Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The "L" Word

By Alan Caruba

It’s a very curious phenomenon, but I have been aware of it for quite a while. It is when a liberal insists that they are actually a conservative.

I have any number of friends and relatives who are pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, favor amnesty for illegal aliens and opening the borders to more immigration. They tend to think President Obama walks on water and they often vehemently insist that they are conservatives.

I can remember when the very word “liberal” was turned into a label that people wanted to shun. It became the “L” word and, soon enough, we had no liberals among us, but lots of “progressives.”

The Republican Party is said to be in shambles, unable to elect a candidate even to a safe seat in New York State, but contrast that with folks in Minnesota who have elected a former comedian and failed liberal radio host, Al Franken, to be a United States Senator. Barring a court reversal, we shall all be saying “Senator Franken” as if this worst of all jokes makes any sense.

Democrats are now the proud owners of a three trillion dollar budget in a time of economic distress when by any rule of common sense the government should be looking to spend less, borrow less, cut taxes, and restore the value of the U.S. dollar.

Regarding the budget, Ronald Reagan said, “The size of the federal budget is not an appropriate barometer of social conscience or charitable concern.” That, however, is exactly how liberals see it.

That’s why the Democrat-controlled Congress could send President Obama a so-called “stimulus” bill with 9,000 pet projects—earmarks—and he would sign it with the claim that, though “imperfect”, it would improve the economy.

This runs contrary to the conservative belief that allowing that money to remain in the pockets of taxpayers to pay mortgages, send kids to college, and maybe buy a new car is a better idea.

So I say to the Republican Party and fellow Stone Age conservatives—take heart!

What goes around, comes around, and what is coming around is massive unemployment such as this nation has not seen since the 1930s in the depths of the Great Depression. What’s coming is an object lesson in what happens when the government tries to run automobile companies, insurance companies, and banks.

It has been in charge of Amtrak since 1971 and has never turned a profit in all that time. Some will argue that people simply didn’t want to use mass transit, preferred to fly or drive, but I would suggest that Amtrak is the perfect example of an idea that sounded good at the time, but which ignored reality. Rail is great for moving freight, but its time for people-moving for anything other than a commuter route has passed.

Another strange liberal notion is their disdain for “the rich” and their distrust of all corporations right up to the moment they start laying off employees or are forced to close their doors thanks to bad government policies such as increasing taxes in hard times or imposing endless “environmental” and other regulations.

The liberals have spoken! Just barely over half the voters have elected a candidate who won’t release his birth certificate or any other information about himself beyond the two biographical books he has written.

They’ve elected a man whose friends come out the most corrupt political machine in the nation.

They’ve elected a man who attended a church whose pastor said “G-d damn America!”

He’s appointed the most clueless cabinet of department secretaries seen in a very long time. His Vice Presidential choice recently required a "Sixty Minutes" fawning makeover to make him look less gaffe-prone. Fortunately for him, Janet Napolitano of Homeland Security has taken over that task.

Obama cannot deliver a ten minute speech without a TelePrompter. His answers to reporters questions often wander around for twice that amount of time.

Imagine how thrilled the networks are that Obama wants a third primetime press conference in as many months!

And now we have liberals who insist that they are, in fact, conservatives. However, they have really big hearts that bleed for captured terrorists, that care for illegal aliens, and that favor unions that destroy industries. They want to take everyone's guns away in order to cut crime.

They are liberals who are convinced that “global warming” is the reason for everything from obesity to hurricanes. They neither know, nor understand climate science. It will be, however, “global warming” that the White House and Congress will use to justify the imposition of “cap and trade” legislation allegedly to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the use of the energy the nation requires.

Liberals will applaud this vain, self-destructive, witless assertion that the United States alone can change or even bother to change the climate.

It will be the exercise of political power that will prove the undoing of liberals. It just comes down to how much pain liberals will endure before even they change their minds.

The first glimmer of reality was seen with the April 15 “Tea Parties” coast to coast. The current reality is seen in the public’s reaction to the swine flu threat roiling out of Mexico.

No matter how much spin the White House and its lapdog mainstream media put on these and other events, those in power will have it taken from them.

7 comments:

Brian G Valentine said...

Well, now the L's can cheerfully count the inimitable, Arlen Spector, among their own!

HA HA HA he did this to salvage a failed career in the Senate and instead of grabbing a life jacket before his ship sank he has now tied two anvils around his neck.

Guy said...

I was reading a blog today about the demise of Pontiac. Some lib posted a comment gloating about how wonderful it was that our auto companies were failing. They're "getting what they deserve" he said. Then, he went on to gloat about how the number of Conservatives is shrinking, and the number of Liberals is growing, as if that trend somehow validates their warped philosophies. What a moron. I reminded him that support for Hitler also grew very quickly, and that every year, thousands of Lemmings hurl themselves off cliffs, following the ones in front of them. I don't know about you, but I've never been much of a follower, and I've never been impressed by one either. I seriously doubt that I got through to him though ...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again .... the faster, the more outrageous, and the more radical this swing to the left is, the better, because it's bound to backfire and blow up in their face. It's the slow insidious attacks on conservatism and our Constitution that I fear the most. We've been the proverbial "frog in the pot" for a long time now, and maybe, just maybe, if they turn up the heat too fast, we'll wake up and escape the pot before it's too late....

Carolyn said...

Hi Mr. Caruba. I imagine that when all the stupid things that this administration and congress pass fails- they will still blame Bush. I find it kind of interesting to see the incredible amount of hipocracy on the part of many er, progressives, yet they are blinded to it. God Bless!

Guy said...

Oh, and while we're on the subject of Al Franken ....

Electing that nutcase is a clear indication of how little respect the left has for our country and our government. While I certainly understand people's frustration with many elements of our present government, giving an idiot like Al Franken a Senate seat just to make a point is not only foolish, it borders on treasonous. Minnesota voters have a reputation for, shall we say, unusual candidates, but even having Franken on the ballot defies all reason. I'm left wondering just how many people actually thought he'd make a good Senator, how many voted for him just to oust a republican, and how many people are just too stupid to realize who he really is. Then of course, there are always the votes of questionable origin ...

Regardless, I just had to get my two-cents worth in on the supposed election of this guy. A comedian ... what will they think of next?

libertyforusa said...

Can you imagine a conservative insisting they were a liberal? Not the "classic liberal" but liberal in the context of the characters you refer to. Those that have a never ending supply of "imbalances that they alone were put on earth to "rectify"! Using other peoples money to "correct" them of course.
It is the old case of the emperors clothes, when they cannot even see themselves for who they truly are, and yet here we are finding ourselves being crushed by one irrational decision after another dictated by them.
The "L" of course could also stand for "liar", but we do get that from both sides. The only real difference is those lies are sanctioned as "worldly wisdom" by the media when the left originates them.
Of course we are all getting the royal "L" branded on our foreheads if the real "L's" don't wake up soon and realize that their country was just bartered away in exchange for a few beads and trinkets called "hope" and "change"!

Anonymous said...

The rail system in many countries has not kept pace with the public's needs, expectations and desires. It has a very faded image and is like a hotch-potch patchwork quilt as various attempts to 'modernise' track, carriage and service.
For the most part it is slow,uncomfortable and expensive; it suffers from a major image problem, too.
What is required is massive, new investment of the magnitude and vision that was responsible for the explosion of track laying and engine building to accomodate the 1800s industrial growth.
France started work on the TGV system in the mid 70s and from its inauguration in 1981 when 1.26 million passengers rode it, the figure by 2005 was 94 million passengers.
The facts are that passengers like the TGV concept because it is fast (can average 120MPH), comfortable, efficient, can beat the airoplane on some routes and has an excellent image. Power comes from the nation's extensive - 80% - nuclear grid. What is more this system is spreading and connectiong throughout northern Europe because it offers a means of travel which is unsurpassed; the mode of travel of chioce for growing numbers. It must be said, though, that the French service is heavily subsidised by the State.
Thats fine for Europe.
For America, because of the much greater distances involved, I think it should jump over the TGV concept to the next level of rail technology - the Maglev system - particularly for passenger service (travelling at +300MPH).
The investment involved in the TGV will pale in comparison to a nation-wide Maglev investment - and the system is well proven; but then again, how many trillions of $s have gone into the ongoing financial black hole and how much of that is accountable and will serve the average family?
With America's infrastructure creaking like an aged Model'T' someone is needed with enough foresight and courage to set things 'in train'.
Now, who could that be?

Brian G Valentine said...

Obama and his squad are so far to the left the word "liberal" doesn't even apply to them.

Calling Obama a "liberal" is like calling Dan Ortega of Nicaragua a "liberal."