Dionne mentions "an observation so priceless that it needs to be widely shared," and I quite agree, especially in view of my preceding post about liberals' rather disagreeable need to be wooed, pampered, implored and downright smothered in theatrical come-hither looks before they'll bother with saving even themselves.
So, it's share time. Dionne notes that he "was talking with an old friend who is with one of the nonpartisan polling outfits"--or, a friend who is one with nonpartisan polling--whereupon came this priceless observation:
When you give conservatives bad news in your polls, they want to kill you. When you give liberals bad news in your polls, they want to kill themselves.
I suppose one could choose to find charm in this liberal failing. I suspect, rather, that it's merely liberals' oddly hangdog inclination to accept the earthly realities of math and science as metaphysically sacred, whereas today's conservatives see math and science only as metaphysical opportunities of earthly manipulation.
At any rate, Dionne's pollster hit on what's often a decisive distinction: When the going gets tough, conservatives get feral, and liberals go fetal.
PM, was it George Bernard Shaw that said that History is made by unreasonable men? Or something like that? Well, unreasonable men are not plagued by doubt, but rather, themselves are fetuses wrapped in placental covers of certainty. When certainty is your guiding principle, there is nothing to hold you back. Unthinking, blind certainty that the world is flat and that humankind began with Adam and Eve, and that we must go to war with Iran and cut taxes for the rich and that Obama is a socialist, Kenyan, Muslim, and that global warming is a hoax...etc. Intelligence and doubt are sometimes our own worst enemies. These are things our right-wing friends are blessedly without. You're a literature buff, so here's the analogy: Obama as Lord Jim, and Mittster as the hungry, dirty, desperate scoundrel that knocks him down.
Posted by: Melsouza | October 10, 2012 at 08:53 AM
I was out too late last night and am breaking my rule of not commenting until the second cup of coffee. So, one more time ...
Over/Under = Obama 6%
Posted by: Robert Lipscomb | October 10, 2012 at 09:13 AM
Big fan, love your writing style, the scope of knowledge and the cogency of your arguments but I have to tell you when you are wrong. I cannot leave a state like this: "merely liberals' oddly hangdog inclination to accept the earthly realities of math and science as metaphysically sacred." unchallenged. Before I assert you are wrong who exactly are we talking about here? I can find you whole blogs full of liberals in a few seconds who have not the slightest respect for science or math when it is inconvenient to their beliefs.
Posted by: Peter G | October 10, 2012 at 09:58 AM
No problem Robert. I do believe our host has intentionally selected a format that does not permit editing for a sound reason. It makes us own up to our mistakes or live with them. If you see two of my comments adjacent is is surely because I was a little hasty on the post button.
Posted by: Peter G | October 10, 2012 at 10:02 AM