image credit: historynet
Dennis Praeger makes the distinction between liberals and the American left:
Liberalism — which was
anti-left, pro-American and deeply committed to the Judeo-Christian foundations
of America; and which regarded the melting pot as the American ideal, fought
for free speech for its opponents, regarded Western civilization as the
greatest moral and artistic human achievement and viewed the celebration of
racial identity as racism — is now affirmed almost exclusively on the right and
among a handful of people who don’t call themselves conservative.
. . .
How are those of us who oppose
left-wing nihilism — there is no other word for an ideology that holds Western
civilization and America’s core values in contempt — supposed to unite with
“educators” who instruct elementary school teachers to cease calling their
students “boys” and “girls” because that implies gender identity? With English
departments that don’t require reading Shakespeare in order to receive a degree
in English? With those who regard virtually every war America has fought as
imperialist and immoral? With those who regard the free market as a form of
oppression? With those who want the state to control as much of American life
as possible? With those who repeatedly tell America and its black minority that
the greatest problems afflicting black Americans are caused by white racism,
“white privilege” and “systemic racism”? With those who think that the nuclear
family ideal is inherently misogynistic and homophobic? With those who hold
that Israel is the villain in the Middle East? With those who claim that the
term “Islamic terrorist” is an expression of religious bigotry?
He
concludes his column by sounding the alarm:
With the defeat of the left in
the last presidential election, the defeat of the left in two-thirds of the
gubernatorial elections and the defeat of the left in a majority of House and
Senate elections, this is likely the last chance liberals, conservatives and
the right have to defeat the American left. But it will not happen until these
groups understand that we are fighting for the survival of America no less than
the Union troops were in the First Civil War.
We
all have family or friends who would identify as classical “liberals.” In my
own family, after years of conversations, several liberal relatives have moved
into the “conservative” column. We also have family or friends who think of
themselves as liberals but who actually fit Praeger’s definition of being on
the American left. So far, conversations with them haven’t made any difference.
Read the rest of Praeger's column here.
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