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Liberals never learn. At a time when the erosion of public trust is more dangerous than the plague swirling around us, you would think they would be careful about displays of hypocrisy. Instead, the same technocratic elites who rail about the sin of privilege and criticize Donald Trumps unraveling of the social fabric are telling us by their actions: Do as I say, not as I do.

The latest example comes to us by way of Gavin Newsom, Californias Democratic governor, who was photographed maskless at a Nov. 6, birthday party for a lobbyist. In so doing, he violated his own state guidelines. Newsom apologized, but the incident only underscored the widening social distance between the elites and the plebesand the sense that lockdowns are for the little people, while parties, salon visits, and swanky dinners are for me, but not for thee. Hypocrisy, thy name is Newsom.

And Newsom isnt the only Californian who thinks hes above the rules. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was recently spotted walking around the Senate maskless, and Nancy Pelosiwho drew controversy for visiting a hair salon in Septemberwas forced to cancel a dinner she was planning to welcome newly elected House Democrats after the event caused an uproar.

This is a trendand not just in the Golden State. These conspicuous displays of hypocrisy reinforce the notion that progressive elites think theyre better than the hoi polloi lumpenproletariat who are forced to follow their guidelines. The public might have rejected Trumps handling of the virus, but its easy to see why average Americans, who have to comply with COVID-19 regulations, feel disgruntled by such decadent displays.

Its almost as if the perpetrators are unaware that cultural aggrievement is the most potent force in modern American politics, and that, for a lot of Americans, complying with COVID rules means shuttering a business, postponing a wedding, or never getting to say goodbye to a loved one in a hospital. And, for many of us, it will mean not seeing family members this Thanksgiving.

Now imagine doing all of these things, and then seeing Gavin Newsom and California Medical Association officials enjoying themselves at the French Laundry.

During times of crisis, leaders have to ask others to sacrifice. But this only works when they earn the credibility to do sowhen followers believe that the leader has their best interest at heart and is sharing in the sacrifice. Never mind enduring any real hardship, Californians cant even count on Gavin Newsom to stay home and watch Schitts Creek on Netflix. And this sort of let them eat cake! imagery is even more galling coming from members of a political party fond of lecturing others about their privilege.

So why is this happening? In some cases, of course, the problem is simply that elites view themselves as being above the rules. In other cases, there is more than mere class snobbery at play; theres also political snobbery. More specifically, there is the sense that progressive causes (like protesting the police or celebrating Joe Bidens election) are exempt from the rules, because, after all, the cause is so goodso importantthat the ends justify the means. A Trump rally, for example, is dangerous and irresponsible, while street celebrations for Joe Biden are not just tolerated, but commended.

Case in point: This spring, conservatives protesting Michigans harsh lockdown policies were criticized for not social distancing. Now, some of these protesters behaved in ways that were unbecoming. But the subsequent behavior of liberals did little to quell their sense of victimhood and unfairness. Thats because, in early June, as the Detroit News reported Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who's voiced concerns about other demonstrations potentially spreading COVID-19 in recent weeks, participated Thursday in a civil rights march in Highland Park with hundreds of people who did not follow social distancing rules. (Dont worry, we are assured by the experts that protests probably did not cause a COVID spike.) To be sure, protesting police violence is legitimate and important, but so are a lot of other things weve been asked to curtail.

A more recent example occurred when D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser traveled to Delaware to celebrate Joe Bidens presidential win. The problem? Delaware was on her list of states considered high risk for COVID-19. She skirted the rules by insisting that attending Bidens victory party was essential travel. Right.

So traveling to spend her last Thanksgiving with your grandma makes you irresponsible and dangerous, but traveling to celebrate Bidens win is essential travel? You can go to a conference in Hawaii, but you cant schlep to Cleveland for a family reunion?

To the laymans eye, theres a lot of hypocrisy here. But why shouldnt progressive politicians enjoy these perks? They are our betters, arent they?

Excerpt from:
Gavin Newsom Is the Face of Privileged Liberal Hypocrisy - The Daily Beast

Dear Editor:

Im baffled by what I see and hear from liberal/progressive Democrats about this shameful conservative and Republican effort to steal the election from BidenNOTHING !!!!!Where are the protests about this shameful and immoral effort to steal the election?Where are the voices?I see and hear virtually nothing.Are we going to be mute for the next two months until they eventually steal it?I guess so.Too many Democrats strike me as being too timid and meek and spineless.They seem to be intimidated by the conservatives.At least the right-wingers fight hard for what they believe in and want.I often get the feeling that Democrats think that if we make nice to those bullying, ranting, right-wing blowhards that that will somehow work. It will not.We need to speak up and fight harder for the humane values which we believe in and stand for.It is about time that we faced-down our political adversaries.

Stewart B Epstein

Read more:
Liberals/Progressives Need To Fight As Hard As Conservatives Do - The Hudson Reporter

ThursdayNov19,2020at6:16AM

Senate runoffs give chance to stand against liberals

If the two U.S. Senate seats up for grabs in January should swing to the left, how might a Democratic Senate overturn conservative gains on the Supreme Court? Would this allow the Democrats to "pack the court" in order to force its rulings to uphold the most despicable liberal agendas?

Evangelical Christians and conservatives generally are anchored in their belief that this country is moving in the wrong direction morally and ethically. We have been encouraged by having three recent Supreme Court vacancies filled by conservative, originalist judges who are committed to Interpreting the rule of law as originally intended our Constitutions framers. By their writings, these men clearly accepted that there are moral absolutes upon which our laws, and our behavior, both institutionally and individually, should be directed.

I believe President-elect Joe Biden will attempt to be moderate and reunite us for the common good. But there must be a balance of power to ensure that more progressive Democrats dont lead us off into a morass of "situational ethics, with every man "doing what is right in his own eyes rather than taking into account its impact on love thy neighbor as thyself.

John Sullivan, Savannah

Time to move on from GOP leaders

America has spoken. The majority of people in this democratic society have repudiated Donald J. Trump, his policies and his personality. Georgias two Republican senators have been loud and proud in their support, allegiance and defense of this man.

Now that this wanna-be king has been shown the exit door, why should we keep his court jesters?

Bennie D. Spaulding, Savannah

Read the original:
Reader letters, Thursday: Senate runoffs give chance to stand against liberals - Savannah Morning News

Interim Liberal leader Roger Melanson delivers his response to the throne speech on Nov. 19, 2020. (Image: New Brunswick Legislature video capture)

New Brunswicks Official Opposition has delivered its response to the throne speech released Tuesday.

Liberal leader Roger Melanson touched on several topics during his hour-long address in the legislature Thursday morning.

But much of his speech focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the province and New Brunswickers.

Melanson said this years throne speech is critically important because the governments action will have an impact not only on the coming months but also on years ahead.

The clock is ticking and never has the burden of responsibility been so heavy, said Melanson. There is no time for hesitation and no time for errors. More than ever action is needed, and more than ever government will be held accountable.

Melanson said the Higgs government needs to do more to help businesses get through COVID-19.

He noted that New Brunswick is ranked last in the country in its financial response to the pandemic.

The current government takes a short-term accounting approach and seems to be betting that businesses will overcome this crisis on their own, said Melanson.

Lets be realistic. At this rate, several of them will go out of business or have already gone out of business. CFIB is projecting that it could be up to 15 per cent.

Melanson said we will need appropriate levels of revenue to operate our hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care homes and schools after the pandemic.

But we will not have that, he said, without a strong economy and profitable businesses.

Its easier to support an existing business than supporting a starting business, said Melanson. Government must step up before its too late.

Melanson said we also need action not promises to address affordable housing issues in the province.

He urged the Higgs government to make investments in partnership with the federal and municipal governments.

Melanson also reiterated his partys promise to bring forward rent control legislation in the coming weeks.

We hope that all members of this house will unanimously support this bill, he said to applause from members of his party. This is not about party politics. This is about New Brunswickers. This is about people in need.

Melanson applauded the government for extending Ottawas early learning and child care agreement for another year.

He encouraged the government to stay the course beyond the next 12 months.

The Liberals also accused the Higgs government, once again, of having a secret agenda when it comes to health reform.

Melanson said community consultations the Progressive Conservatives have promised are fake.

Following the last provincial election, the premier was not given a mandate to initiate turbulence, he said. The current crisis must not be used as a pretext for the disengagement of government.

Melanson said it is great that the Higgs government plans to establish nurse practitioner clinics, but noted it has been mentioned in throne speeches since 2018.

He said the Tories have also been promising to reduce wait times for knee and hip replacements since 2018.

On the topic of Clinic 554, Melanson said his party strongly believes the government should repeal legislation which prevents payment for abortion services outside of hospitals.

The Liberal leader also addressed calls for an inquiry into systemic racism in the province. He said when most of the population is calling for an inquiry, the premier has a duty to listen.

What matters here, Mr. Speaker, is not the premiers personal opinion, said Melanson. What matters are the demands of First Nation leaders.

Green Party leader David Coon is expected to deliver his reply to the throne speech Friday.

Read the original:
Liberals Respond To Throne Speech - country94.ca

In an attempt to better understand both sides of the argument, I am reaching out to prominent figures on both sides of the party to talk about how they see not just the 2020 election but also the future for Democrats. Today is the first of those conversations; I talked with Matt Bennett, the executive vice president for public affairs of Third Way, a moderate think tank.

Our conversation, conducted via email and lightly edited for flow, is below.

Bennett: Democrats only can win nationally and build legislative majorities on the backs of moderates. In the presidential race, Joe Biden, an avowed moderate, soundly beat an incumbent president for the first time since another moderate (Bill Clinton) did it 28 years ago. That followed a presidential primary in which moderate candidates (Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Mike Bloomberg) won 57% of the primary votes before the race effectively ended with Bernie Sanders dropping out and a huge Biden victory.

In the House, mainstream/moderate Democrats flipped 33 seats from red to blue in 2018 and three more in 2020. Far-left candidates backed by Our Revolution and Justice Democrats flipped ZERO. While there have been some high-profile evictions of moderate incumbents in primaries, those wins only served to turn blue districts bluer; they did not create or expand the Democratic House majority by a single seat.

In the Senate, the only way we can hope to win seats in the red and purple states that dominate the Senate map is with moderates running on a party brand that resonates with those voters.

Cillizza: How much did things like the Green New Deal and "defund the police" hurt Democrats in the 2020 election?

The shame about the Green New Deal is that centrists and mainstream progressives were (and are) inches apart on climate. But the Green New Deal included enough pieces that had nothing to do with climate and felt threatening to people's jobs and way of life. It was ripe for the usual preposterous distortions by the right. And it worked -- people believed that those Democrats were too far left.

The data are clear. Nationally, Joe Biden, running as a moderate with his own well-defined brand, is outperforming House Democratic candidates by 2.5 million votes. Voters knew Biden wasn't too far left, but some clearly worried about congressional Democrats. Take Nebraska's 2nd, a swing district in which Kara Eastman, running on those kinds of ideas, lost a winnable race in 2018. She ran again in 2020, and Biden won her district by 7 points. Eastman lost it again by 6.

Cillizza: What do you say to liberals like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez etc. who insist the energy (and money) of the party is on the liberal left?

Bennett: These notions were exposed as a myth by the 2020 elections. They are legends born of the political classes conflating things like noise on Twitter and (pre-Covid) rally crowd sizes with real-world impact and actual support. When it comes to the popularity of ideas, voter turnout, and results, the energy is with the moderates.

For example, in the primaries, turnout in the early states was highest in places where Buttigieg and Klobuchar won. Biden stoked huge turnout on Super Tuesday. The Sanders turnout in the primaries never materialized.

In the general, Joe Biden, running as a moderate, obliterated fundraising records. Other moderates, running for the Senate and the House, likewise brought in a sea of money. No Democrats, regardless of their place on the ideological spectrum, had trouble with fundraising or lost for lack of money. And this election saw record turnout in states and districts that Biden won. There was "energy" and money aplenty for moderates.

Cillizza: How much (or little) should Biden choose liberal favorites for Cabinet spots as a way to try to unify the party?

Bennett: The President-elect has made clear that he is going to have the most diverse Cabinet in history, and that will include ideological diversity. But he won't be pushed around by anyone, including those in his own political coalition. He will choose the people he needs to repair the damage done by Donald Trump and move the country forward.

We think he has this exactly right. No one in our party should be trying to impose litmus tests of any kind on his nominees, as the left has done. No one should be preemptively disparaging potential nominees, as the left has done (including public attacks on at least one African American woman). We think Biden should have the latitude and support of Democrats to pick the team that he wants and needs.

Cillizza: Finish this sentence: "The best way for Democrats to deal with the likes of AOC, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is ___________." Now, explain.

Bennett: This question has it backward. The real question is how they will deal with the rest of the Democratic Party. Will they work smoothly with our new leader, Joe Biden? Will they acknowledge that moderates flipped the seats that gave Democrats their majority in the House? Will they recognize and accept these political realities? If not, they will fairly be viewed as obstructionists.

One thing to note is that Sen. Warren is in a somewhat different place than the others you name. She has enthusiastically campaigned with Democratic moderates, and she's made clear that they belong in the Party and are essential to building majorities.

Elections, the useful clich goes, have consequences. Biden decisively beat Sen. Sanders and won the nomination running as a moderate. He did the same against Trump in the general election. He ran on an ambitious, modern and moderate agenda from start to finish. So while those folks certainly have earned their seats at the table, they must recognize that Joe Biden is sitting at the head.

Read the original post:
Did 2020 prove that liberals can't win? - CNN