Those that see in black and white and ignore the grays make for far easier problem-solving. It is no mystery the Bush ‘03 State of The Union offers to “confound the designs of evil men...our calling,... a blessed country is to make the world better.” It is far simpler to accept the statement at face value than to delve into its grays. A pesky liberal, however, is driven by some weird “noble discontent” and expects clarification: 

Is evil confined to al Qaeda or to all evil men in the “axis” and beyond, which doubtless would include many within our own borders and those of allies? 

Would it not follow, then, that Clinton should have declared a Holy War against Islam after the attack on the trade center in ‘93, or a declaration of war on self-styled militias in the wake of the Oklahoma bombing? In addition the liberal would want to question if the country is blesséd or simply blest with great fortune and therefore share with the world its good graces — in lieu of imposing the status of religious grace upon others and thus a “better world?” 

The conservatives of both parties blindly perceive liberals as having been “against” Medicare “reform” and prescription drugs without regarding the unthinkable-why the liberals would want to forestall what was hailed the largest social program since social security — why, even AARP was for it!

Liberals have never been comfortable with yes/no voting without clarification, such as the resolution to support the war. The handful of liberals in the senate who did vote yes, coupled it with an unheeded qualification that their vote was a strong message to the UN that they move toward stronger sanctions and intensify the hunt for WMD. Somehow in this black and white region this meant a declaration of war against Iraq, not as an ultimatum to the UN. 

In the black and white world of conservatism, the “trickle-down” theory still prevails, especially in light of all the dismal tax cuts. That No-Bid Halliburton is the best company for the job in Iraq is the absolute of the neo-cons, thus closing discussion. Because the Ten Commandments sculpture was ordered out of the Alabama courthouse, since it violates the separation clause, the Supreme Court is now crawling with liberals. Every time the minimum wage is on the floor of congress, the conservatives of both parties cry it will destroy small business; the liberals counter that each time it was increased in the past it had no effect on small business, but a tremendous lift to the workers. The conservative attitude that workers be damned is never reconsidered that workers are also consumers. How many times have the conservatives, despite our being in a state of “war,” urged the common people to go out and spend? Whereas the noisome liberals suggest tokens of sacrifice. 

Reagan democrats ousted Carter for his malaise, preferring the rosy picture of his successor who ignored the energy independence project that Nixon started! That’s another thing conservatives frown on — liberals thinking into the future — unless, of course, it’s neo-cons’ planning a war or tax cuts downwind. 

Dislike for liberals is symbolic of conservatives in both parties lacking vision, and totally bereft of what the concept of a commonwealth is all about by clinging to 19th Century ideology — it is far more important to wave the confederate flag than to wave a ticket to health care to even those waving the symbol; no child left behind means, by God, my child won’t be in virtue of a segregated religious school; “living wage” is there for the taking if “ambitious,” not for the “lazy.” Free trade supplants fair trade in order to suppress wages here. We cannot cut and run from Iraq because it needs our guidance and wealth, though we cut and run from our obligations here all the time. Kucinich is going nowhere because liberals need more time for expounding the gray areas than a nine candidate debate will allow — just as well, who would listen? After all, the conservative drive has successfully convinced the majority that if it holds its breath long enough it too will share in the trickle-down lottery.

 Copyright © 2003 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: December 12, 2003 .