You Might Be a Left Wing Extremist If . . .

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 02:42:10 PM EST
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Joe Klein sez:

A left-wing extremist exhibits many, but not necessarily all, of the following attributes:
--believes the United States is a fundamentally negative force in the world.

--believes that American imperialism is the primary cause of Islamic radicalism.

--believes that the decision to go to war in Iraq was not an individual case of monumental stupidity, but a consequence of America’s fundamental imperialistic nature.

--tends to blame America for the failures of others—i.e. the failure of our NATO allies to fulfill their responsibilities in Afghanistan.

--doesn’t believe that capitalism, carefully regulated and progressively taxed, is the best liberal idea in human history.

--believes American society is fundamentally unfair (as opposed to having unfair aspects that need improvement).

--believes that eternal problems like crime and poverty are the primarily the fault of society.

--believes that America isn’t really a democracy.

--believes that corporations are fundamentally evil.

--believes in a corporate conspiracy that controls the world.

--is intolerant of good ideas when they come from conservative sources.

--dismissively mocks people of faith, especially those who are opposed to abortion and gay marriage.
--regularly uses harsh, vulgar, intolerant language to attack moderates or conservatives. . .

For the record, I fail, as I do not believe any of that. Go ahead, take the Left Wing Extremist test.

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You Might Be a Left Wing Extremist If . . . | 41 comments (41 topical)

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well I agree with one (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Jen M on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 02:51:34 PM EST

America is a Representative Republic

: Good point (none / 0) (#3)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 03:53:47 PM EST

He forgot (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by Edger on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:14:12 PM EST

--is responsible for Bush's debacle in Iraq, since if the left hadn't been emboldening the terrists all these years by opposing the occupation Bush would have won(?) by now. Of course asking what "winning" means and what the "plan" is, is part of the problem too.

Joe Klein is an idiot. I guess me saying that makes me a rabid left-wing extremist.

Man he was really (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by Che's Lounge on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:55:37 PM EST

trying for ideas there at the end.
We all know Joey the Joke does all sorts of nice things for his republican friends. As one commenter at Jesus General so aptly observed;

"Slurp, slurp, Joey. Don't forget to wipe."

RWNJ's and Jim trying once again to avoid the issues.

: What issues?? (none / 0) (#13)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 05:54:35 PM EST

Come on che, don't be shy.

There's an awful lot (5.00 / 1) (#21)
by Al on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 11:52:12 PM EST

of left-wing extremists in the world, then.

The truth is (5.00 / 1) (#22)
by Al on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 11:57:18 PM EST

that Klein is a left-wing extremist. Listen to this:

--doesn't believe that capitalism, carefully regulated and progressively taxed, is the best liberal idea in human history.

Carefully regulated and progressively taxed? What kind of loonie leftie hippy pigswill is that?

Eternal problems??? (none / 0) (#2)
by Dadler on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 03:27:18 PM EST

Nothing says forever like crime in America.

Someone call Hallmark.

And mocking people of faith? Are you f*cking kidding me? Try being an agnostic or an atheist. You might as well be a child molestor.
Please. And there's a war on Christmas too, right? Bunch of intolerant whiners.

By jove, I believe he's got it. (none / 0) (#4)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:09:20 PM EST

: Of course you would (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:14:45 PM EST

Jim your delusions have become apparent to us all.

That (none / 0) (#5)
by jondee on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:10:06 PM EST

Tent is so big, I bet you could fit the Dulles brothers, George Will and Joe Lieberman in there.

No mention of Right wing "extremists" I notice. And of course, none of the neocons or Norquist types are extremists. Rightwing extremists throw bombs, Leftwing extremists believe and say the wrong things.

: Yep (none / 0) (#6)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:14:01 PM EST

That is why I am laughing about it.

: Of course not. (none / 0) (#12)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 05:53:34 PM EST

Do you think he wants to insult his base????

Joe Klein'll (none / 0) (#9)
by jondee on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:16:10 PM EST

frame what "exremist" means, thank you very much.

If you replace all instances of (none / 0) (#10)
by Edger on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 04:23:06 PM EST

"America", "American", "United States", and "Corporations" in Joe's list with "Joe Klein and ilk", then Joe's list would work pretty well for me.

e.g.? (none / 0) (#14)
by Repack Rider on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 05:58:00 PM EST

I'll need an example of "...good ideas...from conservative sources."

Christopher Buckley (none / 0) (#15)
by Edger on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 06:31:46 PM EST

Let's quit while we're behind

Who knew, in 2000, that "compassionate conservatism" meant bigger government, unrestricted government spending, government intrusion in personal matters, government ineptitude, and cronyism in disaster relief? Who knew, in 2000, that the only bill the president would veto, six years later, would be one on funding stem-cell research?
A more accurate term for Mr. Bush's political philosophy might be incontinent conservatism.
...
George Tenet's WMD "slam-dunk," Vice President Cheney's "we will be greeted as liberators," Don Rumsfeld's avidity to promulgate a minimalist military doctrine, together with the tidy theories of a group who call themselves "neo-conservative" (not one of whom, to my knowledge, has ever worn a military uniform), have thus far: de-stabilized the Middle East; alienated the world community from the United States; empowered North Korea, Iran, and Syria; unleashed sectarian carnage in Iraq among tribes who have been cutting each others' throats for over a thousand years; cost the lives of 2,600 Americans, and the limbs, eyes, organs, spinal cords of another 15,000--with no end in sight. But not to worry: Democracy is on the march in the Middle East. Just ask Hamas. And the neocons--bright people, all--are now clamoring, "On to Tehran!"
What have they done to my party?

RePack (none / 0) (#19)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 09:04:26 PM EST

You mean no one on the Left has any??


Repack is replying (none / 0) (#20)
by glanton on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 09:23:19 PM EST

to this:

is intolerant of good ideas when they come from conservative sources.

And his response is on the money. What good ideas?


I know.... (none / 0) (#25)
by jimakaPPJ on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 08:09:51 AM EST

I was just having a laugh while watching both sides snark at each other.

Heck, if they sat down and talked, they might actually get something done.


It is to laugh (none / 0) (#26)
by Repack Rider on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 08:23:34 AM EST

if they sat down and talked, they might actually get something done.

One third of the limited amount of legislation passed by the "do nothing" 109th Congress had to do with naming post offices and bridges.

Firmly in control of Congress, he Republican delegation had all the opportunities they needed to "talk." Given such control, they relegated Democrats to holding public meetings in what amounts to the basement an they thwarted every attempt to hold administration officials responsible for their actions.

Now that they are no longer in control, Jim thinks that they should be doing what they didn't bother to do for the last 12 years.

Help me here, Jim. What evil forces prevented the GOP congressional delegation from talking to their DemocratIC counterparts for 12 years?


You forget I am not a Repub. (none / 0) (#31)
by jimakaPPJ on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 02:02:21 PM EST

What didn't you understand about the word "they?"


That's rich. (none / 0) (#32)
by Al on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 03:38:50 PM EST

If it walks like a Republican, and it talks like a Republican ...


Read your Strunk and White (none / 0) (#33)
by Repack Rider on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 04:00:46 PM EST

What didn't you understand about the word "they?"

Help me then. When I referred to the Republicans as "they," what was wrong with my usage? If you believe I used the word improperly, please correct me, since my long stint as a magazine editor was apparently the result of blind luck, and not in any way related to my (in)ability to write and speak my native language.


: Parsing becomes you. (none / 0) (#41)
by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 06:48:10 PM EST

Most of these I fail too. (none / 0) (#16)
by glanton on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 06:40:33 PM EST

This one's tricky:

--believes that the decision to go to war in Iraq was not an individual case of monumental stupidity, but a consequence of America's fundamental imperialistic nature

Now, I wouldn't describe America as fundamentally imperialist, although it has a history of dabbling in it. Mexico, Phillipines, Middle East, etc.

But it is also ridiculous to set up the Iraq debacle as an isolated incident of stupidity.

The truth lies somewhere in between.

: That one caught me for a moment too (none / 0) (#17)
by Edger on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 07:42:52 PM EST

and made me focus and think about what it was that I really believed about it.

A consequence of the fundamental imperialistic nature of the people who have hijacked America. A plan - not a mistake.

What is the point? (none / 0) (#23)
by Domino on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 12:50:37 AM EST

What are you trying to say, Big Tent Democrat? Are we supposed to be ashamed about agreeing to most, if not all, of those points? Now, Klein has made his list in a nasty manner, but rephrased, the list is a good guide.

Are you saying that no one holds those views? Sorry, but I do.

I am left wing. I am more left that almost all Democratic office holders.

Am I supposed to blindly believe and shout out that the US of A is the greatest country and our ideals and the reality of American society are sacred? I know Klein is calling me un-American. Are you?

What ever happened to the ideals of the UN? Are we not just one out of many nations? Are we, the US of A, by definition, right all the time?

To laugh at Klein (none / 0) (#24)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 01:34:10 AM EST

You're not laughing.


You miss the point (none / 0) (#27)
by Deconstructionist on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 09:25:45 AM EST

There are no Left-wing exrtemists so any attempt at description is inherently false. You can only be an extremist if you are on the Right. In fact, you might be a Right-wing extemist if you don't realize it is impossible to be a Left-wing extemist.

Moreover, it should be obvious by now that you are a Right-wing extemist if you are closer to the middle, even on only a few issues than the people who are not Left-wing extemists but get falsely identified as such.

When you are obviously always right about everything the only extremists are those who disagree with you.

It takes one to know one I guess. (none / 0) (#28)
by Edger on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 10:05:18 AM EST

When you are obviously always right about everything the only extremists are those who disagree with you.


He's Obviously a Joe Klein Lover (none / 0) (#29)
by squeaky on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 10:13:19 AM EST

He has also told many of us that we are not Liberals, but extremists. He claims to be a liberal, just like Joe Klein.


: Hahahahahahaha and hah! (none / 0) (#30)
by Edger on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 10:17:47 AM EST

Heh. Good morning you moonbat extremist!

but what does that mean... (none / 0) (#35)
by Deconstructionist on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 10:44:30 AM EST

.. beyond more Americans support or at least tolerate RW extremism than LW extremism. The relative failure of LW extremists doesn't make them any less real.

Are they fewer in number and also less persuasive to the the vast middle than those on the right? Yes, that is probably true.

I might suggest that means LW extemists do more damage to the non-extremist Left than the RW extremists do to the non-extremist Right I don't consider that a good thing.

: Er... (none / 0) (#36)
by squeaky on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 10:49:03 AM EST

I think that this shows that the media loves RW extremists. The public is voting them out. It just doesn't happen overnight.

Decon (none / 0) (#37)
by jondee on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 10:58:55 AM EST

curious how you would define "left wing extremist", and wondering also if you think Kleins categoricals hold up for most of the rest of the world: i.e., would those "in the middle", in say, Spain or England concur with Klein.

: Check your GPS (none / 0) (#42)
by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 06:51:40 PM EST

.... we're not in Spain or England.

Defining (none / 0) (#38)
by Deconstructionist on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 11:14:29 AM EST

"extremism" of any persuasion is difficult if not impossible. Klein was not defining it but merely, somewhat flippantly, offering some common attributes.

To me, ideological extremism of any stripe is most often associated with paranoia, intolerance, lack of reason, purity tests, total commitment to a position without any effort even to begin understanding all of the factors involved, the claim that opposing views are usually if not always motivated by nefarious intentions.

I also think one can hold "extreme" positions on some or even numerous iisues without being an "extremist" as we are discussing here.

In the new Nader (none / 0) (#39)
by jondee on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 11:15:15 AM EST

documentary, left wing extremist (and former Nixon aide) Pat Buchanan says America isnt a genuine democracy.

: He's right. (none / 0) (#43)
by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 06:52:47 PM EST

We are a constitutional republic.

Good (none / 0) (#40)
by jondee on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 11:17:39 AM EST

answer, Decon.