The way the word "liberal" has been used in this campaign, you'd think it was on George Carlin's list of dirty words. When George Bush labels Dukakis a "card-carrying member of the ACLU" (but never mentions his own carried card for the NRA), one can hear the spittle and venom in the syllables. Does the word mean something so horrible that children shouldn't hear it and have their mouths washed out if they say it?
What's so bad about being a liberal? During the first debate I wish Dukakis had turned to Bush whenever Bush spouted his nonsense about the ACLU and liberalism and said, "What's wrong with being liberal? If my positions mean I'm liberal, then I'm glad I've got the label. Universal health care: if that's a liberal position, then I can assume that the conservative position is that everyone gets the health care they can pay for - if they happen to have insurance or a VISA card. Housing: if more accessible housing is a liberal idea, then I can assume that the conservative position is that everyone gets the housing they can afford, if they can afford any at all. Defense: if a non- corrupt streamlined military, backed by an increased use of diplomacy, is a liberal position, then I can assume that warmongering and shooting before asking questions is a conservative position." Put like this, people would clearly prefer being "liberal"; it would put them in touch with their better impulses and re-connect them with their political heritage of freedom and equality (or, in the garbled Pledge of Allegiance recited by George Bush, "with freedom and justice for all").
Jesse Jackson is probably the loudest liberal voice in established politics today. The reason Jesse Jackson scared some people was not because he was black or radical but because he made sense. The American people, having been fed over the years a steady diet of smoke, mirrors, shadows, and chicanery (under the guise of "the electoral process") were suddenly confronted with someone who respected them enough to shake them out of their induced hypnosis. Dukakis should learn from this, that people do really want to hear the truth, and that that truth is a "liberal" truth, one that respects individuality, sees government as a necessary player in the game, and wishes to revive people rather than protect the perquisites of business and the military.
I suppose it's a left-handed compliment from Bush to be called a liberal. After all, if anyone ever accused someone of being a "card-carrying member of the Republican party," they'd be laughed out of the hall. Being a liberal still has the power to make people take notice, stir up the juices, even if in ridicule. It is certainly something to be proud of.
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Just Say No To This Drug Bill