The Right Wing Group Slanders of Liberals Refuted

Paul Rosenberg is doing a series of essays based on surveys that show it is the radical right that is outside the mainstream of American Thought.

It's not liberals, but ultra-conservative movement conservatives who are far outside America's mainstream. And I've got the figures to prove it. In fact, liberals and regular conservatives agree far more than they disagree. The ultra-conservatives are odd-man out, and their constant demonization of liberals is a highly effective form of distraction that's absolutely crucial to the success of their project, which has virtually no mainstream support. This argument is consistent with, but goes far beyond, recent criticisms of neo-conservatives, including John Dean's just-published book, Conservatives Without Conscience.

Those wanting to downsize the welfare state represent only a small minority--even among self-described conservatives.

The conservative narrative blames liberals for creating the current climate of polarization. It denies its racists roots, as well as its own pro-active role in fomenting resentment and social divisions. Instead of race, it points to issue like abortion and gay marriage.

Tags: liberals, conservatives, polarization