Call Me a Bleeding Heart Conservative

Yesterday, a conservative blogger who prefers to be anonymous wrote a post titled "'Born Again American Is Liberal". He says that of a song written by Keith Carradine and sung by a number of average, working Americans from across the country, who are for the most part living the lyrics they are singing.

I consider myself a conservative in that you may not fool (there I said it, the f word!) with my American rights and liberties; my country's guarantees of equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. Alright, you can call me a bleeding heart, too, because I also believe that those blessings were intended for all Americans, and I cannot see how we level the playing field to achieve that without some of us moving over a bit from time to time to make room. Okay, so call me a bleeding heart conservative.

I am sending this blog to two noted straight (meaning that they are not bleeding hearts) conservatives, David Frum, at The New Majority and Byron York, at the Washington Examiner and to the Huffington Post for which I have blogged before. My hope is that all three will elect to allow their readers to tell us what they feel.

The blogger who accuses Born Again American of being liberal says that "THE SONG IS A DEAD FISH HIDDEN WITHIN A CHOCOLATE CAKE." I've seen withering comments before, but how withering can you get?! To me, this song and the people who sing it come straight from the heart and the great plains. Tell us all, you who follow HuffPost, David Frum and Byron York what you think.

Comments

[jsgaetano]

You won't see any conservatives, bleeding heart or not, stand up for Jose Padilla or John Walker Lindh, two America citizens who were tortured into confessions.

So much for "you may not fool (there I said it, the f word!) with my American rights and liberties; my country's guarantees of equal opportunity and equal justice under the law." I guess the operative words there are "my"- conservatives care about how things effect THEM... but couldn't care less about anyone else's rights being tread upon. Their "rights" are simply a tool to be used when it's useful.

[Tags]

Blending hearts.

[jonthebru]

New bumper sticker

BLENDING HEART LIBERAL

[unitron]

Liberals fear that someone will not get something good of which they are deserving, or that they will suffer something bad of which they are not deserving.

Conservatives fear that someone will get something good which they don't deserve*, or that they will escape suffering something bad which they do deserve.

*Admittedly, that undeserved something good could possibly require some deprivation of the more deserving.

[JuliaRain]

"Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen." - Mort Sahl

[been2there]

I admit that this is an oversimplification, but the essence is true-- Republicans, as currently constituted, want to treat life as if it were their idea of perfect, and Democrats want to treat life as they see it. Both groups need to consider the intersection of pushing for improvement and dealing with what is.
Responsibility is a two-way street. Individuals do owe something to society, and society does owe individuals.

[kudzumaster]

I always thought the terms 'liberal' and 'conservative' stood for 'too lazy to make up my mind on individual issues, so I'll pick a club and follow whatever they do'.

[HC4BO]

Nah ...

That is Democrat and Republican ....

[flatus]

" I cannot see how we level the playing field to achieve that without some of us moving over a bit from time to time to make room."

I'm not sure I get this, Norman. Although it is pretty prose, the problem is not someone "moving over". The problem is that someone must be excluded. That is, unless you know how to fit 12 players on an 11 player team.

[been2there]

Life is not a zero-sum game. We do need to find ways to
1, Fit 12 people and
2. Let people limit family size.
BTW, that African proverb is right-- it does take a village to raise a child.

[unitron]

"The problem is that someone must be excluded. That is, unless you know how to fit 12 players on an 11 player team."

My apologies. I somehow misread "excluded" as "executed". Spending too much time on the Iran thread, no doubt.

[blueshield]

I dunno, Mr. Lear. If someone today is serious to know what political badge I'm wearing, I'm inclined to check the location of my wallet and my children.

Most Americans don't go to the supermarket and shop for liberal soup, or go buy conservative bread.

Most Americans work to earn a living, because they have pride in themselves, because they want to make something of their lives, and they understand it's their responsibility to support their families, communities and country.

Most Americans are busy with the challenges of getting by, and the steep climb to get ahead.

So for most Americans, this "liberal" versus "conservative" face-down makes about as much sense as the gangs in tough neighborhoods banging at each other for wearing the wrong colors. They're not fighting to raise smarter kids, or healthier families, or better jobs, or all the things that make life worth living...and truly worth fighting for. They're just in it for themselves.

In every walk of life in America - save the government - the business at hand gets done regardless of political view. I think this song says, its about time the political hacks put away their colors and divisiveness and turf wars, and got on with the business of the people.

We are.

[jeanrenoir]

Obama's clearly on the wavelength of this blogger, which upsets the Boomer liberals a lot, since ever since the Sixties, what they really live for is what the Boomer conservatives live for too: i.e., hating the opposition and thus causing endless gridlock. Obama's tired of the self-righteous posturing. He wants to compromise, to govern, and to actually improve the country, bit by bit. He wants to make the government behave more like the pragmatic, effective organizations in this country which actually work. Fortunately, the Boomers are a dying breed, and the Obama pragmatists shall inherit the earth and make our government work again.

[pfc1369]

Next time out of the box, try posting a thought on a topic you know something about, rather than simply repeating what you have been told.

[Skepticat]

Most of the real politcal opposition and more inane comments seem to come from a group of pasty or flushed looking rich white guys in their seventies and up who seem to believe in a "Father Knows Best" -1956 illusionary world that never existed - sort of like the Pleasantville movie. These folk a bit older than boomers not only know Archie Bunker's song from "All in the Family" but seem to live it. Mr Lear inadvertantly gave them an anthem.
I'm 62 an aging boomer florid white guy - but alas not rich. I have little use for gridlock of any kind - or fighting ideological wars. There are more pressing issues that need solutions not posturing - and don't you people try to put us down - be talking 'bout my generation.

[smclean150]

Blueshield, you have nailed it. Both dems and repubs are guilty of serving themselves for too long. Long forgotten is the sense of duty and responsibility (i.e. not knowing whats in a huge bill 'blasted' through a democratic­ally-contr­olled congress and 'ma'am' Boxer's hissy about her title). They are 'too big to fail'. Unaccountable. Blame someone else first. Sounds a bit like adolescence, doesn't it? So, while government seems to be in a (pre-) adolescent stage, we musn't become entangled. We must forge new alliances of change (not what we have now) at the grass roots and rebuild one office at a time. Its up to us to prove that we are not stupid, as they currently think.

[cdnnewsjunky]

Catchy! After watching that, I want to become a "Born Again American" and I don't even live in America. I tell you what Mr. Lear, your probably a somewhat powerful and influential person in your country, so I'll make you a deal, if you don't like the term "bleeding heart conservative", you swing it so I'm an "Honourary Born Again American", and with my limited powers and influences, I'll try and swing an "Honourary Red Tory" title for you. How's that?

In all serious now, it's a patriotic song. Patriotism has no political stripe!

[Indra]

I like anchovies in my chocolate cake and on pizza too.

[Woody25]

I'd respectfully suggest a lyric change-
"My Country tis of We"

[Paradym]

And I'd like to add another lyric change:

"My Bible IS the Bill of Rights..."

[drmcnugget]

I would like to echo this terrific suggestion. That one lyric was the one part that has prevented me from feeling that this song should be placed up with "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", "My Country Tis of Thee", and "The Star Spangled Banner" as one of our national patriotic songs. Just under one-fifth of Americans are not affiliated with Christianity (and the overwhelming majority of that fifth aren't affiliated with ANY religion.) It doesn't seem fair that a song that is meant to speak for ALL of America has in EVERY verse lyrics about having a Bible.

[imagine0594]

I found the song to be funny. We're really playing a blame game aren't we. Who's to blame for all of our problems? The song pretty clearly blames the government; hard to call the song liberal when it does that.

[GettyGirl]

Genia,

Independents, Conservatives and Libertarians feel the same way about Liberals.

[Brewtopia]

Exactly... but about Democrats... not liberals

[Bongborg]

Old World Vultures of a feather flock together.l

[Brewtopia]

I have been a libertarian since I was 18...
I consider myself a 'true' liberal because the most inportant issue to me is LIBERTY (i.e. smaller government)

I believe that progressivism is the antithesis of being liberal.

[herbkornfeld]

Sorry, "libertarianism" is merely the worst parts of either side rolled into one.

It's nothing more than narcissism with a pretty coat of paint and cloaked in patriotic-sounding jargon.

[dm10003]

watch ron paul react to bruno in the interview of the new film. that's homophobia!

[genia]

Great post...thanks for your time, I enjoyed reading.
Byron York ?...I can't reply to your request....Byron York? Are there no honest, decent republicans left to chose from? I am at a loss as to how any intelligent human being can call themselves a republican today. Every....thing coming from the right is planned, plotted dishonest...evil hate.
Good luck to you and other fine folks out there who call themselves conservatives or republicans, hope you find some decency. This country needs a strong two party system.

[MrsSpooky]

That's a good posting, Mr Lear!

The way I look at it as a conservative is: Everyone - Libs, Cons, Centers, whatever - wants everyone to have what they need and to be able to achieve whatever success they want in life.

The only difference is in the approach to achieve that.

One group says it's the government's job to give people opportunities, take care of their needs and protect them. Another group says it's the government's job to stay out of the people's way, which means making it easy for businesses to run themselves to hire and promote people and not taxing them to the point where they have to cut expenses by laying people off and increasing their prices to make up for the costs.

Of course, that's a generalization, but it seems to fit what I'm seeing coming out of both sides. I prefer less government control (although oversight in some areas like the financial sector might help with greedy, unscrupulous Wall Street types, but I digress).

You know, either private sector or government. This country was made great by the advances made by the private sector and I hate to see that change.

[bolivare]

"One group says it's the government's job to give people opportunities, take care of their needs and protect them. Another group says it's the government's job to stay out of the people's way, which means making it easy for businesses to run themselves to hire and promote people and not taxing them to the point where they have to cut expenses by laying people off and increasing their prices to make up for the costs."

That thinking is why we are where we are at. Businesses were given that opportunity, thus de-regulation, NAFTA, CAFTA, etc., so, once they got those things, they tried to blame the workers and the money they were wanting that they could live decently on. Workers here in the US needed decent wages because the cost of goods always increases. Its called a living wage. But instead, these businesses moved overseas so they could hire workers at a cheaper rate, but not reduce the costs of their goods. Their greed is why we are here and it is people like you believing it works is what messes things up. They will go for any loophole in order to keep from paying their fair share i.e. offshore accounts.
Why should we trust them to do the right thing if we let them do anything they want again?