Liberal Harmony With History

Hooray! Huzzah! Hallelujah!

Joshua Zeitz’s “The Fall (and Potential Rise) of Liberalism” (Opinion, Dec. 22) says what so many true Democrats are thinking. Zeitz’s proposed Democratic strategy is in harmony with history: For the last 50 years, every major public benefit -- such as Social Security -- has been sponsored by Democrats and opposed by Republicans.

We must send reprints of the article, every month, to every House and Senate Democrat who acts like a Republican (think Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut). After a while, maybe they will get the message. If not, we must find true Democrats to take their places, whose campaign message is clear: Liberal Democrats vote for us. Conservative Republicans vote for Wall Street.

Charles T. Newton

Del Mar

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Oh, I agree, let’s have the Democrats redefine liberalism.

On affirmative action, Democrats could say: We support a policy where skin-color or heritage is the determining factor in hiring when more-qualified people are available.

On freedom of speech, Democrats could say: We support enforcing speech codes so that feelings aren’t hurt, even though free speech and debate are limited.

On the Supreme Court, the Democrats could say: We support creating laws from the bench by unelected, and therefore unaccountable, judges to create a nation the electorate has no real power to change.

On welfare, the Democrats could say: We support giving free money to people who make bad choices repeatedly and giving them no reason to change their lives because we care and want to take care of people.

Go get ‘em, Dems! But hang on, because your fall might start to accelerate.

Gregory Dato

West Hills

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As Zeitz put it in his column, “common-sense liberals” have been persistent in targeting tax cuts for the middle class and lower, repairing and maintaining Social Security as a fundamental provision for part of most people’s retirement planning and protecting it from the volatile stock market, balancing government budgets much in the same way that we individual citizens have to balance our household budgets and claiming certain aspects of the environment as public domain so that private entities will not have the opportunity to exploit them for profit while leaving them in ruins.

As a liberal who has common sense, I would also hasten to add to Zeitz’s list our insistence that we fix our gravely ailing health-care system so that it fairly serves all citizens. Then there is the question of a Republican assault on civil rights through the thoughts and actions of its politicos and the current administration’s court appointments.

Whatever happened to the all-encompassing “big tent” that George W. Bush was touting in his 2000 election campaign and the civility that he was going to bring to our nation’s capital?

On all these issues, and many, many more, the Republicans in power now have failed miserably, and often with a mean spirit. These Republicans may be conservative, but they are far from compassionate. Zeitz does not have to coin a special phrase to try to help us renew our image. We true liberals (and I do not mean extreme liberals) are very comfortable in identifying ourselves as liberal and having others call us liberal.

No adjectives need to be added because, by our very nature, we practice both common sense and compassion.

We liberals are just waiting until the end of these four years. With a full four years of Republican blunders, our star, which has never burned out, will rise to greater heights than ever before. We know our cause is just and fair because it is based on a caring philosophy and effective, sensible programs to run a country in a truly civilized manner.

Robert C. Lutes

Temple City