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The New Liberal Army
...fighting on for the future of another America...
Created on 2004-11-04 05:11:53 (#5034240), last updated 2008-09-24
779 comments received
Basic Account [Gift]
254 Journal Entries, 6 Tags, 0 Memories, 0 Virtual Gifts, 0 Userpics
Basic Info| Location: | United States |
|---|---|
| Membership: | Open |
| Posting Access: | All Members |
AboutThis is a community formed on November 3, 2004. This community has been formed by those of us who finally can accept the truth- that America is in a culture war, and the state of American politics is a concretization of this war. The Bush 2004 victory has sent a message to us. This message was clear- in this America, style reigns over substance, assertions reign over conclusions, fear reigns over hope, and those of a questioning, discerning, or contrarian nature are unwelcome.
This America is the one where Toby Keith sells records by demeaning American diversity and our President is elected based on how homey his wife is.
But, that America isn't the only one. There is another America that cherishes skepticism, questioning, and reason. There is an America of nuanced stances. There is an America of true freedom, not just freedom if you have the right sexual orientation or if you accept the media product given to you. That other America is the America of punk rock and Bill Hicks. It is the America that contains the growing voices of an increasingly vocal group- the new liberals. These are people who, often galvanized by the Bush 2000 victory, have finally declared that they will not be fooled again and who will accept that American politics is fundamentally a war fought through the media and who take upon themselves the responsibility to make a difference in that war. The fate of this other America hangs in the balance, and this is why the new liberal fights.
Fundamentally, this group is dedicated to increasing successes through the applied tactic of DIY punditry. One of the great weapons of the conservative machine is its combination punch of talking heads who have, for well over a decade, erected the great straw man they call "The Liberal" and then knock him down at every chance. This epistemological mugging has brought many to the side of the conservatives by making conservative attitudes seem erudite and savvy. Our goal is to fight, topple, and destroy the mainstream attitude that these charlatans have created, and we will do so with all of the honesty and clarity of thought we can muster. The DIY pundit is the single operative, always looking for a new opportunity to bring new liberal attitudes to the media.
Finally, this group rejects much of the traditional ways of the Democratic party. The term "new" in "new liberal" is to make something clear-- right now, the Democratic party cannot win. They lose because they spinelessly refuse to engage the opposition. Soft, peripheral thinking and relativistic attitudes that seek to embrace those across the spectrum are not the future, since the enemy has made it clear that it is the arrow, not the olive branch, that defines this dialogue. The new liberal is a person of principle who reaches his or her opinions based on close scrutiny of the evidence available and who, standing up for the liberal principles so needed in this fight, accepts that unity may not be universally possible even though respect is.
This group's ultimate purpose is to provide a place for these feisty "counter punchers" of the left to crack their knuckles and start taking a swing. Post here ideas of ways to take the struggle to the local community. Bring the talking points here so that the message can be developed. Post links from news sources for discussion. Help us load our arsenal so that every one of us can go out, as a DIY Pundit, and make sure that when the ballot boxes come back in two years, that our message has been louder than ever before.
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the New Liberal Army.
This America is the one where Toby Keith sells records by demeaning American diversity and our President is elected based on how homey his wife is.
But, that America isn't the only one. There is another America that cherishes skepticism, questioning, and reason. There is an America of nuanced stances. There is an America of true freedom, not just freedom if you have the right sexual orientation or if you accept the media product given to you. That other America is the America of punk rock and Bill Hicks. It is the America that contains the growing voices of an increasingly vocal group- the new liberals. These are people who, often galvanized by the Bush 2000 victory, have finally declared that they will not be fooled again and who will accept that American politics is fundamentally a war fought through the media and who take upon themselves the responsibility to make a difference in that war. The fate of this other America hangs in the balance, and this is why the new liberal fights.
Fundamentally, this group is dedicated to increasing successes through the applied tactic of DIY punditry. One of the great weapons of the conservative machine is its combination punch of talking heads who have, for well over a decade, erected the great straw man they call "The Liberal" and then knock him down at every chance. This epistemological mugging has brought many to the side of the conservatives by making conservative attitudes seem erudite and savvy. Our goal is to fight, topple, and destroy the mainstream attitude that these charlatans have created, and we will do so with all of the honesty and clarity of thought we can muster. The DIY pundit is the single operative, always looking for a new opportunity to bring new liberal attitudes to the media.
Finally, this group rejects much of the traditional ways of the Democratic party. The term "new" in "new liberal" is to make something clear-- right now, the Democratic party cannot win. They lose because they spinelessly refuse to engage the opposition. Soft, peripheral thinking and relativistic attitudes that seek to embrace those across the spectrum are not the future, since the enemy has made it clear that it is the arrow, not the olive branch, that defines this dialogue. The new liberal is a person of principle who reaches his or her opinions based on close scrutiny of the evidence available and who, standing up for the liberal principles so needed in this fight, accepts that unity may not be universally possible even though respect is.
This group's ultimate purpose is to provide a place for these feisty "counter punchers" of the left to crack their knuckles and start taking a swing. Post here ideas of ways to take the struggle to the local community. Bring the talking points here so that the message can be developed. Post links from news sources for discussion. Help us load our arsenal so that every one of us can go out, as a DIY Pundit, and make sure that when the ballot boxes come back in two years, that our message has been louder than ever before.
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the New Liberal Army.
Group links (get your talking points):
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abortion, aclu, america, american politics, bush, current events, democrat, diy punditry, dlc, dnc, domestic policy, economics, feminism, foreign policy, gay pride, international politics, iraq, left, leftist, liberal, liberalism, medicinal marijuana, minorities, news, politics, poverty, pro-choice, pundit, satire, supreme court, terrorism, universal health care, war in iraq, war on drugs, war on terror
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Members (113):
2bejoo, 6_bleen_7, _atgunpoint, agnosticoracle, agrathea, alchemi, alicetiara, andrew083, andrewcarr, androgy8, angrybeaverclub, arasay, arimle, asturiana, auntysocial, azul_ros, bassplayer777, bayushi, bishop6042, brian_dare, c4bl3fl4m3, cadona, calliedreams, ceelove, clearbluelou, clos800, crs, curiouscliche, dagusgus, dark_druid, deadrelatives, dianawolf, diconcious, diconscious, disconscious, echomoontide, ericaceous, fierce_rabbit, flickad, freeimprov, frolicsome, georgiamagnolia, glamazonwarrior, goodguygrady, gregorysparr, hah424, hyounpark, idlegypsy, imyourbob, inki, insertnamehere2, intrepidly, izzard_lover, jamaesi, jamieism, jillbertini, jmirko, karice, knihm, kofuckinge, kristenny, l_avironeuse, liberal_ks_girl, lily_a_go_go, liveavatar, lothie, lullabypit, maisimai, merenwentari, misoconfused, misslam2u, misstoodles, my_left_sock, nancyblue, netgoth, orb8, otterpoppy, polydad, prosphoros, purejuice, quack, queenbritta, raptorboy, roadriverrail, scarlete, schweah, scoop51, scottmkeen, secretpuppetman, serolynne, she_evolves, shewolfs_immram, smartenup, sparkle_goth, sweet_byrd, tagabukid2003, telemakh0s, the_hueman, thefortunateson, tossedsaladman, treacerbullet, twon, twotoedsloth, umiliana, unravelme1, unseelie_fae, untoldthings, vagal_nerve, vans28, varjosusi, voiceofdissent, voicetrack, xamses
Watched by (75):
2bejoo, 6_bleen_7, agnosticoracle, alchemi, angrybeaverclub, auntysocial, azul_ros, azurecobalt, bassplayer777, bayushi, brian_dare, cadona, ceelove, clearbluelou, crm17, crs, curiouscliche, dagusgus, diconcious, distantcity, echomoontide, ericaceous, fierce_rabbit, freeimprov, frolicsome, gaityr, georgiamagnolia, glamazonwarrior, goodguygrady, hah424, idlegypsy, imyourbob, inki, insertnamehere2, intrepidly, izzard_lover, jamaesi, jillbertini, jmirko, kristenny, liberal_ks_girl, lily_a_go_go, liveavatar, lothie, maisimai, mavienoir, mike1thinks, misslam2u, moominmolly, nancyblue, orb8, polydad, prosphoros, queenbritta, roadriverrail, sarahkat, schweah, scottmkeen, she_evolves, shewolfs_immram, smartenup, sparkle_goth, tagabukid2003, telemakh0s, the_hueman, timaeus1138, treacerbullet, twon, umiliana, unravelme1, unseelie_fae, varjosusi, voiceofdissent, voicetrack, xamses
