. If the election season showed us anything, it's that liberalism is alive and well, while conservatives, particularly social conservatism, is dying out. I don't think it will ever die completely, but it's power as a force in national politics is over. Many GOP pundits have decried the extremists in their camp, and are now starting to say that they should shy away from that segment of their group. I think that America is wising up that crony capitalism, through conservative politics, doesn't represent the majority of Americans. Why is this not the death of the liberal class? For all the reasons your quote mentioned, is representative of the lower and middle classes, the vast majority of Americans.

If "liberalism is alive and well," where was the liberal candidate? What liberal policies are being seriously discussed?
Obama never claimed to be a liberal. He himself states that by the standards of the '80s he'd be considered a conservative.

I agree with Hedges. The liberals are effete, pusillanimous pussyfooters, and are, politically, considerably to the right of Nixon or Reagan.
Voting, writing letters and proper political channels aren't going to make any difference when the game is fixed. As Naomi Klein pointed out, it takes a major shock to motivate substantive social change.

 

[Apex]

I truly fail to see how not voting can accomplish anything.

Ditto with voting for the current species of politicians. Wait, I take that back, voting for the current politicians is only making things worse. Accomplishing nothing is at least better than making things worse.

 

[Falvlun]

Ditto with voting for the current species of politicians. Wait, I take that back, voting for the current politicians is only making things worse. Accomplishing nothing is at least better than making things worse.

*shrug* Well, that's one less voter I have to worry about then.

 

[Random]

Interesting article.

Your take on this?

It's a very powerful article from a man who knows what's going on. I agree with all of it.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

If "liberalism is alive and well," where was the liberal candidate? What liberal policies are being seriously discussed?
Obama never claimed to be a liberal. He himself states that by the standards of the '80s he'd be considered a conservative.

I agree with Hedges. The liberals are effete, pusillanimous pussyfooters, and are, politically, considerably to the right of Nixon or Reagan.
Voting, writing letters and proper political channels aren't going to make any difference when the game is fixed. As Naomi Klein pointed out, it takes a major shock to motivate substantive social change.

After reading my first post, I went back and made a second post, where I pretty much agree with what you just said. Obama is a conservative, just not as far right as the likes of Palin, Bush, etc. We didn't really see any true liberals, although I would have to say that Jill Stein and Stewart Alexander represented true liberals more than Obama.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Ditto with voting for the current species of politicians. Wait, I take that back, voting for the current politicians is only making things worse. Accomplishing nothing is at least better than making things worse.

The politicians to choose from may not be the best, but I think I will continue to practice one of my rights, a right that many have fought and died over, a right many have went to jail for, and a right that has not yet been taken away. A right many people in the world do not have.
If you want to not practice your rights, that is ok, but not voting is the real reason we have so many problems with politicians because so few people actually do vote. It's quiet funny how this elections aroused the 49/51 percent crap, even 100 percent of voters is nowhere close to 100% of the population. Try closer to half.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_the_United_States_presidential_elections

Election year Tournout of VAP
1984 53.3%
1988 50.3%
1992 55.2%
1996 49.0%
2000 50.3%
2004 55.7%
2008 57.1%
2012 57.5%

If you are ok with half of the nation deciding things for you then that is your prerogative, but I would at least be able to say at I tried and that I practice what rights I still have.

 

[Reverend Rick]

That is interesting. It's all wrong, of course, but still interesting. If the election season showed us anything, it's that liberalism is alive and well, while conservatives, particularly social conservatism, is dying out. I don't think it will ever die completely, but it's power as a force in national politics is over. Many GOP pundits have decried the extremists in their camp, and are now starting to say that they should shy away from that segment of their group. I think that America is wising up that crony capitalism, through conservative politics, doesn't represent the majority of Americans. Why is this not the death of the liberal class? For all the reasons your quote mentioned, is representative of the lower and middle classes, the vast majority of Americans.

Ahhhhh, but you miss that the pendulum will swing back and forth. Clinton was beloved but his attack on gun rights sent the majority a different way. Bush went too far and we are where we are right now.

History will repeat it's self, plus as your generation gets older, they will become more conservative.

Republicans will hold the white house when people have had enough.

The affordable health care act will sour many a moderate voter in the future as will the attack on the second amendment.

 

[Valjean]

The politicians to choose from may not be the best, but I think I will continue to practice one of my rights, a right that many have fought and died over, a right many have went to jail for, and a right that has not yet been taken away. A right many people in the world do not have.
If you want to not practice your rights, that is ok, but not voting is the real reason we have so many problems with politicians because so few people actually do vote. It's quiet funny how this elections aroused the 49/51 percent crap, even 100 percent of voters is nowhere close to 100% of the population. Try closer to half.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_the_United_States_presidential_elections


If you are ok with half of the nation deciding things for you then that is your prerogative, but I would at least be able to say at I tried and that I practice what rights I still have.

Is it the voters who decide things, or the system that chooses the candidates?
Is a choice of fox vs badger for henhouse manager a real choice?

 

[Apex]

The politicians to choose from may not be the best, but I think I will continue to practice one of my rights, a right that many have fought and died over, a right many have went to jail for, and a right that has not yet been taken away. A right many people in the world do not have.
If you want to not practice your rights, that is ok, but not voting is the real reason we have so many problems with politicians because so few people actually do vote. It's quiet funny how this elections aroused the 49/51 percent crap, even 100 percent of voters is nowhere close to 100% of the population. Try closer to half.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_the_United_States_presidential_elections


If you are ok with half of the nation deciding things for you then that is your prerogative, but I would at least be able to say at I tried and that I practice what rights I still have.

When your options are ****** Candidate #1, and ****** Candidate #2, the decision has already been made for you. At that point voting is, at best, symbolic and at worst only enforcing the status quo.

I will vote when I see someone worth voting for.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

Ahhhhh, but you miss that the pendulum will swing back and forth. Clinton was beloved but his attack on gun rights sent the majority a different way. Bush went too far and we are where we are right now.

History will repeat it's self, plus as your generation gets older, they will become more conservative.

Republicans will hold the white house when people have had enough.

The affordable health care act will sour many a moderate voter in the future as will the attack on the second amendment.

You may very well be correct in this.

As far as the vote/not vote thing goes, it's not whether or not people vote or don't vote, it's who they vote for. There are more than just the Republican and the Democrat candidates. We had at least a half dozen third party candidates. Want real change? Stop voting for the same parties.