Why Liberals Irritate Me

I've stayed out of political discussions for quite a long time. I used to run a politically-themed blog, but it was exhausting and stressful. And I'm not the kind of guy who thrives on those types of conversations ("screaming at the wind" is how I described it in my final post on that long-dead blog). But Eugene Robinson, who is typically one of those Liberals I can't stand, opined today on last night's Presidential speech on the Great Gulf of Exxico Oil Slick (thanks, Craig Ferguson). Mr. Robinson said:

Less than a minute into President Obama’s Oval Office address, my heart sank. For the umpteenth time since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill began, an anxious nation was informed that Energy Secretary Steven Chu has a Nobel Prize. Obama’s speech pretty much went down hill from there.

[...]

We can all applaud Chu’s accomplishment. But here’s the thing: Chu is a physicist, not an engineer or a biologist. His Nobel was awarded for the work he did in trapping individual atoms with lasers. He’s absurdly smart. But there’s nothing in his background to suggest he knows any more about capping an out-of-control deep-sea well, or containing a gargantuan oil spill, than, say, columnist Paul Krugman, who won the Nobel in economics. Or novelist Toni Morrison, who won the Nobel in literature.

Or President Obama, who won the Nobel in peace, for that matter.

See, they are all smart people. And that is the problem with Liberals. Most of them are smart ... went to college, got a degree or two, became very important people with very important jobs ... and they won't hesitate to make sure that you know how smart they are. So smart, in fact, that they know what's better for you than you do.

It doesn't matter that they don't have your life experience. It doesn't matter that they don't live in your neighborhood. It doesn't matter that they don't know the variables in your personal universe. They have degrees. They have awards. They have elevated social positions. They can look down from on high and divine what is best.

But, Diarist, the President and his people have meetings and commissions. Liberals seek out knowledge and understanding. They must have a better idea of how to do things than I do!

See, I have to disagree with you there. Yes, it's true that Liberals tend to be more intellectually curious than the rest of us but, from my experience, it isn't out of a desire to learn or know more. They are simply looking for justifications to their pre-conceived notions ... voices of agreement with their pre-planned agendas. Is it any accident that last night's speech dealt more with the President's energy agenda and less with addressing the catastrophe at hand? I think not.

I don't have a witty ending to this post. I just needed to get that off my chest.