reclaiming liberalism
Bruce Ackerman and Todd Gitlin’s “We Answer to the Name of Liberals” from The American Prospect is a manifesto of sorts for modern liberals. They note the administration’s “denial of reality,” its “contempt for science,” and observe that “When challenged, it responds with lies and distortions.” As much as I enjoy trenchant criticism of Bush, there is too high a proportion of it in a manifesto that purports to be about liberalism. The conclusion, however, is redemptive:
We love this country. But true patriotism does not consist of bravado or calumny. It resides in faithfulness to our great constitutional ideals. We are a republic, not a monarchy. We believe in the rule of law, not secret prisons. We insist on justice for all, not privilege for the few. In repudiating these American ideals, the Bush administration disgraces America and damages our claim to democratic leadership in the larger world.It will take hard work to undo this damage. It will take more than defeating the hard-line right at the polls. We must engage in large acts of political imagination and inspire a new generation to take up liberal principles and adapt them inventively in a new century.
(Thanks to Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly for the tip.)