Well, I'm back in town very briefly. I'm recycling this post from a reply I made to a post over at How to Save the World a few weeks ago. See you in a week.
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There seems to be an analogy between how liberals have treated the
center in America, and how America has treated the impoverished
populations around the world. American liberals have not given the
center what they need rhetorically. American foreign policy has not
given the poor of the world what they need.
American moderates become alienated from the liberal point of view
because they see no American flags on the left. They hear only
criticism of America, and no praise and pride for America. They turn
towards those who offer them those things. They turn, I imagine with
some trepidation, towards the jingoist ultra-patriots of the right.
The poor of the world become alienated from America because they see no
real commitment or compassion from America. They get liberated and left
to fend for themselves; their foreign aid is predicated on their family
planning policies and the corruption of their leaders which is beyond
their control. They turn towards those who offer them education and
money and help on the ground. They turn, again I imagine with some
trepidation, towards the Al Qaedas and Hamases of the world.
We, all people of good will in America, must remember that the world of
ideas is a capitalist world. There is a free market out there, and we
must make our brand of civilization desireable to the undecided if
they're going to buy what we're selling. If that means carying American
flags to our protests, how hard is that? Aren't we out there in support
of traditional American values like democracy, freedom and inclusion?
If that means spending the money we currently spend bombing and
occupying Iraq on on-the-ground, hands-on foreign aid in the desperately
poor areas of the world, how hard is that? We're already spending the
money. Let's spend it on something that will demonstrate our moral
strength over our military strength.
As I've said before, we've got to see the real patterns and
relationships below the surface if we're going to have any hope of
making things better. You can't fix anything until you understand
what's wrong.
11:56:48 PM 
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