Survey Shows Americans Now Feel Liberals 'Aren’t So Bad Anymore'

By Vidad MaGoodn

WASHINGTON (MNN) – Many Americans feel radical environmentalists, socialists, peaceniks, gays, PETA members and granola eaters “aren’t so bad anymore.”

Thanks to the fascism of the Bush Administration and the neo-cons, liberals are now looked upon more favorably than ever before.

Former Republican and political analyst Rich Goldman thinks he knows why. “Liberals have been a punching bag for “red state” Americans and conservatives for a long time. Frankly, those on the left are a little loony… but they’re certainly not as scary as the alternatives on the so-called ‘right!’”

Goldman has looked at the liberal/conservative spectrum for years – and liberalism has never been viewed in this positive a light.

“The thing is, good old-fashioned 'robbing the rich and giving to the poor' via expensive and wasteful government programs isn’t the worst thing in the world. Of course it’s stupid and annoying and eats up productivity in the market – but it still beats the heck out of jackboots, pre-emptive wars, torture, secret prisons and press censorship. I think people are now looking at liberals and saying, ‘hey, compared to Bush and crew – these guys and gals look downright wholesome!’”

In one survey that asked Americans questions about their political feelings, liberals were generally more liked than conservatives, provided the word “liberal” was not used.

Of interest was that many respondents who self-identified as evangelicals still hated liberals more than they hated a police state. In fact, most evangelicals actually embraced living in a police state, deduced from their responses to questions about war, torture and civil rights.

A particularly revealing observation showed that most evangelicals called themselves “pro-life,” yet paradoxically supported the slaughter in Iraq as being “just.”

Respondents that identified themselves as “on the left” were not without their own foibles. They often were “pro-choice,” meaning they were okay with the death of unborn innocents, but were adamantly against war-related casualties - another illogical position.

Researchers say a small group was “pro-life” and “anti-war” but their answers didn’t matter since their unnatural views removed them from mainstream American thought.

Another question on the survey asked whether homosexuality was as destructive to society as kicking in skulls, torturing civilians and taking away the right to trial. 80% of Americans felt it was not as destructive, though evangelicals that described themselves as “pleased with the Bush administration” (a large majority) seemed to feel that death wouldn’t be good enough for most gays. Some even suggested that waterboarding might “scare them straight.”

For the small fraction of evangelicals that don’t support the Bush administration and who are not politically liberal, a group mostly comprised of Libertarians, classic conservatives and Constitutionalists, there’s very little hope of fitting into society.

Southern Baptists are likely to tear the limbs off anyone that doesn’t feel our troops are “keeping us free,” and they’re also likely to do the same to those that eat granola or use biodiesel.

Liberals can also be vicious towards those who believe the unborn have rights, or, as the survey puts it, people that feel "homosexuality isn’t something you’re born with, but it is a moral failing that should be met with love and compassion."

The question remains for researchers – why have Americans submitted to the draconian violations of personal liberty and privacy that have been spawned by so-called “conservatives?”

Who knows – but at least liberals are finally feeling some love.