CONSERVATIVE PHILOSOPHY
They are more like our enemy

From the Daily Kos:

Foreign Policy

Al Qaida/Taliban: World domination - do it our way or we attack
American Taliban: World domination - do it our way or we attack
Liberals: Peace and international cooperation

Executing Minors

Al Qaida/Taliban: Executing Minors OK
American Taliban: Executing Minors OK
Liberals: Find this to be a barbaric and embarrassing practice

Pop Culture

Al Qaida/Taliban: Hate it... kill it
American Taliban: Hate it... ban it
Liberals: Laugh at it... boycott it

Self-image

Al Qaida/Taliban: Belief in their own infallibility
American Taliban: Belief in their own infallibility
Liberals: Willingness to consider other viewpoints

God

Al Qaida/Taliban: God is on our side and will help us kill our enemies
American Taliban: God is on our side and will help us kill our enemies
Liberals: God may or may not exist and will not help us kill anyone

Click here for the rest.

I've joked a few times over the years since 9/11 that the "war on terrorism" isn't really about America. Rather, given the ideological make up of the White House, it is a war between the Christian fundamentalists and the Islamic fundamentalists. In many ways, this isn't actually a joke. There are simply too many similarities between the two varieties of religious extremism to ignore. Kos, always strategy minded, suggests that Democrats would do well to highlight these similarities, and I am in total agreement. The anti-war=anti-America equation seemingly has lost its punch, and the time may be right to mount an ideological offensive.

Actually, the time is always right to mount an ideological offensive, but Democrats usually try to downplay what they really believe, thinking that's the best way to appeal to moderate swing voters. However, there is now an immense and new opening for the defining of political reality, which is a realm that the GOP has almost exclusively controlled for nearly a quarter century. If Democrats continue to cower in the corner, this window of opportunity may be lost--Kerry's loss last November makes it achingly clear that we cannot count on Republican failures to excite Americans about the left. It's time for the Democrats to proudly and loudly proclaim how they are different and why that's good for America.

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