Arthur Lieber's Political Blog
Progressive thoughts and strategies for the future
On January 27, 1998, in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky revelations, Hillary Clinton appeared on the Today show and said, “The great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it is this vast right wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he … Read moreWhat we’ve learned from right wing reaction to Obama, and now Trump
Perhaps it’s always been this way; humankind has been more motivated by emotions than reason and the primary emotion that generates beliefs is fear. The more that we’re driven by fear the less space we have in our brains to try to deal rationally with issues. Two recent items from very different parts of the … Read moreThe elusive connection we have to truth
The Republican Party has strayed so far from “societal norms” or “polite company” in recent years that it has caused some to ask, “Where have the grown-ups in the party gone?” It’s a fair question, particularly when looking at those members of the Grand Old Party who are currently running for president. But it wasn’t … Read morePappy Bush and McCain gave green light to GOP extremists
Daily Kos called Joe Scarborough the “resident Republican blowhard on MSNBC.” Daily Kos and many other on the left-leaning outlets have taken Scarborough to task. Really. All Scarborough did was to assert that almost every mainstream news anchor or Sunday morning interview show is liberal. He cited a number: David Brinkley, Tom Brokaw, Walter Cronkite, … Read moreScarborough’s misconceptions about liberals in the media
For some time, we have been examining why Republicans look at things so differently from Democrats. Much has been written about the Republican brain including a book by that title by journalist and author Chris Mooney. Mooney has been described as “one of the few journalists in the country who specializes in the now dangerous … Read moreWhy journalists engage in so many false equivalencies
You may have heard of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. He cites five levels of growth, beginning with what a newborn infant needs and moving on to self-actualization, which is the top level of the pyramid. Maslow describes self-actualization this way: This level of need refers to what a person’s full potential is and … Read moreMaslow’s hierarchy of needs vs. the Republican pyramid of political values
Some people posit that the Republican brain and the Democratic brain complement one another, somewhat like yin and yang. The theory would be that liberal people bring to a society a full measure of empathy, reason, and fairness. Conservatives bring order, structure, and rules. Together there is a harmonious and smooth functioning society. I’m a … Read moreAre Republican and Democratic brains like Yin and Yang?
Republicans could learn a lot from just-deceased baseball legend Yogi Berra, like “when you come to a fork in the road, take it.” They seem to find most forks in the road befuddling and reason for impasse, rather than making clear decisions. But a few weeks prior to the demise of Berra, another quotable ballplayer–former … Read moreWhat Republicans could learn from a dead baseball player
Many people think that the Stephen Colbert interview with Vice-President Joe Biden on Thursday, September 10 was seminal TV. Both had suffered tragic losses in their families and have done a remarkable job of picking up the pieces and moving on, while not forgetting how important the relatives whom they lost were to them. In … Read moreJoe Biden talks about courage and empathy: a unique combination
Imagine if Donald Trump had entered the 2016 presidential race as a Democrat. He could have; there is no law that would have prevented him from doing so. He seems to be a natural Republican, and we’ll get to that momentarily. However, he does have a few characteristics that are more consistent with Democrats than … Read moreA whimsical look at why Trump is a Republican