Do all liberals engage in groupthink?

One of the most mind-boggling attacks on liberals by conservative is the suggestion that "liberals aren't tolerant of differing ideas." One of biggest proponents of this theory is Fox News boy toy Alan Colmes, who is (hmmm... how can I say this delicately and compassionately?) ugly and dumb.

In a classic case of psychological projection, conservatives and their whipping boys attack the left for being hide bound to certain political positions and social opinions. They say that we're afraid to disagree with fellow liberals only if ever occurs to us to think differently or reconsider our views about certain touchstone issues (such as Row v Wade, the ERA, civil rights, the war in Iraq, opposition to the Patriot Act, etc).

What do you think? Do you get the impression that liberals like us are stuck in group think or do you think we're mostly diverse in our viewpoints--reflecting the classical meaning of liberalism, which is openness to new ideas?


a Brown Bag Blog

:)

I really wanted to come up with a poll that could help us count the freepers.

and you'll see how much liberals agree with each other!

After hanging out in DU for a a few years, it appears the only thing we do agree on is that Bush sucks.

...conservatives are always projecting their own defects on others and never take an honest inventory of themselves. The republicans and fundamentalists are the biggest bunch of "groupies" around. The GOP is right on the cusp of neo-fascism and straight arm salutes for their leader, *, sieg heil!

"nurturing father" mindset maybe? Something like that...

Everyone has a different answer. Noooooooooooooo way do we all have the same ideas.

Well, maybe about Bush as Teach1st indicated.

I don't belong to an organized political party, I'm a Democrat? That still sums this party up decades later. We are our own people, we're a divergent group. The last thing we engage in is "group think".

Groucho Marx
If we all adhered to a single philosophy, we'd be them!

no
yes
no
maybe


what was the question?
oh, world peace.
yes.

enfranchisement for every voter
yes

it is better to take it in the neck than stand and deliver
yes

how would that long-haired librul jesus vote?
doesn't matter... the pugs wouldn't count it, anyway, cos he'd likely be voting in a black precinct in Cleveland.

whalerider55,
who still has a snarl on tonite

"They're intolerant, I tell yer!"

I do love that smear, though. It's the height of loony projection.

GD is a bloodbath, never more so than after the election. I wouldn't call that groupthink.

Liberal political parties and the individuals within are notoriously fractious.

In fact, I find that they are far less prone to submitting to social hierarchy, and the blind loyalty that engenders, than conservatives. We are highly critical of one another, as everybody here knows.

As Johnson said, Democrats eat their own.

Unfortunately, sometimes DUers forget that despite our arguments, our very presence on the site should indicate that we all share something very important in common. We're on the same side.

As the president would say... "I smoked 'em out"

edited to up tally to 10

this forum would be really dull.

Alan Colmes IS ugly and dumb.

the right kills any (visible) dissent and present one, uniform message.

they're amazingly good at politics, and amazingly shitty at policy.

but we're all over the place cause WE CAN THINK FOR OURSELVES

if we had all answered "No, we don't all think alike?"

It's not a simple black and white answer in my opinion. Many people here share general ideas for sure but will always bicker on the details.

I didn't vote. :D

No, we don't all think alike, but we do think similarly. But the notion that there is no liberal orthodoxy with penalties for non-conformance is mistaken.

To stay intellectually healthy, we all have to be honest with ourselves question our own beliefs from time to time. This goes for everyone regardless of your political persuasion.

PS: I hate the left/right, blue/red dichotomy -- it's such a limiting and divisive framework in which to have discussions, but that's a topic of its own. (...just as soon as I get the ability to start new threads)