Liberalism is Dead--Long Live Liberalism

There was a time when liberalism meant that regardless of the consequences, these folks would stand up for what is right.

Somewhere along the line, it got bastardized and eventually evolved into the poor excuse for an ideology we have today. A great example can be found here.

That's not to say that the old type of liberalism is completely gone, it lives in some such as Christopher Hitchens and to a smaller extent Joe Lieberman.

Today we have the neoliberals. You can spot a neoliberal by these telltale signs:

An unflinching hatred of George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, etc. Watch a neoliberalhenever W is shown on TV--they actually develop a tic and get a crazy-assed look in their eyes. Kind of like Pavlovs dogs at the sound of the bell. They go insane.

Depending on the company they are in, they may suffer from symptoms that look alot like those associated with Tourette's Syndrome. They'll uncontrollably start saying things like "Bush is a new Hitler" or "It's all for the oil" or my personal favorite: "He was selected and not elected".

If you ever observe this, turn off the TV, sing a few stanzas of John Lennon's 'Give Peace a Chance' and give the afflicted a copy of the NY Times. It doesn't even have to be a recent version, just the feel of the Times should calm them enough to get them normal. Please don't equate normal with rational, as a neoliberals state of normal is not the same as a sane person.

The next sign that you may be dealing with a neoliberal is by listening to what they say. If they say a sentence that is verbatim from something posted at Kos or Atrios, you are dealing with a neoliberal. Be warned, never, ever say anything about all 16 candidates that Kos supported losing in the last elections. You have been warned and ER is not responsible for the consequences should you not take my advice.

Lastly, a neoliberal can be spotted by how they view situations such as these two:

Let's say you have a culture that believes in murdering peaceful members of society with mashetes and beheadings, force their women to wear head to toe coverings, blame the woman if she is raped, perform genital mutilation of teenage girls and bomb and burn innocents in churches and synagogues.

The neoliberals reaction will be either:

A) Stony silence or mumbling about "root causes". The reaction will never be one of horror or concern.

B) They will spew forth drivel about Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and the "rounding up of Muslims". This will usually be said in the nation that was home to to the majority of the terrorists who killed 3,000 people on 9/11/01.

Situation #2: A collection of cartoons of the Muslim Prophet are drawn five months ago and the Muslim world is inflamed by these pictures and some known fakes. They proceed to burn sovereign territory, kill each other and kill members of a different religion burning their churches and hacking them to death. Some papers have the balls to run the pictures as well as many alternative news sites. The big liberal media refuses out of fear.

The neoliberals reaction will be:

A) Stony silence and weak mumbling about "freedom of speech, BUT..."

B) Outrage at the nation whose artists drew the pictures and screams for an apology

C) They will spew forth drivel about Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and the "rounding up of Muslims". This will usually be said in the nation that was home to to the majority of the terrorists who killed 3,000 people on 9/11/01.

Situation #3: A president of a nation that was attacked resulting in the death of 3,000 citizens decides to attack a nation that we were still technically at war with and had a leader who ruled by terror, rape and imprisonment of children. The actions set forth by said president have resulted in three elctions, a new constitution and the imprisonment and trial of the ruthless leader.

The neoliberals reaction will be:

A) Marching and protesting holding signs such as "Bush=Hitler" or ones even scarier and inane

B) Carping about the rights of terrorists who have pledged death to our country

C) Incessant whining about eavesdropping on phone calls between known terrorists and their benefactors in the US.

So you see, it's fairly easy to spot these neoliberals.

In conclusion; neoliberalism rules the left and paleoliberalism is dead.

Update: The American Digest has thoughts along these lines as well--The Poster Child For Pap