Shoe by Gary Brookins and Susie MacNelly for March 14, 2018

Conservative? I prefer the term “anti-progressive”.

A bunch of high school students are giving conservatives a lot of grief lately.

Hey, if my student activities fee was going toward paying for an appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos, I’d be whining, too.

There are actually schools that do that? What a truly “progressive” idea. The only thing progressive about progressives is the name.

Ha!

There’s a college where a conservative is allowed to speak? That sort of diversity usually isn’t tolerated.

Colleges don’t believe in a 2 party system anymore, unless they are ‘liberals’ and ‘progressives’.

Conservative=closed mind.

The only term that I’m afraid of is the term “President for Life Trump.”

I’m still a bit surprised that conservatives consider the likes of Richard Spencer and Milo Yiannapoulos to be kindred spirits. Just another indicator how morally and intellectually bankrupt conservatism has become…

From the presidential debate between Jimmy Smit and Alan Alda on West Wing:

“I know you like to use that word ‘liberal’ as if it were a crime.” “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used that word. I know Democrats think liberal is a bad word. So bad you had to change it. What do you call yourselves now, progressives? Is that it?” “It’s true. Republicans have tried to turn liberal into a bad word. Well, liberals ended slavery in this country.” “A Republican President ended slavery.” “Yes, a liberal Republican, Senator. What happened to them? They got run out of your party. What did liberals do that was so offensive to the liberal party? I’ll tell you what they did. Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things ¬ every one. So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, ‘Liberal,’ as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won’t work, Senator. Because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor.”

Some conservatives are easier to get along with than others. (Could say the same of some liberals of course.) There are some conservatives that are understanding and tolerant of other viewpoints. (again, I could say the same of some liberals.) Then there are the ones who are bigoted against anyone who is different from them, ideologically, or otherwise. (And yes, the same can be said for some liberals.) It’s hard to be tolerant of those that are intolerant.)

In the 1950’s the south was “Yellow Dog Democrat”- meaning that they would vote for a yellow dog as long as it meant they were voting against the Republicans. That was because they associated that party with the civil war and reconstruction. As far as civil rights go, the Republicans were the “liberal” party from time of the civil war until the civil rights movement began in the 50’s. In the early 60’s the Kennedys decided that the demonstrations in the south couldn’t be ignored and began legislation on civil rights. When Johnson signed the Civil Rights act, he said “We have lost the South for a generation”. He underestimated. The solidly Democratic white south overnight became Republicans and remain so to this day. Whether that is because they are still bigots or not, have to ask them individually, but that’s the reason the two parties switched sides.

Silly people. You know only liberals have Freedom of Speech. Conservatives are never allowed to talk on college campuses.