Liberal

"BEN CARDIN IS A Tax and Spend Liberal'' That's Point No. 5 on 3rd District congressional candidate Pat McDonough's list of 12 reasons why he, a conservative radio talk-show commentator and one-term state lawmaker from way back, can beat the veteran congressman this fall.Here's Point No. 6: ''Cardin has a long, highly public, liberal, Tax and Spend voting record, both in the Legislature and the Congress.''Any guess as to what Point No. 8 might be? ''Cardin represents communities like Towson, Perry Hall, Parkville, Hamilton, Highlandtown, Canton, South Baltimore, Arbutus, Elkridge, Linthicum and Glen Burnie.

Terry Weldon Taylor, a former public affairs director of a Baltimore health center and veteran political operative, died Wednesday from complications of a stroke at Northwest Hospital. The Windsor Mills resident was 62. "I got to know him through the late Wendell H. Phillips, who was the pastor of Heritage United Church of Christ and had served in the Maryland House of Delegates. Terry had all of the political spirituality of that congregation," said City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke.

What's wrong with political labels? Plenty! Today, the word "liberal" has been lambasted so severely that most Americans are loath to use it positively. Disparagement of "conservatives" wasn't quite as bad when liberals championed Social Security, Medicare, workers' and voters' rights, the end to racially discriminatory practices, and critical environmental protections. Despite conservative opposition at the time, both parties eventually embraced most of these accomplishments. But partisan negativity has since intensified greatly.

"They do that because they were born that way. " If you say that about homosexuals, you are tolerant and realistic. If you say it about blacks, you are racist (unless you're black yourself). If you say it about women, you may or may not be sexist, depending on who is manning (er, womanning) the feminist battle stations. If you say it about men, you just might be a writer for Esquire. But if you say it about conservatives, you're a scientist. Over the past decade, a new fad has taken hold among academics and liberal journalists: call it the new science of conservative phrenology.

I have been an employee with the state of Maryland for nearly four years. Though generally pleased with the benefits provided by the state for its workforce, I must take issue with the state's liberal leave policy. Liberal leave allows employees the option to use a day of vacation in order to take the day off in the event of inclement weather. Under normal circumstances this is a fairly reasonable policy -- for instance, 4 inches of snow doesn't generally make roads impassable, but it does often close schools and make commuting more difficult for most people, especially in this region.

The ever-expanding power of the American political class has been sharply brought into focus because of the shrinking living standards of millions of the people they ostensibly represent. This contrast has set the stage for what The New York Times this week called "Rebellion on [the] Right." In a clear warning to the members of the "inner party," the essential newspaper of the ruling elite featured a lengthy front-page story on Tuesday by David Barstow, complete with a color photo of tea party activists in Sandpoint, Idaho.

WASHINGTON - Liberal denial about all things conservative has passed the bizarre and arrived at the absurd. The American Psychological Association's Psychological Bulletin has published a study of why conservatives are the way they are. The study was conducted by four researchers, who, according to a press release from the media relations office at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), "culled through 50 years of research literature about the psychology of conservatism." (Two of the researchers are professors at UCB, which apparently remains imprisoned in '60s dysfunctionality.

AT CONSERVATIVE gatherings these days -- for example, at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Human Events magazine last week -- there is confident talk of a "conservative revival."Well, maybe, but liberal control of the central institutions of our society is as secure as ever. The schools, the churches, the foundations, the universities, the media, popular entertainment, all levels of government, publishing and (I hear) even the Girl Scouts are dominated by the liberal outlook.If, as right-wingers like to believe, the sentiments of "the people" are actually conservative -- then they are the most docile conservatives imaginable, content to let liberals run things.

On Monday morning, less than 48 hours after Gov. Martin O'Malley declared a state of emergency in Maryland, where many counties received over 30 inches of snow, my husband was expected at work. He is considered an essential state employee, so even when liberal leave is called, he is expected to be at work without question. On Monday there were over 200 local closings between schools, businesses and government buildings. I even heard some branches of local federal buildings were shut down.

CONSERVATIVE activists are on the march, determined to expose hotbeds of liberal influence wherever they find (or even suspect) them. Their latest target is higher education, one of the few corners of American life where liberal ideas still hold sway. Indeed, several recent studies have confirmed that Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans -- by ratios as much as 7-to-1 -- on many university faculties. This revelation has caused outrage in conservative quarters, where it is seen as evidence of liberal manipulation, and worse.

I can empathize withRobert L. Ehrlich Jr.in his hope that the Supreme Court will strike down Obamacare in its entirety ("Obamacare and birth control: Women's health isn't the issue," April 8). The Affordable Care Act that became law bears little resemblance to the bill that was introduced, only to be slashed, ripped, compromised and otherwise reduced to a few good points. And now those few good points are being nibbled at afresh. It's pathetic that the Administration had to declare some form of victory in what emerged as the ACA because, although it brings medical care to certain ranks of the uninsured, I can see no great savings at the governmental or personal level.

We had a spirited discussion Sunday on CNN's  "Reliable Sources" about Keith Olbermann's suit against Al Gore's Current TV. The video is at the end of this post, and I urge you to take a look especially at what Sharon Waxman, founder of TheWrap, has to say about Olbermann having played his games maybe once too often. Here's something Olbermann should perhaps be even more worried about: the fact that to win his suit he is going to have to trash a liberal icon in Gore. And how are Olbermann's liberal fans (however many might be left)

My 16-year career in two legislatures (eight in the Maryland General Assembly and eight in Congress) included many debates on the most divisive issues of our time: Capital punishment, affirmative action, war and peace, impeachment, entitlement reform and abortion rights were guaranteed to generate partisan strife and emotional debate. No issue generated more emotion than a woman's right to choose. Intense, emotional debates produced a unique lexicon, as legislators debated the merits and implications of "judicial bypass," "parental consent," "partial birth" and the many complexities attendant to Medicaid (taxpayer)

The once venerable and respected NBC was exposed by Fox News to have edited the tape of the telephone call between George Zimmerman and the police by eliminating pertinent portions of the conversation to make it appear that the unfortunate killing was race-based ("NBC: 'We deeply regret' edits on Sanford 911 call," April 4). Then to add insult to injury, NBC, in its apology, called this deliberate act calculated to deceive and mislead its viewers "an error. " Where is the outrage from the liberal establishment over this perversion of honest reporting of the news?

Recently there have been several newspaper articles about the (Democratic) governor and the (Democrat-controlled) legislature shifting fiscal responsibilities on to local jurisdictions and dictating local spending levels for numerous programs. What the Maryland citizenry needs to understand is that liberals (Democrats) think they are much smarter than the rest of us. In their minds they have to impose themselves upon us because our ability to make decisions is so poor. I am not sure what Maryland is going to do when all the tax-paying residents move out of here as fast as they can. Goodbye, Maryland my Maryland.

In response to the letter written by David Holstein of Parkville ("Trayvon Martin coverage shows liberal bias," March 29), I would like to respectfully disagree with his perspective. First, he uses the term "liberal" as an empty label to de-humanize a person or an organization. Using empty labels such as "liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, heretic, commie, socialist, etc. " seems very divisive and disrespectful. These are words a bully would use to force his or her viewpoint onto others.

DURING THE LAST presidential campaign, there was much "God-talk" from Vice President Al Gore and his running mate, Joe Lieberman. Some commentators decided that Mr. Lieberman's injection of God into the campaign was not only something new but something wonderful. When George W. Bush talked of God, and especially Jesus, however, that was something - according to these same people - that threatened the republic and made people who do not share his views feel inferior. I recall no senator, and certainly no liberal special-interest group, raising the type of concerns about Mr. Gore and Mr. Lieberman that they now raise about Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft.

As preparations get under way for Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court confirmation hearings in mid-July, a speech she delivered in March has been attracting more attention than her opinions in her 13 years as a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge. It is an insightful speech on the law and provides a look at her thought process. Excerpts from the speech begin on Page 1 of this section.Reaction to the speech has been interesting. Some liberals, especially feminists, have expressed concern because she criticizes the 1973 landmark abortion decision of Roe vs. Wade.

The press complains that five conservative justices on the Supreme Court walk in lockstep to promote their agenda. And that may very well be the case. But in the interest of journalistic fairness, should it not be pointed out that the four liberal justices stick together all the time as well? If a case is to be decided on its merits, would we not expect from time to time that someone on each side would occasionally defect to the other? When it attributes the virtues to one bloc and the vices to the other, the media - like the court - is displaying bad judgment.