I think for the most part, those on the left who first lined up to vote for Mr. "Hope and Change", are, for the most part, pretty pleased with Barry. But there does remain those disappointed few who view the last three years as being a bit of a disappointment. And they say that it just wasn't supposed to go the way it did for liberals like Barry and congressional Democratic leaders. And that just four years after the euphoric 2008 election, and the trumpeting of the era of Reagan finally being over, they seem to have lost control of their two symbolic issues: poverty and gun control. Conservatives are seizing on a new report that poverty is reaching the highest levels since the 1960s-era War on Poverty began and also the lack of calls for gun control following last Friday's mass shooting in a Colorado movie theater showing the new Batman movie. But I don’t see that as being sufficient to make the claim that liberalism is dead or dying.
"Certainly liberalism is dead," says R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., author of a new book, "The Death of Liberalism." But personally, I think for him to make such a proclamation, and especially so confidently, would seem to be more than just a little premature, it's also a bit reckless. Because as much as I would love it to be so, I just don't see it that way. I mean we do have Barry remaining locked in a dead heat race for re-election that he still has a very good chance of pulling out. The Democrats control the Senate and it is far from being a certainly that the Republicans will be able to garner enough seats for themselves this November to gain control. Those who have a tendency to vote for liberals have not decreased in number, and I don't see them as coming to any great revelation that would lead them to vote for Republicans, at least in numbers that can be considered as being substantial. And if liberalism is dead, why do the Clintons remain so wildly popular? Especially Hitlery!
Giddy Conservatives told ‘Washington Secrets’ that the failure of the two crown jewels of liberalism, the ending of poverty and limiting gun ownership, are, in fact, a sign of a political sea change in the nation. What's more, they credit Barry "Almighty" for the shift, noting that since he slapped gun owners in 2008, he has backed away from calling for limits, even during his weekend meeting with the families of the Colorado shooting victims. They also point to the growth of welfare and food stamp usage under Barry. Tyrrell is head cheerleader of the effort to hang the fading of liberal policy on the president, writing in his book that Barry is the "pallbearer" of liberalism. But I fear that Mr. Tyrrell may be putting the cart before the horse, because while Barry may not be openly seeking gun control, he is working under the radar to accomplish that very thing courtesy of the United Nations.
In an interview, Tyrrell, the founder and editor of the conservative American Spectator, suggested that the war on poverty and gun control have failed from a lack of new ideas and misguided focus on side issues. "Consider, there are unprecedented levels of poverty under Obama despite an enormous proportion of the federal programs now being devoted to eliminating poverty and the Messiah simply calls on the electorate to redouble its expenditures--very dramatic!" he told ‘Washington Secrets’ with what’s described as his trademark flair. And, he added, "With roughly 200 million guns loose in the country a maniac commits vast carnage in Colorado and the New York Times, in its headline, claims we are all 'reviving debate' on gun control. We can not even control our borders but somehow we are going to gather up two hundred million guns. As I say liberalism is dead--brain dead and otherwise."
We all have, at one time or another, enjoyed a little fantasy that’s centered around some harmless wishful thinking, but for the most part, we’re smart enough to realize that that’s all it is, just wishful thinking. Now I’m sure Mr. Tyrrell is a very smart guy, but I think that what he’s taking part in here is a little wishful thinking of his own. We, the American people, have allowed liberalism to worm its way farther and farther into our society, like some malignant cancer. And just saying it’s dead, or wishing it so, doesn’t make it a reality. Personally I think liberalism, or progressivism or statism or whatever you wish to call it, is very much alive and will remain so until enough people in this country manage to come to their senses and recognize the fact that to be ‘American’ is to be truly exceptional. We are a unique people, there is no one else quite like us anywhere on the planet. We need to be proud of that fact. We need to relish it! Only then will liberalism be on the way out.
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