Please read this article.
Reading Keith Thompson’s article Leaving the left, that appeared in the May 22 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle saddens me. I advise everyone to read this no matter what your political persuasion. This man not only left his party but his ideology. I hope that I never have to make this decision. Further, I hope that I would have the courage to walk from the Republicans or the “Right” if I ever believe that they no longer stand for the principles that I hold. I disagree with the GOP on a regular basis and feel disappointed at times but to feel politically abandoned must be devastating. I wonder how many people have had to consider this on either side. What issues drive such decisions? Does emerging technology play a role in this process?
5 Comments:
I agree to feel that alienated from your political roots must be difficult to come terms with. Many in the British Labour party feel the
same about the Iraq war, though for the opposite reason.
However, I am yet to be convinced that the politics of Bush and Delay will really achieve his aim of creating "healthy, self-actualizing individuals committed to taking responsibility. "
He praises Brownback for his stand on Human Rights underpinned by his Christian beliefs. But what about those destined to die because American foreign aid is tied to abstinence only policies so can't be given to groups who offer education on contraception?
Spreading freedom is a laudable aim. But does it have to come at the cost of sacrificing other progressive policies such as a more distributive tax regime that cuts taxes for the less well off rather than for the top 1%? I, for one, don't believe it should.
It's certainly a powerful piece, but it ultimately reads like a piece that was primarily intended to convince the author. It's rife with straw-men arguments about the left (does he really think that Jesse Jackson's opinion on Bill Cosby's comments is that of liberals in general?), and contains many Limbaugh-esque caricatures of liberal opinion (I don't know many who actually thought that the Iraqi elections in January were a bad thing, we just questioned whether this was the dawning of a grand new day of peace. And you know what? We were right).
Ultimately, it's pretty clear from reading this piece that this guy is basically a neoconservative, and has been at least since he had his revelation at the dinner party back in the Reagan days. I'm sure he'll be happier being independent of the left; I just wish he could have made more honest arguments in order to convince himself.
I stumbled upon this same article during the weekend. I was impressed to see an article like this printed in a major newspaper. He definitely put himself out there.
You posed the question, “Does emerging technology play a role in this process” of abandoning his party and ideology? I think that in terms of the ease in obtaining information that leads to that decision, absolutely. In terms of the courage it takes to make that decision, I don’t think technology plays a significant role. That kind of decision is totally internal – you know it when you feel it and you just know that it’s right (pardon the pun).
He made great arguments as to why he made the change. They were value judgments.
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One more thing, in response to the comment above about tax breaks. I was the lowest-level supervisor you could find in my last job. I used my tax break from President Bush the past few years to help pay down my personal debt and move out of Florida to go to grad school. When President Clinton was in the White House, I was a full time undergrad at Temple, worked over the summers and winter breaks at McDonald’s, Office Depot, and Toys R Us and I still owed federal taxes.
I’m grateful for the break that I got with the Bush tax cuts. They created a whole new bracket with less tax liability for the financially less-fortunate and increased the tax burden of the wealthy to approximately 80% of the total revenue. I know there’s people better off financially who received more of a break that I did, but if any of them can reinvest in their business and maybe even afford another employee on the payroll, then that’s a good cause.
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