Stephanie Miller on Liberalism
Stephanie Miller came on C-SPAN's Q&A and was asked what the term liberalism means to her.
Lamb: Are you worried about whether or not things are going to get tougher for liberal talk show hosts? And by the way would you rather be called a liberal or a progressive?
Miller: I don't care. I'm not afraid of...
Lamb: What's the difference...
Miller: I'm not afraid of that liberal word.
Lamb: What's the difference between them?
Miller: I don't know. I think, I know. I feel like Republicans succeeded in making liberal a dirty word so everyone went oh, we're progressives but I'm like ahh I'm a liberal. So what? I think I briefly stunned Sean Hannity into submission once when he said "Oh you're a liberal" and I'm like "Yes! And I'm proud of it." And then he was sort of shocked for a minute. He wasn't sure ah, you know if you reclaim like you know the, John F. Kennedy wrote a great thing about what it means to be a liberal and you know, there's a lot of great ideas that came from, not all of them, but a lot of great ideas that came from liberal thought.
So you know..... Brian we've had a year when Colin Powell spoke very eloquently about why he is for Barack Obama what does liberal mean any more?
Lamb: So what does that mean to you?
Miller: Well I think it speaks to a lot of Barack Obama has been speaking to and that is an inclusiveness. You know when you talk about where is the comedy. Well the comedy is still on the Republican side because you still hava a party that claims moral values and family values populated by the David Vitters and the Ted Haggerts and it's just, you know, and besides the fact that they're so over the top in their rhetoric, that now we're on defense. I mean literally, apparently we're in the middle of the Obama recession, after the Obama stock market crash and apparently this Obama bailout is really going to be a bitch. And I'm like "What?". He's not even President yet. This is the rhetoric that we've heard already and he's not even in office. So you know if you thought it was over the top, the rhetoric about him during the campaign, just wait.
Lamb: So what does it mean though to you to be a liberal? Define the steps along the way that make you a liberal.
Miller: Oh my gosh you know, I think it's interesting Barack Obama personally got elected on the power of we. He never said I. You know he quoted that we're the ones we've been waiting for, um, yes we can, and I think that's what people have been so thirsty for. To me that's what it means to be a liberal. And now it's caring about everybody. It's really trying to bring everybody along. It's a quality, you know, regardless of your race or sex or gender or sexual orientation.
I have to tell you when I heard his speech at the 2004 Convention, you know we have gay friends in the red states and we worship an awesome god in the blue states and there's no red America, there's not white, you know, blue America, I remember, I think I literally stopped breathing. Brian I said, and I remember thinking, I said, "This is our first black President". You know, and I'm sure a lot of people thought it at that moment but there is something that he embodies to me about what it means to be a liberal.
Update: For anyone who would like to watch the entire hour long program I see someone else put it up at You Tube. Enjoy if you're a Stephanie Miller fan. She had Brian Lamb cracking up throughout the entire interview.
...stand up and assert themselves. Enough of letting the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world define what liberalism is, i.e., a lack of patriotism, lack of family values, or in the worst case, a mental illness. Enough of letting the right set the agenda.
Smart, cute, thoughtful and funny...[Deleted. We don't go there on this site-Sitemonitor]
is that 1) Stephanie is funny and 2) Stephanie doesn't take herself too seriously and can laugh at herself.
[Deleted-Sitemonitor]
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
The most striking difference that i see is that Stephanie is overall open to discussion, pleasant and friendly - Ann is mean-spirited, venomous and bitter.
don't know what came over me....
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
And I'd go there too!
;)
question ... ?
I'm Boycotting NewsCorp! Heres what not to buy: http://www.cjr.org/resources/index.php?c=news...
It's like when so many certain Witches started saying they were Pagan.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I'm a Pagan. Care to explain that little crack there, Sparky?
Caroline Kennedy you know have a conversation on you know things.
Social intercourse?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Jesus was a liberal. WTF? Why wouldn't he even ask one question that was really relevant?
and I love her.
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8fNDfdjXd8
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
She's also funny and knows what she's talking about when it comes to politics.
If only [Deleted. Best shared at a site where you must attest to your age and acknowledge that the material you're about to view is of an adult-oriented nature. But not here, please. Thank you. Site Monitor]
n/c
Too much inside humor -I apologize.
I wouldn't mind being on a video with Stephanie at one of them thar sites!
;)
Is that "Liberals" have been in the hinterland for years.True progressives and their ideas are barely mentioned(except to illustrate how radical and "angry" protesters can be)Instead we get an endless procession of so called "moderates"(small-C conservatives)and hard right wing arseholes called "republicans".
"To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And,
at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between,
plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big "thing."
This is truth, to me. "
-Jack Handy
ms. miller is so correct. it's time for us to turn/quell this negative linguistic game the (R)'s have been successfully playing. this was a very successful strategy during the BUSH administration. it was a successful chant for the haters who often in my opinion had NO idea what they were speaking about. they would just resort to calling you a "liberal".........like that would hurt/trump somehow.
Actually, the Republicans' iron grip on language predates the Bush administration, and might be best exemplified by the memo that made the rounds during Gingrich's ascension. Apparently, the exalted one thought it was a good idea to put together a memo for use by Republicans, which was later inadvertently disclosed. The memo advised Republicans to characterize political opponents as "soft," "weak," "liberal," knee-jerk," "anti-American," etc., while using the terms "strong," "determined," "visionary," etc., to describe themselves.
That's it; that's the man behind the curtain. They're willing to call names and lie when convenient, and only back down when you push back.
no doubt this has been a strategy for yrs. it goes back to many other civilizations. it's deception.
deception is used to survive by some maybe all species. all i'm saying is that ROVE and others like norquist,delay and gingrich perfected it for their goals/strategy.
the last word IS power to someone without a rational argument... to those who cannot reason, to those who are incapable or too intellectually lazy to make the effort to comprehend... to those whom are overwhelmed by complexity but seek to mitigate the pain of their own insecurity, the ONLY recourse they have left is to attempt to control... and control to them in discourse is warfare... an exchange of gunfire without any interest in processing meaning, or achieving understanding... the ONLY goal such a small mind has is to get the last word in edgewise... no matter the cost...
the only way to end intolerance is to be intolerant of it
the only way to deal with a bully is to bully back
the only way to stop an ass that shits on you is to kick it
In college I had a "socialist" economics professor who made sense:"If you're a socialist you are into equality...If you are a capitalist you're into freedom". It made sense. And "if you are a conservative it means: you can't change. You are fearful of change and you resist change, all thing stay the same. If you are liberal you are:able to change, seek new ideas(Jesus was a liberal although the Jews don't like him...cause they are conservative),convert old to new and rearrange old to new. Liberal means free, not afraid.
You go Stephanie.....You know WHO YOU ARE and that is fantastic!
Cosmo
(Jesus was a liberal although the Jews don't like him...cause they are conservative)
You are kidding of course?
"To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And,
at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between,
plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big "thing."
This is truth, to me. "
-Jack Handy
"If you are a capitalist you're into freedom"
Who's freedom are we talking about? Doesn't that depend on which end of the stick you are on? People have died and killed fighting off heavy handed stingy capitalists - to make things more fair for THEIR OWN freedom.
Is a worker "free" when he isn't earning 25% of a living wage?
It is telling that the 'side' that wears its Jesus-brand on their sleeve actually value many of the opposite positions(and this coming from an athiest) - it's because they desire a sense of authoritarian superiority, not sharing values of humility, empathy and service.
Liberal tradition may not always be grounded in practical nessities of the now, but it is the value of a more thoughtful, empathetic, and appreciative society. Liberalism is the force moving us forward - All republicans/conservatives are "liberal" compared to most of history, and many extremist places in the world today. Liberalism is social evolution! Stand up and be proud!
In comparison to the likes of this:
> Church shooter gunning for liberals smiles while pleading guilty
Snip - "KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- An out-of-work truck driver smiled Monday as he pleaded guilty to killing two people and wounding six others at a Tennessee church last summer because he hated its liberal politics."
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Chuch_shooter_g...
Study the symptoms not the virus...
Liberal aka LEFT is something even beyond policy.
To the press the normal way things work in Washington is that Politicians say things to get elected, but once elected they leave those things behind.
Politicians come to a Government dominated and sold to the highest bidder, they leave government to peddle influence and make vast sums doing it.
They may even again return to Government and oversee the very corporations and people who have been paying them so handsomely.
According to the press' standard, knowing how the system works and being happy makes one savvy. In the know. Hip.
According to the Left, that makes one CORRUPT.
That is why the term liberal is demonized.
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
Thank you, Stephanie Miller, for taking back the term "liberal."
“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 Water Act, the Clean Air Act. And what did conservatives do? The opposed them at every one of those things, ever 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 wear it as a badge of honor.”
-- The West Wing (thank you, Aaron Sorkin)
It bugs me too, the way "liberal" is used like a dirty word. To me, liberalism is all about my favorite political motto "What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all." This quotation is from J.S. Woodsworth, who was a Member of Parliament in Canada during the 1930s. Woodsworth was one of those, you know, evil Canadian socialists.
(If it wasn't for those evil Canadian socialists, Canada wouldn't have universal health care.)
Conservatives tend to have a zero-sum mentality; a fear that if "those people" get more resources (or rights), then "we" are going to lose something.
"liberal" was portrayed as social/communist/anti-american to provide negative framing as a strategy to herd (R) voters of all demographics. this was/is very effective for people/demographic of (R) that hate/dislike people that are NOT like them. being a gray spectrum thinker as many are here liberals would get involved defending the noun liberal. this was part of the (R) strategy. the so-called genius
of ROVE and others. i believe that Obama understands this game and is capable of disarming the negative framing.
I tell them conservative is a filthy word, then I go on the attack with point after point about how they always f-over the regular people. Never met a conservatard yet, who could last more than a minute against the facts.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
There is no such thing as a liberal in politics in the US. They are either Dems or Repubs, neither of which are a liberal party. More political window dressing to manipulate the masses.
its a shame we didnt elect a liberal!
Wish I had some I could vote for too but they don't seem to exist very long in politics. The one's that really are liberal, are relegated to the back of the room, and shunned by both major parties in the US.
I'm cool with it if he is the conservaretards "wolf in sheeps clothing" or "most liberal senator ever"...
I think we may in fact find out that he is a liberal and it's just what the doctor ordered.
Bertrand Russell's A Liberal Decalogue, anyone?
http://users.drew.edu/~JLENZ/br-decalog.html
on C Span, I thought Lambs face was going to break he was holding back from laughing so much
if she's married? Because either way, I so want to take her out to dinner.
Whenever I hear some knuckledragging moron spouting off about liberals, I go through a short litany of what liberals have given the american people, and then a list of what conservatives have done - absolutley nothing!
Then I laugh at what chumps they are, as they just sit their with that stupid conservative look on their face (like they shit their pants) and say nothing.
God, they are so freakin' clueless.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
I LOVE fucking with conservaretards!
Miller is a comedian who knows politics.
Too bad more politicians don't know more about comedy.
On liberals: The Founders were liberals. Conservatives believe in authority. Liberals believe in democracy.
and HERE HE COMES!!!
I hope he doesn't lose that edge, that conservative-mocking wit! I wanna see him get shit done and at the same time, when necessary, BLAST OFF on the RETARDS!
i'm a proud long haired, left winged, left handed, commie-pinko, tree huggin, gay lovin, antisocial socialist.
what god wants, god gets! god help us all.
But with short hair.
Makes my days less frustrating.
...this interview and was very frustrated that, for some reason, the CSPAN signal in my area yesterday was c.r.a.p. Lost a lot of her comments.
Stephanie is Liberal-lite. Her uncritical view of Obama is very disturbing. She's more of a cheerleader. How can she, like Obama, promote an ongoing invasion and occupation of Afghanistan? How does she reconcile that with her supposed "liberal" views? For me, I'll take a "true" Progressive like Amy Goodman any day!!!
I agree.Amy Goodman is a good example of what I consider a real "progressive".
"To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And,
at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between,
plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big "thing."
This is truth, to me. "
-Jack Handy
that's one area we have to be a little more flexible with -
Would you rather the Taliban and Al Qaeda gain strength and sucker punch us again - especially if Obama receded from Afghanistan.
That's all Obama needs is to have the conservatives be able to say that he pulled out of there before we cleaned up the filth and they killed Americans again.
I think being in Afghanistan is a just cause - I don't think dropping bombs on wedding parties because you "have a hunch" is a great idea though.
I think he should be able to do this smarter.
Stephie is awesome in this clip, so clear and positive. "Liberal" is not a dirty word. I really resent that the right wing ever demonized it. I'm lucky to have Stephie's show to listen to in the mornings. Jim is hilarious!
We're LIBERALS DAMN IT!!!!!
... that Stephanie is the daughter of William Miller, Goldwater's GOP running mate in 1964.
So she obviously overcame her conservative upbringing -- as did I.
Proudly liberal and Democratic, despite a Nixon/Reagan family background,
BID
I think many people who don't come from the US are always amazed at how " liberal" is such a dirty/scary word there.
In my country a liberal is seen as a wishy washy type of left winger and its an insult only as far as it means you're a bit tepid, lukewarm in left wing views.
Hell, even the right wing here readily admits to ( even boasts) of being liberal.
It seems I'm in the 'word nazi' mood today. One of two comments compelled to challenge the C&L transcript. God know I'm no WordPerfect myself.
I haven't heard the audio. But from just reading the transcript, I'm pretty sure Stephanie is saying 'comity' not 'comedy'.
Comity defined as "mutual courtesy; civility".
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