| Crazies to the left of me, wimps to the right |
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 “Fifty years ago, liberalism was something to be proud of. Today, nothing about the liberal landscape seems familiar. The terrain is unrecognizable.” With this interesting comment, Bernard Goldberg begins his highly intelligent book, “Crazies to the Left of me, Wimps to the Right”. In it, he not only chronicles his journey from the extreme liberal side of politics to the conservative side, but also addresses what he considers to be some huge political problems in our nation. So let’s take a look at just what he has to say… The first issue Goldberg addresses is racism. Not the problem of racism itself, but the fact that almost no one is willing to address the problem for fear of seeming racist. Goldberg points out that, in general, white people have a really hard time speaking about racism. The main reason being the fear that if you open your mouth you will be labeled as a “bigot”. All the important issues that black people like Bill Cosby and Charles Barkley freely discuss are deemed ‘too hot’ for white people to handle. There used to be Republicans, like Ronald Reagan, who weren’t afraid to take a stand for policies that help racial issues, and likewise stand against policies that were counterproductive. Now, in general, Republicans and conservatives often take the easier path of tip-toeing around, or even worse, ignoring race issues entirely. With boldness, Goldberg points out the issues…one being the issue of black family life, with the father statistically absent a large percentage of the time. Basic issues like this are largely considered “off-limits” for leaders, current or aspiring, who are white. Goldberg cites Shelby Steele, the black author of the book, “White Guilt”. Steele said that whites are, at some level, judged as racist by their color alone. He claims that white guilt is not based on lack of goodwill or decency, but instead on their fear of stigmatization as a “racist”. This is an excellent point, and a good place for Goldberg’s book to start. In his chapter entitled “Being Liberal means never having to say you’re sorry”, Goldberg takes his book to another level. First he presents the case of Mel Gibson. Everyone knows the story of Gibson’s drunken rant on Jews. Goldberg points out that as a Jew he was outraged, but after the apology he realized that Gibson was genuinely sorry. However the Left refuses to forgive him, even though Gibson has apologized somewhere around 42 million times. However when a liberal does the name calling all is downplayed and quickly forgiven with or without an actual apology. The chapter is full of stunning examples, only a few of which I include here. The first examples Goldberg points out are things liberals have said to or about conservatives and have come under no fire at all. He quotes Nina Totenberg, a NPR reporter, who said, “If there is retributive justice, Senator Jesse Helms will get AIDS from a transfusion, or one of his grandkids will get it.” WOW! That’s pretty harsh, and yet the Left doesn’t blink an eye. Another quote, from left-wing pundit Julianne Malveaux, suggested that Clarence Thomas’s wife, “feeds him lots of eggs and butter, and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease,” because he was “an absolutely reprehensible person.” The Left embraces Julianne as a spokesperson for them even as she patently wishes death on someone with whom she simply does not agree. Then there is Tom Paulin, a British poet from Oxford, who was invited to teach at Columbia University. He “only” called all the Jewish settlers from New York who settled on the West Bank, “Nazis”, and said they should be “shot dead”. It is apparent that in the liberal world there is intolerance and then there is intolerance. The difference all depends on who is dishing it out and upon whom. Clearly, as Goldberg points out so aptly, there is huge hypocrisy on the Liberal side. Ethnic profiling is also a very politically dangerous issue to address, but Goldberg tackles it right along with the others. He begins by pointing out the ridiculous, politically correct sense of equality at airports. He points out that there are certain times when ethnic profiling is not only ok, but perfectly legitimate for our national security. I have to agree with him on this. After all if we had an outbreak of professing Christian’s blowing up planes, then people wearing crosses would and should be stopped more frequently in airport security lines. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, it is young Muslim men who have been the hijackers; therefore we should logically focus on them more than on ninety-year old grandmothers. Taking things a step further, Goldberg points out the root issue is the faulty belief that Islam is a “religion of peace”. He admits that ethnic profiling has been taken to extremes in the past, for instance the Japanese concentration camps, but ultimately there is still a time when profiling should be implemented swiftly and efficiently. Goldberg shares about a time when a friend called him right after Muslims were arrested in London. His friend thought it would be a good thing to have an AFA, an “Arab Free Airline”. Goldberg was appalled at the idea, but when he polled his other friends; he realized that while they hated the idea, they would rather their family fly on the hypothetical AFA. The conclusion that Bernard points out is while ethnic profiling is dangerous, there are situations where it should be implemented. According to Goldberg, “If we remain the captives of Politically Correct rules, and if two or three terrorists sail through security while the TSA guys are going through my aunt Tilly’s suitcase, and if God forbid they bring down an airplane, then a whole bunch of people…are going to think my friend’s idea about an Arab Free Airline, isn’t that crazy at all.” All in all, I really enjoyed Goldberg’s book. I will warn you that he hits on the Republicans and the conservatives just as hard as he does the Left; and on several topics with very good reason. On average, I found myself agreeing with him. In my opinion, he is an excellent, and educational, writer and his great sense of humor helps to make this a very entertaining read that will challenge your thinking and broaden your horizons. I highly recommend reading this book. Let me leave you with Bernard Goldberg’s concluding statement, and let his challenge to the Right be my challenge to you. “The question now isn’t whether the Democrats will miss another opportunity to miss an opportunity. The question is whether the Republicans will seize the opportunity. Will they remember who they’re supposed to be? Will they embrace the ‘fundamental beliefs which must not be compromised to political expediency’ that Ronald Reagan talked about? The question, in plain English, is: Will they ‘Man Up!’?” Abraham R. Sweet |
