Saturday, February 6, 2010

Political Condescension

In a recent Washington Post edition is contained an article by a right wing professor at the University of Virginia, Gerard Alexander. His article, Why are liberals so Condescending? While his premise is probably correct, i.e. liberals/progressives in the country are now largely dismissive of conservatives--his entire article is falsely argued, because he attempts to blame liberals for everything that is wrong with our current pseudo-political discourse.
Our nation, having suffered through eight years of the most dishonest, and globally destructive administration in the history of the country, is now suffering from a serious hangover effect. It is true that a cat fight better describes political discourse, than older actual policy debate processes.  I had imagined that republicans would have withdrawn a bit, after the Bush period, which almost destroyed us economically (and may yet).  But no, with the help of the Faux News Network, republicans are at the ramparts, attempting to bring down this new president with anything they can throw at him.
Mainly, their strategy seems to be to march in robotic, lock-step fashion, in opposition to anything he proposes--anything. Then they yell about being excluded from the conversation. It is all quite astonishing. I cannot remember seeing anything quite like this display of "NO."
Then there's their Tea Party friends. It's hard to characterize this group. They are on the far right, perhaps borderline anarchic. Even republicans seem a bit dismayed at this currently disorganized bunch, attempting to become organized as . . . as what exactly? A third party? Seems unlikely that. Perhaps a splinter republican group-- a thorn in the side so to speak. And who best represents the teabaggers? Wow, our dear Sarah, former First Barbie of Alaska.  Now that's amazing--a gal who mainly screwed up whatever she touched, and then ran away from her elected job, and is now cashing in on her wild ride--is their political heroine. She will lead them out of the wilderness, or she will lead them even further into an Alaskan outback--whichever comes first. Remember, her husband, the First Dude, has actively lobbied to get Alaska to secede from the Union. And that worked out so well the last time, huh? And this is the group most loved by republicans and their Faux News buddies.
And Professor Alexander wonders why we liberals condescend?
Well, he's perhaps understating the case.  We're not simply condescending. We actively despise the crowd known as conservatives, or Neo-Cons, or whatever they now wish to be named.  Perhaps someday they will rejoin America.

No comments: