Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"Consider for a moment the 'meta-narratives' that liberals and conservatives embrace. Most liberals consider conservatism as bereft of real ideas, a demonstrably ineffective philosophy of governing that only serves the wealthy. We tend to see it as a sucker's ideology for anyone who isn't in the top tax bracket. So we talk about people on the right 'voting against their own interests,' being 'distracted by social issues' and lured with 'racist dog-whistles.' Our view is that they're simply wrong -- the 'facts have a liberal bias.'

"And when you believe your opponents are being duped by cynical political operatives, it doesn't lead you to desire their death or otherwise eliminate them from the public sphere.

"Now think about the right's overarching narratives of liberalism. To a certain extent, they also see us as gullible. But we're not carrying water for wealthy WASPs. We're 'useful idiots' inadvertently serving the worst evil -- back in the day it was international communism, and now it's Islamic extremism.

"But more commonly, they see the left as a pernicious force trying to destroy the nation from within. [...] Liberalism is a foreign and dangerous force that must be stopped in order to preserve the Republic. Anyone who reads right-wing blogs is familiar with these themes. And, again, they represent a rhetorical strategy -- a choice. Their over-arching narrative is that liberalism is evil."

-- Joshua Holland, 2010-08-02