Liberalism in Review

It seems self evident that Liberalism – as distinguished from what remains of the Democratic Party – is actually a belief system rather than any coherent political philosophy. Essentially Liberals believe that Capitalism is evil, that Marxism is good, appeasement of belligerents is the best foreign policy, and America is wrong. This Liberal belief system has been wrong throughout the 20th Century and its fallacious reasoning continues even today, if you doubt these statements let us review some statements and positions taken by well known Liberals.

Robert Heilbroner, the author of “The Worldly Philosophers” made this statement following the collapse of the Soviet Union; “the collapse if the Soviet system, hailed as a victory for human freedom, was also a defeat for human aspirations”. You wonder if the thousands of Ukrainians starved to death by the Communists or the thousands who died in Soviet Labor Camps lament this failure of Marxism to fulfill its Utopian promises. But liberals live in an Orwellian world where facts are ignored or re-interpreted to show that the Liberal position was correct. The New York Times columnist Tom Wicker, following the liberation of Czechoslovakia from the Communist yoke wrote; Freedom is not a panacea; and that communism failed does not make the Western alternative perfect, or even satisfying for millions who live under it”. Presumably it is satisfying enough for Mr. Wicker so that he continues suffering under the yoke of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and capitalism.

But these are just recent views expressed by the denizens of shallow end of the intellectual pool. In 1921 Lincoln Steffens pronounced – after a visit to the Soviet Union, “I have seen the future and it works”. This statement was made during the period of famine and mass murder conducted by the Communists, but then data gathering, analysis, and critical reasoning has never been a hallmark of Liberals, they rely on their fundamental belief in the sanctity of government, the evils of individuality, and the need for people like themselves to rule over everyone else.

However, even as rumors regarding the failures of Communism began to creep out, George Bernard Shaw, spent 10 days in Russia and stated on his return “Russia flaunts her roaring and multiplying factories, her efficient rulers, her atmosphere of such hope and security has never been seen by a civilized country on Earth”. This was a typical statement made by the Western Intellectuals who could never be brought to believe that Communism was a failure and the Soviets were murderers. That disbelief continues even today as Western academics and pseudo-intellectuals like Michael Moore continue to extol the glories of Marxism and the evils of capitalism.

Perhaps the best example of how the Liberal establishment ignores facts and relies on their faith in left wing causes and icons, is the Alger Hiss case in 1947. Hiss was another of the East Coast Patricians who had been educated at Johns Hopkins and Harvard University. He joined the State Department in 1936 and attended the Yalta Conference. He was a leading diplomat but he was also a Soviet Spy, accused by Whitaker Chambers. Chambers was a nobody, a flunky, a common civil servant who accused a darling of the left, Hiss, of being a traitor and part of the spy ring of which Chambers was part. Naturally the left wing media launched into a full scale attack on Chambers, accusing him of being a liar, a spy, and a homosexual. The possibility that Chambers was telling the truth was never even considered.

After a sensational trial that included papers hidden in a pumpkin, Hiss was convicted. However, even after his conviction the liberal press viewed him as a political martyr and not as a convicted spy. It was Chambers who was castigated by the press and it was not until 1995, after the fall of the Soviet Union that papers from the Russian Secret Police revealed that indeed Hiss was a spy. This failure of the liberal press to accept incontrovertible proof that one of their own is an enemy is a vivid example of how the liberal establishment is faith driven and functions independently of facts.

Harry Truman – a Democrat – and perhaps one of the greatest American Presidents had the temerity to view the military expansion of the Soviet Union following WW II as a threat and in response created NATO. As enduring and as important of a deterrent this has been, the “intellectual” elite in 1949 condemned the President as a war monger. These intellectuals included Aaron Copeland, Clifford Odets, Norman Mailer, Arthur Miller, et. al., who accused Truman of “warmongering against the Soviet Union” and that the Truman Administration was comprised of the “enemies of man” and that the Truman policies would lead inevitably into a third world war.

So several things can be drawn from these Liberal attacks on things and people whom they believe do not hold the politically correct views. First, Liberals are not necessarily Democrats and the true Liberal is essentially anti-America, anti-capitalist, and anti-nationalist. Secondly, Liberals cannot be persuaded what ever they believe in is false even when presented with proof. Thirdly, that any action taken to preserve the safety of America is intrinsically wrong because it could cause people to dislike us. And fourthly, socialism and Marxism are superior to any form of government based on capitalism and the Soviet Union’s failure is not significant.