I have an op-ed that will run in the Sunday, April 17 print edition of the Washington Post Outlook section. It just went live online so you can get a sneak peak — and share it with your stratosphere.
Here’s the link:
If you like it, share it!
14 Responses to Liberals Pride Themselves On Being Tolerant. Are They Really Just Suckers? [Washington Post]
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Yes liberals are suckers.
Obama is not a sucker. Because Obama is not a liberal. Obama is a corporate shill.
But if you keep voting for Obama because you value his empty words over his clear Bush III agenda, then yes, you are a sucker.
Almost reads like a Haiku. Thanks Tim!
I’m very disappointed with Obama and his administration. With that said, I think Sally Kohn’s comments are spot on. Chris Hedges has also written about the failures of liberals; tolerance to a fault is only one.
Thanks, Stevi!! Yes, Hedges is wonderful on this and more!
At last! A liberal who’s willing to kick a– and take names! Thank you! Getting kicked in the teeth over and over and then bragging about how we lose tolerantly is for – losers. Worse it’s self-indulgent. We can do it because a lot of us are affluent enough not to feel the worst of the pain the Republicans are inflicting on anyone too poor to fight back. We tend to have what you aptly call pribbles more than problems.
A liberal activist in my own field, child welfare, once asked me who we should learn from. I said, immediately, the Republicans. Frank Luntz, for starters. He may be an *evil* genius, but he’s a genius. When we can frame a message as he does, and stick to it with the right’s discipline, then we have a chance to take back the national debate.
I found this site thanks to the Post piece. I’ll keep checking back
–Richard Wexler
Alexandria Va
Thanks Richard!! Appreciate the kind words!
Just read your WP commentary and it was BEAUTIFUL! However, I do not believe that there are really any true politically oriented liberals in Congress – all of the Dems seemed to have converted to the Blue Dogs (what a waste) in the 90′s; so sad. Sally, being a former boxer and a proud and unabashed liberal, I commend you on your criticism of the left in our government these days. Sister, call for action and I’m there with you! Like my trainer used to tell me: “a cut lip heals, your dignity takes longer – so go out there and fight!”
Thanks!! Especially glad to see an actual boxer not take me down on all my borrowed boxing metaphors!! Appreciate it!
As a liberal, I thank you for stating things in such a refreshingly clear fashion. You are absolutely right.
For many many months, I’ve been putting it this way: IT’S A STREETFIGHT, NOT A BOXING MATCH! I’d like someone to shout that in the ear of every Democrat in government until they get it.
On the meme that progressives are bound to lose because they are taken for granted by the right wing of democratic party, what about the Nader candidacy? Practically a huge fail for the left as we ended up with Bush and that would not have happened without Nader draining progressive votes from the Dems. But even worse, in that one case where progressives tried to demonstrate they did not have to go along with the DNC, the DNC did not learn anything. If anything everybody (rightly) took the lesson that progressives mainly stand to throw elections to the repubs if they try to demonstrate to the dems that their votes are not automatically dem.
It seems that we can’t win by supporting a 3rd party candidate and the right-wing dems (and they truely are right wing because the center has moved steadily to the right for 30-40 years) just got a lot more sure that we have zero alternative but to support them.
For an individual like a Clinton or Obama, their surest chance of winning personal victory is to run just to the left of the repubs.
That’s why the repubs coming out with ‘kill medicare’ Ryan plan is a huge win for Obama because anything he says is likely to win the middle against such extremism. but all the dem establishment will do is run to the less-right of the repubs. There does not seem to be any way to kick those guys into sense enuff to understand that they are actively participating in the continuing national shift to the right *unless* they are willing to grow liberal backbones.
This dynamic sucks to the nth degree, but I think progressivism is already long doomed and no way to turn back from inevitable drift to the right in America.
You know what? You and Glenn Beck have the same enemies. What a monumentally stupid tactic in pursuit of your cuase.
Sally,
I understand how you would conceive the logic behind your thesis on ‘liberal suckers’, but I think it’s a bit simple-minded.
Are you really trying to boil the entire healthcare debate, its two years of back-and-forth and 2000 pages of complexities, merely down to the fact liberals are somehow ‘softer’, and that this softness should entirely explain why liberals didn’t get things like the public option? Really?
Remember that the elected officials who crafted this legislation, whether democrat or republican, got into office and got to where they are in life because they busted their butts. A critical part of busting your butt means holding your position when facing adversity, getting what you want from others, and not being spineless in a decisive moment. Based on this, I wouldn’t think congress is the kind of place that attracts spineless suckers, whatever their political stripes may be.
Rahm Emanuel, Peter Orszag, Nancy Pelosi. You think these people got where they are because they’re wuss-bags? Didn’t one of these people threaten opponents with fish heads and locker room altercations?
I will concede that may be there are more liberals out here in America could be softer than our Republican counterparts, but I would bet the elected democrats crafting our laws and policies didn’t get to where they are without a good spine.
Sally, you’re kidding me? Liberals pride themselves on being
tolerant?
When you are done lamenting liberals for criticizing
President Obama, can we discuss some fine quality examples of liberal tolerance?
Specifically, I was hopping we could discuss some quotes made by Bill Maher,
Michael Moore, Ward Churchill, Mike Malloy and/or Charles Barron. Maybe we
could read some of your reader’s responses you’re your article about taxing the
rich. Instead, would you rather discuss why Herman Cain is the better choice for
advancing the cause of the working poor than re-electing President Obama.
Please reply; I am looking forward to an open-minded and tolerant conversation!
I profusely apologize for the grammar errors in my previous
response. I am the product of out-comes based education. I depend too much on
the software’s spell and grammar checker. Please be open-minded and tolerant of
my waywardness!