This week, Salon is publishing parts of Joe Conason’s new book "Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propoganda Machine and How it Distorts the Truth." This first article, titled Big Lies, is a basic introduction--his reason for writing the book. One just has to read Conason to know that 1) he knows his stuff; 2) he has an engrossing writing style; and 3) he's fair and balanced. No, truthfully, Conason comes across here as very thoughtful, not like Coulter with her ire and hatred.
I greatly appreciated the focus of Conason's article. Not only does he have a fair definition of liberalism and conservatism, but his list of accomplishments that can be attributed to liberalism is enlightening. Boy, does this need to be spelled out at this dire time.
Conason, as I said before, shows a remarkable sense of depth of knowledge in his insights. He should be thought of as one of the Left's most esteemed voices. He successfully pitched this sale.
The following quote lists all of the achievements attributed to liberal causes:
If your workplace is safe; if your children go to school rather than being forced into labor; if you are paid a living wage, including overtime; if you enjoy a 40-hour week and you are allowed to join a union to protect your rights -- you can thank liberals. If your food is not poisoned and your water is drinkable -- you can thank liberals. If your parents are eligible for Medicare and Social Security, so they can grow old in dignity without bankrupting your family -- you can thank liberals. If our rivers are getting cleaner and our air isn't black with pollution; if our wilderness is protected and our countryside is still green -- you can thank liberals. If people of all races can share the same public facilities; if everyone has the right to vote; if couples fall in love and marry regardless of race; if we have finally begun to transcend a segregated society -- you can thank liberals. Progressive innovations like those and so many others were achieved by long, difficult struggles against entrenched power. What defined conservatism, and conservatives, was their opposition to every one of those advances. The country we know and love today was built by those victories for liberalism -- with the support of the American people.
The following quote is also a noteworthy question/answer explanation of the liberal mindset:
Are liberals unpatriotic, a favorite conservative canard? No. The record of loyalty (and military service) among liberals equals that of conservatives. Do liberals despise the work ethic? No. Liberals defend the interests of working Americans against the fake populism of corporate conservatism. Don't liberals always tax and spend the economy into ruin? No. The numbers prove that liberal Democrats have been the most competent, fiscally trustworthy stewards of the economy for the past seven decades. Aren't liberals determined to restrict freedom in the name of political correctness? No. In fact, liberals have been the most consistent defenders of the Bill of Rights for the past century. Is "liberal" a synonym for "immoral"? No. Liberals do preach less about "family values," but they're just as likely as conservatives to honor those values
