Slate asks, "If the Ryan Budget is so unpopular, where are the angry liberals?"
If you're expecting today's american liberal to shout down speakers in townhall meetings and flood into the streets demanding evidence of Paul Ryan's citizenship, you're going to be disappointed.
The modern American liberal--like the current American President--isn't the leftist streetfighter the modern American conservative paints her to be. She is a much more moderate, maintenance-minded citizen who pays her taxes, works her job, expects competence from her public officials, and exudes competence in her daily life. She expects other citizens to have the same opportunities she does, and abhors discrimination. She understands that the human services need to be funded even during tough economic times, and understands that America is not inherently righteous, but is capable of setting an exemplary model for other nations by ensuring that it acts in good faith towards its citizens and global neighbors.
The modern American liberal would probably have voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower, and maybe Teddy Roosevelt. The modern American liberal is..well, much more moderate. So if Slate is looking for a reactionary bunch of ideologues willing to burn it all to the ground if they don't get their way, they're going to have be content with the tea party.
The modern American liberal is too busy working to take time off to throw a conniption fit in the street, and is not under the illusion that she is being led by some divine being to restore America to its 'former glory'. She realizes that this idea is a dangerous, growth-stunting fiction, and that America's best days are ahead of us, if we're willing to roll up our sleeves.
If you're expecting today's american liberal to shout down speakers in townhall meetings and flood into the streets demanding evidence of Paul Ryan's citizenship, you're going to be disappointed.
The modern American liberal--like the current American President--isn't the leftist streetfighter the modern American conservative paints her to be. She is a much more moderate, maintenance-minded citizen who pays her taxes, works her job, expects competence from her public officials, and exudes competence in her daily life. She expects other citizens to have the same opportunities she does, and abhors discrimination. She understands that the human services need to be funded even during tough economic times, and understands that America is not inherently righteous, but is capable of setting an exemplary model for other nations by ensuring that it acts in good faith towards its citizens and global neighbors.
The modern American liberal would probably have voted for Dwight D. Eisenhower, and maybe Teddy Roosevelt. The modern American liberal is..well, much more moderate. So if Slate is looking for a reactionary bunch of ideologues willing to burn it all to the ground if they don't get their way, they're going to have be content with the tea party.
The modern American liberal is too busy working to take time off to throw a conniption fit in the street, and is not under the illusion that she is being led by some divine being to restore America to its 'former glory'. She realizes that this idea is a dangerous, growth-stunting fiction, and that America's best days are ahead of us, if we're willing to roll up our sleeves.
god bless Noam Chomsky...
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