If you read it in the paper, it must be true, right?
Niki Kelly of the The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette says I run a "liberal" blog.
One of the problems with journalism is not enough column inches for precision. This means oversimplification. One of the problems with human nature and society is that we can't stand gray. Everything MUST be black or white. These two phenomenons merge in the worst way, and as a result, every blogger is either "conservative" or "liberal." Statements you'll never hear in a news story are "He runs a socially liberal, economically conservative DLC-type blog," or "He runs a Republican-leaning, but generally objective centrist blog."
Understand that in my complaint, I don't look at the word "liberal" as evil like the Limbaugh fanatics of the world. I'm not even saying I don't have some traditional "liberal" beliefs. I'm just not sure how I'd fit into the club if I were around actual hard-core liberals.
- Not two weeks ago, I was chastizing the ACLU for not defending the rights of gun owners. Is that liberal?
- I'm not for dismantling our military. I just want it to quit developing and buying weapons systems that no generals recommend just because members of congress live in districts the that make them.
- I'm a strong proponent of competition and open school selection in education. If we REALLY cared about the "underprivileged," we would let parents take their kids wherever they want to go. Instead, we pretend we're saving them by "preserving the system." Have you seen our dropout rates? Have you seen our ISTEP scores? What's worth preserving?!?
This gets me revved up because an anti-choice approach doesn't affect many of the REAL liberals who can afford to send their kids to private schools. In fact, I'd say ANYBODY who has sent their kid to a private school should be automatically disqualified from saying that we must save public schools. I can't think of a more paternalistic and hypocritical position for a progressive to take than to deny to other people's CHILDREN what you gave to your own solely by virtue of a fat wallet.
- I supported Bill Clinton's welfare reform package because I believe dependency can become a culture that is handed down from generation to generation.
- I believe market-based incentives solve more problems efficiently than government regulations (though I certainly see the value of a lot more regulations than "conservatives").
I'm sure this is the tip of the liberal iceberg.
Call your political friends and enemies what you want, but don't act like you don't know deep down that you're being intellectually dishonest in most cases because one size does NOT fit all.
More on the substance of the Gazette story soon. . .
3 comments:
Well, come on, Chris...when you title your blog "Painfully Objective" you're going to invite a whole world of criticism and attempts to paint you into this or that corner. I frankly find the title rather arrogant, as if you're so above the fray of partisan rumble that you can't possibly be pigeon-holed. I will agree that political stance is analog, not digital as we're constantly propagandized.
Positing yourself above and beyond any such categorization is going to invite a level of scrutiny of your postings that might not be present if you had used a less-polarizing term, such as "centrist."
But again, perhaps this is what you were after. Sucks to get what you wish for, eh?
Chris, you sound awfully pleased despite your protestations.
Hey, Dave,
You seem to suggest that I'm being labeled because of the name of my blog, but I wasn't just talking about my blog; I'm talking about ALL blogs. I challenge you to find me a political blog that people don't try to jam into a conservative or liberal box. My point was only that I don't think you can.
I called my blog "painfully objective" because I consistently say things that my own party doesn't like. I fail to see how that's arrogant, unless you're talking about my belief sense that I think I can get away with it without getting ostracized in my own party.
And, Anon 11:54, the bad thing about e-mail is that it doesn't contained tone. That's called being tongue-in-cheek, my friend! I need to learn podcasting, then you'd get me on this.
Have a great weekend!
IPOPA
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