- Aug 4, 2009
- 281,430
- 142,931
- 2,615
Jesus was a LiberalIt's a good question ... were the Founders "liberals" or "conservatives"? The answer is, neither. At the time, modern liberal/conservative distinction didn't exist.
They were close to being 'Whigs', not 'Tories', the main distinction then. Both of those
tendencies were, in modern terms, very conservative. But it would be less than honest for modern conservatives to claim that they were just the conservatives of their time.
But it is interesting that one of the Founding Fathers of conservatism, Edmund Burke, was a friend of America, even though he opposed independence.
As for whether people on the Left "love America". Well, when they're debating the Right they do, or make a show of doing. But it's not really true, in other than very cool, abstract sense for some of them, and not even that for many.
But here's a test. The New York City Council, a few years ago, voted to honor the executed Soviet spy, Ethel Rosenberg. These aren't some fringe crazies, like the Bezerkely City Council. I'd say they're pretty representative of mainstream liberalism.
Here are links to that story, because I know it sounds like rightwing fantasy.
"Honoring a Soviet spy, whose work gave Stalin the atom bomb and other military technology? Ridiculous. Liberals would never do that!!!!":
[ The City Council’s ‘heroes’ from hell ]
[ City Council honors Ethel Rosenberg for ‘great bravery’ ]
[ ‘60 Minutes’ pushing Ethel Rosenberg pardon — don’t buy it ]
Do you think these liberals on the New York City Council 'love their country'?
(Note to others reading this: Stalin supposedly said, "Paper will take anything written on it.") So will computer screens.
Anyway, what do you think about what the New York City Council did?