Modern conservatism is "search for a superior moral justification for selfishness"...

[madfloridian]

Liberalism is the alternative..according to John Kenneth Galbraith. More quotes about liberals at the link.

There are some unkind and unpleasant quotes at the link. But I am choosing just some pleasant ones. There's been too much unkindness around lately.

Quotes about liberals

Walter Cronkite 1973

“I think being a liberal, in the true sense, is being nondoctrinaire, nondogmatic, non-committed to a cause - but examining each case on its merits. Being left of center is another thing; it's a political position. I think most newspapermen by definition have to be liberal; if they're not liberal, by my definition of it, then they can hardly be good newspapermen. If they're preordained dogmatists for a cause, then they can't be very good journalists; that is, if they carry it into their journalism."

[Interview with Ron Powers (Chicago Sun Times) for Playboy, 1973]”
― Walter Cronkite

George Washington

“As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.”
― President George Washington

John Kenneth Galbraith...this one is powerful.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness... &
... Liberalism is, I think, resurgent. One reason is that more and more people are so painfully aware of the alternative.
–”
― John Kenneth Galbraith

Hubert Humphrey

“The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life – the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.”
― Hubert H. Humphrey

Bill Maher

“New Rule: Now that liberals have taken back the word "liberal," they also have to take back the word "elite." By now you've heard the constant right-wing attacks on the "elite media," and the "liberal elite." Who may or may not be part of the "Washington elite." A subset of the "East Coast elite." Which is overly influenced by the "Hollywood elite." So basically, unless you're a shit-kicker from Kansas, you're with the terrorists. If you played a drinking game where you did a shot every time Rush Limbaugh attacked someone for being "elite," you'd be almost as wasted as Rush Limbaugh.

I don't get it: In other fields--outside of government--elite is a good thing, like an elite fighting force. Tiger Woods is an elite golfer. If I need brain surgery, I'd like an elite doctor. But in politics, elite is bad--the elite aren't down-to-earth and accessible like you and me and President Shit-for-Brains.

I really appreciate that Bill Maher quote because I remember that the centrist Democratic think tanks used the word "elite" as an attack on party liberals.

And then there are these amazing wprds from Lee Atwater himself. He launched some of the most vicious attacks on liberalism ever.

"My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The '80s were about acquiring — acquiring wealth, power, prestige. I know. I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don't know who will lead us through the '90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul....I was wrong to follow the meanness of Conservatism. I should have been trying to help people instead of taking advantage of them. I don't hate anyone anymore. For the first time in my life I don't hate somebody. I have nothing but good feelings toward people. I've found Jesus Christ – It's that simple. He's made a difference. (Reagan's campaign manager "death-bed confession" in Feb. 1991 article for Life Magazine )”
― Lee Atwater

[madfloridian]

1. "The religious views of a candidate should be kept entirely out of sight."

Our government should be entirely and purely secular. The religious views of a candidate should be kept entirely out of sight. He should not be compelled to give his opinion as to the inspiration of the bible, the propriety of infant baptism, or the immaculate conception. All these things are private and personal. The people ought to be wise enough to select as their officers men who know something of political affairs, who comprehend the present greatness, and clearly perceive the future grandeur of our country. If we were in a storm at sea, with deck wave-washed and masts strained and bent with storm, and it was necessary to reef the top sail, we certainly would not ask the brave sailor who volunteered to go aloft, what his opinion was on the five points of Calvinism. Our government has nothing to do with religion. It is neither christian nor pagan; it is secular. But as long as the people persist in voting for or against men on account of their religious views, just so long will hypocrisy hold place and power. Just so long will the candidates crawl in the dust—hide their opinions, flatter those with whom they differ, pretend to agree with those whom they despise; and just so long will honest men be trampled under foot.”
― Robert G. Ingersoll, Some Mistakes of Moses

[stage left]

2. K&R

Thanks for these. Especially Lee Atwater's.

[madfloridian]

3. His words moved me.

[madfloridian]

4. Some of Lee Awater's nastier stuff. From New Republic 1989.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115254/tom-foley-gay-baited-lee-atwater-newt-gingrich-aide

Strictly speaking, I suppose, the Esquire picture doesn't belong on this list of items, since it has no obvious connection to the closet memo. I include it as a relatively benign sample of Atwater's frat-boy, gross-out sense of humor, which is more often cruel. A famous instance was his crack about Tom Turnipseed, a populist Democratic candidate for Congress in South Carolina in 1980, who as a teenager had undergone electroconvulsive therapy for depression. Turnipseed accused Atwater, no doubt accurately, of engineering a bogus “poll” in which white voters were called and asked if it would change their opinion of Turnipseed to know that he was a member of the NAACP. Atwater didn't bother to deny it. Instead he said he wasn't about to answer charges from someone who had once been "hooked up to jumper cables."

Whatever his role in the closet memo, there's no doubt it's the sort of thing he'd think was funny. After all, when he was managing Bush's campaign last year he thought it was funny to play on racial fears by using the Willie Horton case against Michael Dukakis, and he got many a chuckle out of impugning Dukakis's patriotism with the Pledge of Allegiance "issue."

Even though the backlash turned out to be unexpectedly severe, the fact remains that the memo worked

Sounds like he was Karl Rove's mentor.

[brer cat]

5. This is an excellent thread, madfloridian.

This one is spot on:

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness... &
... Liberalism is, I think, resurgent. One reason is that more and more people are so painfully aware of the alternative.”
― John Kenneth Galbraith

The first sentence explains republicans so simply, but they will never see it, much less admit it.

K&R

[madfloridian]

6. "superior moral justification for selfishness"...my favorite.

Galbraith said it so well. I thought Ayn Rand at once. I think that philosophy is permeating our society, and both parties to some degree. I blame that mostly on the centrist think tanks that wanted to get corporate money and were willing to stand for nothing to get it.

[LWolf]

7. Ayn Rand...yes.

These are great quotes. I'd like to post them somewhere I can see them regularly. I'll think on that.

[madfloridian]

8. ......

I thought they were great.

[FloriTexan]

9. Kick!

[madfloridian]

11. Why thank you.

[jwirr]

10. One must remember that when Walter Cronkite is talking about left of center the era was already

very leftist. So when he was saying left of center he was probably referring to communism. Us liberal had everything from the center to very liberal covered. We were the center.

[madfloridian]

12. Now the center is way right.

Following the Republican extremists.

[jwirr]

13. Exactly.

[City Lights]

14. That is one hell of a quote from Galbraith.

I've never heard it expressed so well. Thanks for posting this!

[mmonk]

15. Atwater's deathbed confession I think

is the most telling of what happened to our country. Thanks so much.

[madfloridian]

16. It's powerful.

It's hard to look back out how many people he hurt though.

[Octafish]

17. My favorite economist - one with integrity.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Octafish/694

And John Kenneth Galbraith knew how to use the powers of government to make the national economy work better for ALL Americans.

[madfloridian]

18. Excellent post.

And did you see this one from his son in the July Politico?

Why We Won't Get to Normal

BTW I really miss the old journal formats from DU2.