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Title: Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America
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Manufacturer: Viking Adult
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| Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Viking Adult Boosting the Popularity of Liberalism Amid Unfriendly Fire from the Media | Having just read the determined viewpoint of Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large for National Review Online, in his provocative Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning, I looked forward to reading about the other end of the spectrum when it comes to the current state of liberalism. Eric Alterman, columnist for The Nation, clearly and incisively examines the distortion of the liberal agenda without coming across as an extremist. No small feat. Like Goldberg, he is a pragmatic patriot and provides extensive research to support his findings. However, the key difference is that Alterman does not put himself out on a shaky limb as Goldberg does. The conservative pundit contends that motivations which appear the same on the surface lead to the same ideologies and attempts to connect fascism and liberalism in that manner. That's a shaky if intriguing proposition at best. On the other hand, Alterman writes about how the mainstream media have portrayed liberals as hesitant thinkers who can only deal with shades of gray on any issue.
Toward that end, the author shows how conservatives have managed to nudge the media to the right and define liberals in the press with a sometimes overwhelming bias. In response, liberals have stood back while conservatives have attacked through right-wing think tanks, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and their ilk. Alterman points out how a strong majority of cable news anchors lean discernibly to the right - on one side are the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto, Brit Hume, Charles Gibson, and Tucker Carlson, while Keith Olbermann represents the lone liberal voice. Even Larry King and Chris Matthews, who are perceived by many to be liberals, reflect a more moderate view. One typical example of this bias was the derisive on-air comment Rush Limbaugh made right after the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech: "This guy had to be a liberal. You start railing against the rich and all this other stuff - this guy's a liberal...so it's a liberal that committed this act." Alterman sees the fallout of such a shocking remark as more reflective of the fact that Americans have a liberal consciousness despite all the excessive rhetoric about America moving markedly to the right.
He supports his claim with a 2007 Pew Research Center study which consolidated feedback to opinion polls for the last few decades. Findings appear to back up Alterman's points. Seventy percent of respondents feel the government has a responsibility to take care of people unable to take care of themselves. Government-funded health insurance for all citizens was favored by over two-thirds of the respondents, approximately the same percentage who feels corporations have become too powerful and overly focused on their profit margins at a cost to the shareholders and customers. Over four out of five feel we need to be greener and more focused on ensuring protective measures for the environment. Consequently, the tide of opinion is there, says Alterman, but then the challenge becomes translating this inchoate mass of left-leaning public sentiment into a political movement that can be mobilized effectively.
However, the term "liberal" has become a dirty word, as only a minority of liberals identify themselves as such without trepidation. It has become a pervasive identity problem as conservatives have commandeered the word and made it more malleable than it really is. Conservatives identify themselves in clear, black-and-white terms, while they let liberals drown in a morass of misconceptions. In his penetrating study of the power of words and images, Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate--The Essential Guide for Progressives, linguistics expert George Lakoff identified the conservatives' penchant for connecting family and nation and how such images are divided along party lines. Conservative Republicans follow a strict, discipline-wielding father model, while liberal Democrats share a more protective model of sharing. Along similar lines in his book, Alterman feels it's a lot easier to be a conservative today and let liberals disguise themselves as "progressives". He vehemently opposes this because he knows it's about branding and consistency when it comes to providing value on the political landscape. Alterman makes a strong case for being proud to be a liberal during a most politically inopportune time, and his passion is quite contagious. | | Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Viking Adult A curious title | Eric Alterman's "Why We're Liberals", is a thoughtful if overly dry book about liberalism in America today. It has some merit, much to the author's credit. For a generation, the right has pounded the left to the point where "liberal" is one of those four-letter words, and then some. Alterman reminds the reader that until liberals stand up and defend that term, (politicians especially) we're not going to move very far.
Much of the book has little to do with why so many of us are liberals, but rather focuses in on how conservatives view liberals and how they go about their mischievous deeds with inaccuracies that go beyond the pale. Alterman does a good job in citing quotations to that end and indeed that is his finest contribution. But he also has a proclivity to sink into polls and other factual numbers that don't elevate what should be a terrific exposé of the right wing. When speaking of Maureen Dowd he quotes a journalist as saying that "she's a liberal by default". Given Alterman's fixation on non-liberal thinking I felt myself in exactly the same position....liberal by default.
Alterman concludes with a terrific last few pages about why we are liberals. I wish I had seen more evidence throughout his book regarding the positive aspects of being on the left, but for those who want some comfort food, "Why We're Liberals" will provide some snacking along the way. | | Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Viking Adult short and sweet | | I just want to say... why can't people just tell me if the book is good, instead of being literary critics. | | Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Viking Adult Standing up for the Silenced Majority | Republicans have devoted a lot of resources to the smearing of liberals, but Eric Alterman is not going to let them get away with it. He has a mission to correct misconceptions spewed by conservatives and regurgitated by mainstream media. His well-researched Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America is chock-full of the staggering statistics, rational reasoning, and liberal principles that are under-represented - and sometimes completely absent - in the so-called "liberal media." This history of liberalism is an opportunity for young progressives to read about a time when liberalism was unbelievably popular, and to discover the origins of stereotypes that plague modern liberalism, many of which are baseless.
In chapters like "Why Do Liberals Hate Patriotism?", "Why Do Liberals Hate Religion?" and "Why Are Liberals Such Wimps?", Alterman attacks the assumptions that liberals are "soft" on national defense and crime and rejects the nonsensical labels - like "elitist," "tax-and-spend," and "anti-family" - that form the modern liberal public relations crisis. While any self-described liberal should realize the ridiculousness of these accusations, many are treated as fact by both conservative and moderate pundits and media sources. Proud liberals may feel the book is preaching to the choir, but as the old saying goes, "That's how you make them sing." Liberals have a lot of singing to do if they want to reclaim their good name, and provide the logic and compassion America needs to fight the reactionary politics and religious fundamentalism offered by conservatives.
Alterman insists that liberals have a unique opportunity at this particular moment, and also acknowledges the difficulties we face. He has no problem with telling liberals what they're doing wrong, and he makes some interesting suggestions for politicians and pundits in the wake of the utter catastrophe of the Bush regime. Some of his ideas are already being used by prominent Democrats; however, other ideas of his walk a fine line between pragmatism and abandoning liberal ideals. Alterman does not want liberals to make the same mistakes they have made in the past - a logical, if somewhat bloodless stance.
The most inspiring part of Why We're Liberals may be the argument that a supermajority of Americans hold liberal viewpoints, but do not call themselves liberals. In his conclusion, Alterman writes: "...most Americans are indeed liberals. They'd prefer to live in a society with increased equality of opportunity; greater access to health care for all; a more equitable system of taxation; a healthier respect for the environment; and a less belligerent and more cooperative foreign policy." If liberals are in fact a silent majority, it is time for us to demand the representation we deserve. | | Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Viking Adult Great guidebook defending the liberal position | Not since Joe Conason's "Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How it Distorts the Truth" have I found such a wonderful guidebook defending the liberal/progressive ideology while simoultaneously revealing the myths and lies of the republicans for what they are. For decades now, the republicans have systematically associated the "liberal" label with any number of negative stereotypes in the minds of the American people. Their smear campaign against liberals has become so successful that even the most liberal of politicians now shies away from the word for fear of it sinking their political career. Thanks to right-wing politicians and the Punditocracy, Americans have come to associate "liberal" with permissive attitudes, spendthrift "tax and spend" fiscal policies, elitism, political correctness, immorality, socialism, communism, and even treason.
And yet, as both this book and Conason's "Big Lies" point out, polls consistently show that a "supermajority" of Americans take the liberal position on almost every issue. America is liberal, it just doesn't realize it.
This book is actually very similar to "Big Lies" and makes almost all of the same arguments. It's better than Conason's earlier book, however, because the references are more up-to-date. ("Big Lies" was published in 2002.) I'd recommend either book - preferably this one - to any liberal seeking verbal ammunition in his/her arguments with republicans. Let Alterman's "Why We're Liberals" (or Joe Conason's "Big Lies") serve as your Liberal Bible: read it, re-read it, memorize what you can, and the next time a republican tries to trounce you with one of those bogus liberal stereotypes, you can fight back. The Right may have won the victory of semantics - successfully making "liberal" a dirty word - but we continue to win the war of ideology, because most Americans DO agree with our positions. We just have to effectively show them we stand for what they, too, stand for.
| | Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America by Viking Adult Product Description | The bestselling author demolishes myths about liberalism in a spirited polemic
Thanks to the machinations of the right, there is no dirtier word in American politics today than “liberal”—yet public opinion polls consistently show that the majority of Americans hold liberal views on everything from health care to foreign policy. In this feisty, accessible primer, bestselling author Eric Alterman sets out to restore liberalism to its rightful honored place in our political life as the politics of America’s everyday citizens.
In Why We’re Liberals Alterman examines liberalism’s development and demonstrates how its partisans have come to represent not just the mainstream, but also the majority of Americans today. In a crisply argued though extensively documented counterattack on right-wing spin and misinformation, Alterman briskly disposes of such canards as “Liberals Hate God” and “Liberals Are Soft on Terrorism,” reclaiming liberalism from the false definitions foisted upon it by the right and repeated everywhere else. Why We’re Liberals brings clarity and perspective to what has often been a one-sided debate for nothing less than the heart and soul of America. Why We’re Liberals is the perfect election-year book for all of those ready to fight back against the conservative mud-slinging machine and claim their voice in the political debate. |
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