Centerfield

Rick:

Very interesting piece.

I do think you're off base on one point, however. I think that liberals, in general, tend to be much less true believers. Liberals are much more of a "show me" or "prove it to me" group as a whole. (Yes this is generalization...not a hard and fast rule).

Having spent much of my life around religious conservatives of the hard core persuasion..questioning is frowned upon. One is to accept what one is given, regardless of whether or not it makes sense...and if one dares question, it's a sin. I've noticed this tendency in nonreligious conservatives as well.

I've encountered very few liberals who don't question beliefs and ideas, including their own, to the point of being annoying.

I think that's why conservatives and Republicans have been so good at being disciplined in their message.

Mr. Merullo states that he is left leaning at the beginning of his article. He didn't need to though. His description of conservatives is insulting while his description of liberals is complementary. It is also clear, that while he has friends who are on the right, he has absolutley no clue what the right is about, that conservatives do actually think clearly, that they are not evil, simplistic, or stupid. His ignorance is further demonstrated when he confuses the religious right with conservatism. They are different.
By the way, the religious right rejects the "idea" of abortion not because they are intolerant, but because they believe life starts at conception. How are they to compromise on that? If the writer understood what he was intending to write about he would have been able to acknowledge that fact without acting the least bit surprised by it and without suggesting that they (religious right) came to the conclusion because they were to shallow in thought do otherwise.
Maybe he should talk to his conservative friends and, more importantly, listen to what they have to say with the same respect he would expect from them. Then back up and do a major rewrite. Because any pinhead could fail as badly as he did on his first attempt. By the way, think of the protesters at the Republican convention while reading part of his description of conservatives,

". . .are on guard, bristling, armed with a righteous anger, prone to mockery of their enemies, sure of themselves. . ."

Yesser buddie. A major rewrite.

An insular and narrow leftist author, demonizes conservatives with malicious caricatures. Schoolyard insults substitute for any understanding of conservatism or conservatives.

Great starting point for discussion...

It's an absurd article. I have never seen such a sanctimonious jerk in my life. It's such a ridiculous sterotype. As for liberals appreciating shades of gray, I don't think so. I know lots of liberals that have just as simplistic a view of the world as conservatives. In fact, that's what drove me from being a professed liberal several years ago--the sanctimonious, black and white moralizing of liberals. It's just silly for him to make a judgment like that.

I disagree that liberals tend to be less "true believers." On what evidence does he base this? I do acknowledge that there is a certain segment of liberal opinion that is skeptical and introspective about their views. But there are just as many that are intolerant and dogmatic.

What I see is that liberals and conservatives look at the extremes of each other's ideology and attribute those extreme attitudes to the entire group. It's easy to find examples that illustrate your point. Conservatives attribute anti-American attitudes expressed by far leftists to all liberals; liberals attribute the nuttiest rigtht-wing opinions to all conservatives.

Merullo bad, Philocrites good.

Liberals are not the problem - they are wise folks who simply have a different vision of the solution than Conservatives do. Conservatives should not confuse "Liberals" with the thugs in the streets at the Repub convention in NYC. Those people are not Liberals, they are radical leftists and anarchists who simply love to hate for the excitement of hating. Unfortunately, they have almost seized the imagination, if not quite yet the reins, of the Democratic party.