Liberals Are Afraid of Being Called Liberals
Why? They should be proud to be called what they are. Instead ,they hide behind and use the misleading and disingenuous word «Progressive». Most Conservatives are proud to be called Conservative. The Republican Presidential candidates are even arguing about who is most Conservative among them.
I got a kick out of today's Missoulian headline «Progressives take reins of City Council» implying that Progressives made gains on the council. It takes some careful reading of the article to conclude that Conservatives actually gained power on the council. After wading through the breathless reporting and spin of how well the Progressives did, you come to this short paragraph towards the end of the article.
The power base also shifts on the council with the coming of two stronger conservatives in place of two swing voters. Hellegaard takes over in Ward 4 and Renee Mitchell steps in for Jack Reidy in Ward 5, so conservatives look to have locked down those seats. For some, those wins offset the loss in Ward 2.
It should be noted as a significant accomplishment because Missoula is a notoriously Liberal community and for Conservatives to gain power in the city government is a big deal.
UPDATE: More media and blogs celebrating the Progressive victories in Missoula. LITW, New West, 4&20 Blackbirds
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6 comments
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6 comments
1 year and 2 months ago
So, because the newspaper uses the word 'Progressive' it somehow means that liberals are afraid of being called 'Liberals'?
Do I have that right?
Can you explain how you make that connection at all, or is it just the ole liberal media argument?
1 year and 2 months ago
What about folks who are proud to be called either?
1 year and 2 months ago
Show me the council candidates that ran as Liberals. Show me where in the article the word Liberal was used. Show me the Presidential candidate who is a proud and declared Liberal. Kucinich comes to mind.
My point is Liberalism and the use of the word to describe Liberal ideology is a proven loser which is why they have to be phony and use the forward sounding word «Progressive». It's an attempt to hide who they really are.
I say to all Liberal Democrat candidates - be proud and declare your Liberalism! Don't be wimpy and call yourself a Progressive.
1 year and 2 months ago
I would argue that other than Kucinich, and perhaps to a degree Edwards, there are no Liberals running - and I would know; I am happy to call myself one.
1 year and 1 month ago
The word «liberal» has been sheepdipped since the Reagan era - no wonder people run away from it. It's no different than right wingers masquerading as «conservatives».
1 year and 1 month ago
Also, I think you're reading into the conservatives' «victory.» The two conservatives who did win seats were replacing council members who were already conservatives. One because the incumbent was an old crank pretty much everybody hated; the other b/c the incumbent retired.
Meanwhile one seat held by a conservative switched to VERY progressive hands -- Walzer -- who may be the most liberal out of all the council members, while Childers and Rye held on to their seats, and Wiener SLAUGHTERED his socially liberal/fiscally conservative opponent (who happened to be endorsed and funded by the Missoula Co. GOP).
BTW, can anyone tell my why the GOP endorsed Wiener's opponent? I still don't get that. It's not like he would have favored any of their policies or anything, and Wiener has a strong Libertarian streak...
Go figure.
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