Category Archives: Liberal

Among the more bizarre and gruesome rites of ancient Rome was the practice of killing an animal in order to examine its entrails.

The purpose of this sanguinary custom, known as "haruspicy", was not diagnostic, but to enable divination. Like those who seek revelation in tea-leaves, palm lines or the stars, the Romans believed that an animal's internal organs could offer insights into human destiny.

The consultation of oracles might not, at the moment, be foremost among the intentions of SA Liberal apparatchiks, but few observers would dispute that their party has just undergone electoral evisceration.

Four years after finally breaking Labor's stranglehold on power, the Liberals find themselves again in opposition and again in the political wilderness.

They are now in a predicament potentially worse than the aftermath of the infamous Rannslide of 2006, when Mike Rann was emphatically re-elected as premierand the Liberals occupied just 15 of the 47 seats in parliament's lower house.

At the time, political analyst Dean Jaensch wrote presciently of the impediments to Liberal unitythat would trouble the party during Mr Rann's term in office.

Jaensch notedthe Liberals' inability to resolve their chronic internecine hostilities:

"The party has to face a complete restructure, from the foundations up. And for that to occur, the factions will have to work together. On the basis of 40 years of internal warfare, that will require a miracle."

Over the next few years, the Liberals busily set about vindicating Jaensch's predictions, holding several leadership spills that demonstratedthat a diminished presence in parliament is not necessarily a deterrent to factionalrancour.

It wasn't always this way. In fact, during themiddle decades of the 20th century, the central question confronting members of the Liberal Country League (the precursor of the modern Liberals) was not how they would gain power, but how they might lose it.

Party leader Thomas Playford's 26-year reign, from late 1938 to early 1965, remains a record for an Australian premier.

Nicknamed "honest Tom", Playford was able to achieve such longevity by what were arguably dishonest means. A gerrymander, dubbed the "Playmander", gifted rural seats disproportionate electoral power. Playford himself did not devise the gerrymander, but nor did he repeal it, and it was not until he left office that the system was finally abolished by Liberal premier Steele Hall.

More than five decadeshave elapsed since the watershed 1970 election the first of the post-Playmander era, and the first of the so-called Dunstan Decade. Since the reform, the Liberals have won only four of 16 state elections, andheld office for less than a third of the time.

No Liberal premier has won two elections, let alone consecutive ones, since Playford himself last did it more than 60 years ago.

The question of why this is the case is an urgent one for Liberal strategistsas they prepare to inspect the entrails in the hope of uncovering clues about what went wrongand how to avoid it happening again.

Recrimination is an unedifying subject,but, within the remaining ranks of the SA Liberals, there will be much of it in the weeks ahead.

A year ago, Steven Marshall seemed a veritable shoo-in for a second term as premier: COVID-19 management had gifted him a formidable platform from which to plot a return to office.

Labor MPs would have been forgiven for privately dismissing the 2022 election as likely unwinnable, and instead postponing any optimism until 2026.

So what changed?

One obvious factor was COVID, specifically the Omicron variant. Those in search of a decisivemoment might do worse than selectingNovember 23, 2021 the day that SA's eastern borders reopened, allowing the virus back in.

As case numbers rose, Liberal popularity seemed to decline accordingly. Ironically, while they could not achieve unity within their own ranks, the Liberals did manage to unify their enemies during this time: voices of very different persuasions on issues such as social restrictions and vaccination formed a loose "coalition of contempt", united by fury towards the government's Omicron strategy.

Single-term governments occupy an awkward place in history books and in the popular consciousness.

For this reason, staunch Labor supporters may be inclined to unkindly deride the Marshall government as little more than an anomaly.

In certain respects, Labor's return to office represents a resumption rather than a renaissance: prominent MPs Tom Koutsantonis, Stephen Mullighan, Susan Close, Katrine Hildyard, Zoe Bettison, Kyam Maher and Chris Picton have all previously held ministerial portfolios.

The elephant in the room or in the ambulance is the matter of ramping, and the role played by the paramedics' union in the Liberals' defeat. The Ambulance Employees' Association became living proof of Billy Bragg's lyric, "there is power in a union".

Over its four years in office, the Marshall government presided over a grave deterioration on the ramping front.

During the election campaign, Labor and the AEA which remained locked in industrial dispute with the Marshall administrationuntil the bitter end waged a relentless war of attrition over ramping, leaving the government moribund.

Campaign warfare, however, is only one part of the pictureand it is not the most important part. For there are deeper reasons as to why the Liberals imploded in Saturday's ballot. Happily, history can help us understand them.

In November 1996, less than a year out from an election, Liberal premier Dean Brown was ousted by factional rival John Olsen in a leadership spill. Mr Brownhad swept to powerin a Liberal landslidethree years earlier, withthe collapse of the State Bankensuringan end toLabor rule after 11 years.

The 1996 partyroom coup was the latest instalment of an intergenerational drama in which moderate and conservative Liberal factions adopting the roles of sworn enemies locked in self-destructive life-or-death struggle put their own fortunes ahead of their common interests.

Several ideological incongruities characterise this factional fissure. Moderates have tended to be reformist and socially liberal, and in favour of law change on matters such as euthanasia. Conservatives are believers in the value of tradition, and are often churchgoers. If not necessarily holding rural seats, they nevertheless are more closely associated with rural interests.

These internal antagonisms have festered within the party for years, and the Marshall government's attempts to resolve or quell them failed spectacularly. By the end, three MPs who had started their terms in 2018 as Liberals Sam Duluk, Fraser Ellis and Dan Cregan had migrated to the crossbench, leaving Mr Marshall at the helm of a minority government.

Admittedly,the departuresof Mr Duluk and Mr Ellis werenot of their own volition, but because of criminal charges being laid (Mr Duluk was later acquitted, while Mr Ellis who was among several MPsinvestigated as part of the country members' travel allowance scandal has not yetfaced trial).But it remains significant thatall three of the dissident MPs had been affiliated with the party's conservative wing.

Mr Cregan precipitated one of the more extraordinary sessions of state parliament when, after quitting the Liberals, heseized the speakership and emerged as a hostile MP. It is indicative of the disaffection among erstwhile Liberal voters that Mr Cregan and Mr Ellis have both been re-elected as independent MPs, with significant swings towards them.

Mr Cregan's defection was not a case of deserting a sinking ship, but a far more paradoxical phenomenon: that of a man helping to sink a ship by jumping overboard.

The act occurred only a few months after the Liberal Party had denied memberships to hundreds of applicants who were evangelical Christians. Characterised by moderates as an attempt to counter branch stacking, the move was instead described by federal conservative Nicolle Flint as the "most extraordinary and undemocratic act" in her time in politics.

"The party was, in the view of many, hijacked by the moderates back in 2013 when Steven Marshall and Vickie Chapman took over as leader and deputy," Martin Hamilton-Smith a former Liberal opposition leader and conservative defector told the ABC in September.

"Since then, conservatives have been sidelined, ushered out the door, marginalised."

But this is only half of the story, becausethe casualties weren't only on the conservative side of the ledger. The biggest of all was deputy premier Vickie Chapman, a moderate and an ally of Mr Marshall. In November, she relinquished her portfolios amid an ombudsman's investigation into her decision as planning minister to refuse a port on Kangaroo Island.

A month before this transpired, the premier had been subjected to parliamentary attack from Labor over the unrelated and seemingly trivial matter of whether it had been appropriate to allow a film crew into the Royal Adelaide Hospital, to make a video about its haematologyunit, at a time of significant ramping. In response, Mr Marshall quipped:

"Last time I looked, we weren't running blood-management units out of the Liberal Party in South Australia. Maybe some blood-letting."

It was a flippant remark that was said with a smilebutnow seems ominous. Just as there is nothing wrong with losing allies if you are recruiting them in equal numbers, blood loss matters less if it is countered by transfusion. But no party can withstand uncontrolled haemorrhaging.

Mr Marshall has already committed to quitting his position as Liberal leader, should he manage to hold the seat of Dunstan. What confronts his successor is a messy and bloody businessand it will take a person of rare staminato stomach it, entrails and all.

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SA election 2022: The Playmander, the Rannslide and the roots of Liberal implosion - ABC News

Politicians often say every seat matters in an election, so it's jarring to see several key electorates without candidates just days out from a campaign.

This isn't normal. Candidates do sometimes drop out. Some are hit with scandals. But these are normally isolated cases unlike the rump of winnable seats currently without Liberal candidates.

Much of this is due to a factional battle between three groups in the New South Wales Liberal Party that has held back pre-selections for cabinet minister Sussan Ley, moderate Trent Zimmerman and the Prime Minister's numbers-man Alex Hawke.

These preselections are now secured and the seats are safe.

The bigger problem is missing candidates in seats like Lilley (on a margin of 0.6 per cent), Eden-Monaro (0.9 per cent), Greenway (2.8 per cent), Parramatta (3.5 per cent) or contestable seats like Warringah (7.2 per cent), Jagajaga (5.9 per cent) and Bennelong (6.9 per cent).

"What's remarkable is there are a couple of government seats they need to defend like Bennelong, where they haven't picked a candidate, or Hughes, where Craig Kelly is running for the United Australia Party," ABC election analyst Antony Green said.

"And then there are marginal Labor seats like Parramatta and Greenway that are still vacant.

"If you're trying to win a seat or hold a marginal seat you'd be wanting to campaign for months and have your name out there around shopping centres, and at this stage, the best the Liberal party can do is put out a generic leaflet as there's no candidate they can name."

Candidates may be announced for these seats before the election is called, but the delay means less time to boost name recognition, raise moneyand campaign.

"The personal vote of sitting members is a little overstated sometimes, but it still can be worth up to 3 per cent in an urban seat," Mr Green said.

Labor is more organised in comparison but there are still some notable omissions.

It has no confirmed candidate in Parramatta where Julie Owens is retiring, although former Rudd advisor Andrew Charlton is likely to be pre-selected.

The party has no candidate to replace the retiring Antony Byrne in the Victorian seat of Holt and there's also no candidate in Bennelong. But most marginal seats are covered.

The Labor preselection process is also not without controversy.

A decision to parachute Kristina Keneally into the western Sydney seat of Fowler at the expense of local Vietnamese-Australian lawyer Tu Le was criticised at the time.

The Sydney Morning Herald revealed similar criticism over a push to install Mr Charlton, who has a $16 million home in Sydney's eastern suburbs, in Parramatta.

Local Labor members have told the ABC it is a "slap in the face" for the local multicultural community.

Not all Liberal headaches are due to factional jostling or delays.

In Lilley, candidate Ryan Shaw withdrew to focus on his mental health.

But it has played a role in seats like Warringah, where the Liberals preferred candidate reportedly resigned after an impasse on pre-selections.

Some marginal seats like Dobell (1.5 per cent) have only been filled in recent weeks, leaving only a short time to boost name recognition in the community.

The last day for candidates to be nominated for a seat is as soon as 10 days after the writs for an election are issued.

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Several winnable federal seats missing Liberal and Labor candidates, days before expected election campaign - ABC News

The liberal arts colleges strategic plan, slated for 2025, will include direct input from elected committees and faculty.

The University of Iowas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 2025 vision highlights how the university hopes to collaborate with faculty and staff to incorporate their ideas into changes made to the college.

The vision for the liberal arts college for the next five years was distributed to department chairs in the form of a presentation on Feb. 28, and Dean Sara Sanders released a spring update regarding the strategic plan.

In the video, Sanders said the goals of the strategic plan are to:

As we come out of our learnings from the fall through our self-study, the college review, and understanding our budgetary situation, its clear that the vision that we hold dear will not be possible without more decisions and actions with a longer horizon in mind, Sanders said in the video.

Sanders told The Daily Iowan that the vision for the next five years aims to build the colleges writing communication section and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

RELATED: University of Iowa 10-year master plan includes razing Halsey Hall, Westlawn

We will be looking at curriculum, areas of strength, how we use our resources, and what our students need, she said.

Sanders said every university is tackling how to better and modernize their institutions.

Were not unique in this everyone is having these conversations, she said. Weve got to make sure that Iowa is the place that people want to be. And so how do we think about our own opportunities to really maximize on who are we, and where do we want to be, and where do we maximize our strengths?

Sanders said it is important to update the university to make it an ideal institution for prospective students.

When I started [at] Iowa 20 years ago, many things were the same, she said. We know that as the world changes, we know that our student interests change and we as an institution have to be able to adapt, and so thats part of our goal, too, is to figure out, How do we adapt?

The plan intends to incorporate the ideas of UI shared governance so that all voices across campus are heard, Sanders said.

What were asking is for our faculty leaders, people who are experts in their areas, to lead voices to where they feel that we should go in some key strategic areas, she said. This is not about reducing, its not about minimizing, its about building capacity, building strength for the future.

The strategic plan will be more put together in the fall, Sanders said, when the committee work will be emerging, as the plan is just beginning.

The rich body of faculty will help bring issues to the forefront as the plan develops, Sanders said.

Our departmental directors are just phenomenal, Sanders said. They know their areas, they know where the research trends are going. They know where Iowas excelling, they know where Iowa needs to strengthen. Im asking our leaders to bring forward to us how they feel that we can actually strengthen our future.

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UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to incorporate faculty voices in 2025 vision - UI The Daily Iowan

In a hotly contested byelectionbetween two former members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Progressive Conservatives have narrowly retained the seat once held by former Manitoba premier Brian Pallister.

Obby Khan was in a back-and-forth battle with Liberal candidate Willard Reaves for most of the night before pulling ahead late to claim victory in Winnipeg's Fort Whyte electoral district. Khan becomes the first Muslim MLA-elect in the province's history.

"I have not only the honour of being your MLA for Fort Whyte, but this is a huge badge for me," the 41-year-old told his supporterslateTuesday evening. "I have the honour of being the first Canadian Muslim elected in the history of Manitoba."

Khan's win means the PCs maintain a strong majority with 36 of 57 legislature seats and it was the first byelection under the leadership of Premier Heather Stefanson, who was elected last fall.

With all 56 polls reporting, Khan garnered3,050 votes comparedto 2,853 for Reaves. NDP candidate Trudy Schroeder finished in a distant third with 1,112 votes.

Khan's winning total represents just over 42 per cent of thevotethe first time a PC candidate has won less than 50 per cent of the ballots cast in the district and a far cry from the 57 per cent posted by Pallister in 2019.

"I want everyone to know in Fort Whyte that your message was heard loud and clear tonight," Khan said. "We have some work to do. I have some work to do, and I'm going to do that work for you in Fort Whyte and in Manitoba."

WATCH |Obby Khan's victory speech:

Khan, who is also anownerand operator ofShawarma Khan, a Winnipeg-based halal shawarmarestaurant, admitted it was a tough election, but vowed to work with his new constituents going forward.

A total of 7,189 votes were cast, for a final turnout of 45.2 per cent of the 15,907 registered voters in the district.

Independent candidate Patrick Allardfinished with 101 votes, while Nicolas Geddert of the Green Party received 55 votes. Fifteen ballots were rejected and three were declined.

Before the final tally was announced, Elections Manitoba said 2,335 advance ballots were cast and 300 mail-in ballots were returned.

Under Elections Manitoba rules, if the winning margin had been less than 50, the returning officer would have immediately had to apply to the court for a recount.

A recount will not be needed after Reaves conceded the byelection, calling Khan to congratulate him.

Despite the loss, the former Bomberrunning back said he plans to run against the ex-Blue-and-Gold lineman again in the 2023 provincial election.

"This time the outcome will be different. I guarantee it because if Obby Khan doesn't do the job that he has been elected to do, Fort Whyte will know about it," Reaves said.

Schroeder released a statement via email after the final votes had been counted.

"Byelections are unique, but tonight's result is clear: Manitobans are tired of Brian Pallister and Heather Stefanson and the damage they have done to our province. I'm proud of the positive campaign our team ran," Schroedersaid.

The suburban seat in southwest Winnipeg has normally been a safe one for the PCs, but support for the governing party has lagged during the pandemic, and Premier Heather Stefanson has not been able to turn that around.

A recent poll found that Stefanson is the least popular provincial leader in the country.

Despite the close vote, Stefansonsaidthe byelection is all about growing the future of the PC party under a giant tent.

"This is about being inclusive and welcoming people from all different backgrounds to our party and just so excited to be here," she said, while concedingpeople are angry right now about a number of things.

"I think that obviously we're going to have to work with Manitobans, bring Manitobans back together again. And so today is is a new day. Tomorrow's a new day," she said.

"We're going to work with Manitobans towardthe next election and do everything we can to earn their trust."

MAP | Fort Whyte:

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PC Obby Khan narrowly edges Liberal Willard Reaves in Fort Whyte byelection - CBC.ca

University of Kansas Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer provided information on the search tofind a new dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in an email sent to University staff and faculty Wednesday.

In the message, Bichelmeyer said the University is using a new approach to fill the position, by adding the word executive to the job title. John Colombo currently serves as the Colleges interim dean.

Adding a single word to the title may seem inconsequential, yet it will allow us to appeal to and attract a broader range of diverse candidates, including those who might not at first understand the significant opportunities at KU and the great quality of life Lawrence offers, Bichelmeyer said in the message. This change also offers advantages that will radiate through the College.

Bichelmeyer added that it makes sense to have this structural organization, however there are challenges that remain. The size of the College makes it difficult for the dean to address all aspects of the organization, Bichelmeyer said.

The new Executive Dean will take leadership for priorities such as promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for students, staff and faculty in the College; fostering interdisciplinary research and discovery, increasing enrollment and retention of undergraduates, aligning the College strategic plan with Jayhawks Rising, and engaging with KU Endowment in philanthropic activities, Bichelmeyer said.

Bichelmeyer said this decision was reached through conversations with individuals in the College, as well as across the University.

Many different and contrary ideas were expressed on how the College should move forward with its new leadership, Bichelmeyer said. One thing, though, was clear. The College needs a structure that will allow its leadership to succeed as it supports the people who give its programs value and voice.

Bichelmeyer said she welcomes thoughts and questions, and encourages those reading to send them to her, or to other members of the search committee.

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Provost announces new position in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - The University Daily Kansan

Planning an election campaign and wrangling the dozens of journalists, photographers and camera operators is a logistical nightmare for any leaders office.

Holding a federal election in the era of COVID-19 adds a whole extra layer.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have different COVID-19 rules for media on their campaign buses.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

An election is anticipated to be called in the next three weeks it has to be held by May 21 and the offices of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labors Anthony Albanese are working with campaign headquarters to be ready whenever the PM heads to the Governor-Generals residence in Yarralumla.

The major parties have largely agreed on the need to follow health advice and how best to stem outbreaks over the two years of the pandemic.

But for the coming campaign trail, they have diverged significantly.

Advice from the Liberals to media says anyone on the Morrison bus will be required to follow the relevant state and territory COVID regulations at all times.

As the rules stand, if the campaign heads to the marginal seats in western Sydney everyone can be mask-free (unless the Prime Minister ventures into a hospital or an indoor music festival with more than 1000 people). But if he heads across the Nullarbor to campaign in several key seats in Perth, masks are mandated everywhere indoors and there are limits on gathering numbers.

Should any reporter on the Liberal trail catch COVID, theyre off the bus and its up to their employer to manage their isolation.

Mr Morrison understands well how this works: he spent a week in isolation earlier this month after catching the virus.

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Campaigning in the COVID-19 era splits Liberals and Labor - Sydney Morning Herald

SANDPOINT, Idaho Linda Navarre moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, from Cleveland in 1978, when the town consisted of people in the timber industry and hippies and they all got along.

Now she barely recognizes the small resort community near the Canadian border that is quickly growing as people disenchanted with big city life move there. Many are conservatives fed up with liberal politics in blue states.

The division gets wider and wider, Navarre said, adding many of the new arrivals are changing the civility of the community. My concern is there are so many people who are not nice.

Sandpoint is a four-season resort town built along the shores of scenic Lake Pend Oreille. It had 7,300 residents in the 2010 Census, but grew 21% in the decade to about 8,900 in the 2020 Census. In addition to the natural beauty, people come here because its a red state, said longtime resident Gail Cameron, 67.

To capitalize on that trend, a growing number of real estate companies are advertising themselves to people on the right, saying they can take them out of liberal bastions like Seattle and San Francisco and find them homes in places like rural Idaho.

Sandpoint-based Flee The City is a consortium of four businesses which specialize in selling property to conservatives in northern Idaho and western Montana. The company calls itself a real estate firm for the vigilant.

Flee the City has partnered with a company that provides sustainable homes design with integrated ballistic and defensive capabilities.

Todd Savage, whose Black Rifle Real Estate firm is part of Flee The City, said in a brief email exchange that his business is booming, thanks to insane left wing politics.

One of the bigger players among right-leaning real estate companies is Conservative Move, based in a suburb of Dallas. Founder and chief executive Paul Chabot said blue states have only themselves to blame for driving out conservatives.

People are tired of out-of-control crime and forced masking, Chabot said.

Idaho has been the fastest growing state in the nation for five years running, growing 2.9% in 2021, mostly from in-migration.

But the influx of people to places like Idaho has made it harder for some long-time residents. People struggle to find housing in Sandpoint, with many houses sold the same day they are listed, after bidding wars, Cameron said.

Many of those homes are converted into vacation rentals, which tightens the market for people who live in the area, Cameron said.

Carolyn Knaack, associate director of the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper conservation group, has lived in town for a year.

She said the confluence of the coronavirus pandemic and politics has created a divisiveness among folks.

Ive been applauded and belittled for wearing a mask, she said. I have friends who refused to get vaxxed.

Savage was asked if it was desirable for people to segregate themselves by political ideology.

I dont agree with the term segregate, he wrote. Folks simply vote with their feet relating to issues such as crime, taxes, homeschooling, gun laws, mask and vaccine mandates, Orwellian laws and out of control tyranny in the sanctuary states.

Not everyone is a fan of what Savage and conservative realtors are doing in Sandpoint and elsewhere.

Mayor Shelby Rognstad, a Democrat, worries real estate firms that serve only conservatives pushes Idaho more and more into a playground for extremism.

It doesnt bode well for our sense of community here, said Rognstad, who is mounting a campaign for governor. Its a challenge to civility.

Barbara Russell, who lives in nearby Bonners Ferry, Idaho, expressed similar concerns.

Bonners Ferry feels like its been overrun with white nationalists, said Russell, who owns a dance studio in the town of 2,600 residents.

What they are doing is preparing for war, Russell said of new arrivals, who often carry guns when in town.

New people are moving in and they go to City Council meetings and tell people who grew up here to go back to California, Russell said. They are selling fear is what they are doing.

The National Association of Realtors does not keep records of if any of its members market themselves by political ideology, spokesman Quintin Simmons said. And not all real estate agents are members of the Realtors. So its tough to determine if the trend of targeting conservative customers is widespread.

The Western States Center, a human rights group based in Portland, Oregon, is keeping an eye on right-leaning real estate firms, said member Kate Bitz.

Its just the latest of several waves of politically motivated relocation to the inland Northwest, Bitz said.

Indeed, in past decades a variety of extremist groups, most prominently the Aryan Nations, sought to create a white homeland in northern Idaho because of the regions small number of minorities.

People in the United States relocate all the time, Bitz said. What concerns us is when white nationalists and anti-democracy actors relocate to the region with the aim of organizing, recruiting and seizing control of local institutions.

The rest is here:

Realtors to conservatives living in liberal areas: Try Idaho - TownLift

As an optimist, I believe the world is generally improving, though it is not always easy to see how. The past two years certainly have shaken that optimism. Liberalism appears to be on the retreat: governments worldwide have adopted distinctly anti-liberal attitudes and policies to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. The words protests and terrorism have become synonymous in the halls of Congress and the Canadian Parliament, with the Canadian government even going so far as to seize assets of nonviolent protestors.

The values and ideals for which many have fought and died are being killed off in committees or decried as outdated ideas. Liberalism is decried as bourgeois by the Left. The Right sees liberalism as too weak to combat formidable adversaries like Russia and China. We liberals are on the defensive, thats for sure.

There have been bright spots, however. Shortly after declaring a state of emergency, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was forced to retreat from his position and ended the State. The US Supreme Court has repeatedly struck down various overreaching measures by the Biden administration. The current anti-liberal elites (and by elites I mean those who fancy themselves opinion-makers, such as politicians, celebrities, and intelligentsia regardless of political affiliation) see these items as, at best, temporary setbacks; they are the death throes of an obsolete ideology and nothing more.

The anti-liberal elites believe they have all the power. History and Science are on their side. They and they alone are the arbiters of Right and Wrong. Their positions as politicians, professors, priests, and performers grant them the insight needed to direct society. Liberalism was all well and good in the 18th and 19th centuries. Still, Science has advanced to such a level that liberalism is no longer needed. Liberalism will soon be ground beneath the wheel of time. It is destiny, after all.

The idea of destiny helps people believe there is an order to life. And there is order. But it is not the directed order of a cabal of Big Thinkers nor the machinations of supernatural beings. Instead, it is the emergent order of billions and billions of people. People working together. People responding to challenges. People acting on values and virtues. This emergent order often differs from the elites plans, requiring them to rely more and more on punishment to get their way.

Punishment, however, is not an effective way to operate a society. In the 1977 science fiction classic Star Wars: A New Hope, the heroine, and leader of a band of rebels, Princess Leia, is captured and brought before the evil Governor Tarkin aboard his planet-destroying battle station. After Tarkin brags about its destructive power, Leia quips: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. Her predictions are borne out: after unleashing the Death Stars destructive power, the Rebels ranks swell, and the evil Empire is ultimately overthrown.

Some liberals believe we are at a Tarkinian moment right now. The elites have overplayed their hands. They act as though they have the power, but their actions indicate they fear they are losing it. People will go along with restrictions for only so long, especially when those restrictions severely reduce their ability to live a good life. As the Powers That Be continue to tighten their grip, more folks will resist.

I, however, do not believe we are at a Tarkinian moment quite yet. We are approaching it, yes, but what we are seeing is something temporarily prior but much more important: a Leia moment. In the same Star Wars story (but different movie), the Rebel Alliance is a loosely connected band of dissenters. Theres little real leadership. Despite a resolve, no one knows how to fight the Empire, which has massive resources at its command.

When it is discovered that the Empire is building the Death Star, all hope is lost, and talks begin among the nominal Rebel leadership of surrender. But a group of Rebel spies infiltrate an Imperial base and steal the plans for the Death Star to discover and exploit a weakness. The spies transmit the plans to Leia, whose face illuminates with happiness at their success. When her officer asks her what the transmission they received is, she responds with just one word: Hope.

Without hope, no movement can succeed. Through much of the past two years, liberals had little reason to hope. But now, we do. More and more folks are willing to listen to us again. Anti-liberalism remains a threat, but it is beginning to retreat worldwide.

To be sure, while we have hope, we do not have victory yet. Before the final victory was achieved, the Rebel Alliance would have to fight for five more long and bloody years, suffering significant setbacks. So, too, do we liberals continue to face threats.

We must remain optimists. Liberalism has faced such existential crises before. Many of those who believed that History is theirs to control, who believed their cause was inevitable, now lie in the ash heap of history. We mustnt rest on our laurels, but we can take hope in the fact that liberalism is a hardy weed, not a delicate flower.

Jon Murphy is currently an economics PhD student at George Mason University specializing in Law & Economics and Smithian Political Economy. He has previously worked as an economic consultant in New Hampshire. Mr. Murphys interests include environmental issues, international trade, political economy, and sports economics. He also blogs at http://www.jonmmurphy.com

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A Liberal Moment, But Which One? - Brownstone Institute

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Media outlets are repeating a liberal talking point while reporting on the HB 1557 education reform bill being passed in Florida.

A GOP-backed bill garnered national attention for being derided by progressives as being anti-LGBTQ with accusations that the bill forbids any discussion pertaining to being gay in schools. Left-wing critics have referred to the legislation as the "Don't Say Gay" bill even though such language is absent from the bill itself.

The bill, officially named Parental Rights in Education, states, "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."

DESANTIS ACCUSES REPORTER OF PEDDLING FALSE NARRATIVE ON EDUCATION BILL IN HEATED PRESS CONFERENCE CLASH

The legislation additionally requires schools to inform parents "if there is a change in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being and the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student" and requires parent approval before children from kindergarten through third grade participate in a "well-being questionnaire or health screening" and that parents have the option to opt their children out across all age groups.

Following a 22-17 vote in the Florida Senate, the bill now heads to the governor's desk. Numerous outlets, however, provided a partisan framing to the vote, using the "Don't Say Gay" characterization of the reform effort.

Demonstrators protest inside the Florida State Capitol, Monday, March 7, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida House Republicans advanced a bill, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, to forbid discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, rejecting criticism from Democrats who said the proposal demonizes LGBTQ people. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The Associated Press ran the headline "Dont Say Gay bill passes in Florida, goes to governor" with AP reporter Zeke Miller tweeting, "The Florida legislature has passed the Dont Say Gay bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign into law."

The three broadcast networks were in sync with the framing of their stories with ABC News running, "'Don't Say Gay' bill passes Florida Senate," CBS News running, "Florida Senate passes controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bill despite protests" and NBC News running "Dont Say Gay bill: Florida Senate passes controversial LGBTQ school measure."

REPORTER MOCKED FOR TWEETING OUT GOV. DESANTIS' ROAST OF HIS QUESTION ABOUT SO-CALLED DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

The Independent went dramatic with its story, "Another stain in the history of Florida: Dont Say Gay passes state legislature, will be signed into law," quoting Democratic Florida Senator Shevrin Jones, an openly gay member of the state Senate. The Guardian was also aggressive with its headline, "Dont say gay bill: Florida senate passes law marginalizing LGBTQ+ people." Time Magazine published "Florida Just Passed The 'Don't Say Gay' Bill. Heres What It Means for Kids."

Screenshot of a Associate Press headline, reading "'Don't Say Gay' bill passes in Florida, goes to governor.'

Two of Florida's largest papers The Miami Herald and The Orlando Sentinel, printed "Student voices are loud, but Florida Republicans are clear. Dont say gay bill passes" and "Florida lawmakers approve Dont Say Gay' bill, DeSantis expected to sign it" respectively.

The Hill ran a story focused on the backlash of the bill, running the headline, "Hundreds of Florida students stage walkout to protest 'Don't Say Gay' bill. The story omitted the specific kindergarten-third grade clause of the legislation, writing the bill is focused on "primary school students."

Other outlets like The Washington Post and Reuters refrained from using "Don't Say Gay" in their headlines but maintained the tone of the slogan with "Florida legislature passes bill to restrict LGBTQ topics in elementary schools" and "Florida lawmakers pass bill limiting LGBTQ discussion in school" respectively.

DESANTIS ASKING STUDENTS TO TAKE OFF MASKS RESULTS IN MEDIA 'MELTDOWNS' DESPITE MASKLESS SOTU ADDRESS

CNN ran the story "Florida legislature passes bill prohibiting some classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity," burying any mention that the children it involves are kindergarten to third grade age to the seventh paragraph, which quoted DeSantis' defense of the bill.

NPR offered the most context in its headline, "Florida Senate passes a controversial schools bill labeled 'Don't Say Gay' by critics," appearing to evolve from its previous coverage last month when it ran a story titled, "'Don't Say Gay' bill would limit discussion of sexuality and gender in Florida schools."

DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw told Fox News Digitial, "The fact that so many corporate media outlets are using the utterly false Dont say gay branding a Democrat epithet for the parental rights bill just proves they cannot defend their actual position. Most Floridians, whether gay or straight, support parental rights and do not want children to be exposed to sexually inappropriate content. This is not only common sense; its common decency."

Demonstrators protest inside the Florida State Capitol, Monday, March 7, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida House Republicans advanced a bill, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, to forbid discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, rejecting criticism from Democrats who said the proposal demonizes LGBTQ people. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

On Monday, DeSantis clashed with local reporter Evan Donovan at a press conference on "what critics call the Dont Say Gay' bill."

"Does it say that in the bill?" DeSantis asked. "Does it say that in the bill?"

As Donovan attempted to respond, DeSantis interjected, "I'm asking what's in the bill because you are pushing false narratives. It doesn't matter what critics say."

BIDEN: FLORIDA BILL ADDRESSING SEX, GENDER CONVERSATIONS IN CLASSROOMS IS 'HATEFUL ATTACK' ON GAY CHILDREN

Donovan then tried quoting the text of the bill, "It says Classroom instruction on sexual identity and gender orientation," but was pummeled further by the governor.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses a joint session of a legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

"For who?" For grades pre-K through three, no five-year-olds, six-year-olds, seven-year-olds," DeSantis told the reporter. "And the idea that you wouldn't be honest about that and tell people what it actually says, it's why people don't trust people like you because you peddle false narratives. And so we just disabused you of those narratives."

"And we're going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum," DeSantis added.

Last week, DeSantis had a similar exchange with another reporter where he elaborated on his support for the legislation.

"How many parents want their kindergarteners to have transgenderismor something injected into classroom instruction? AndsoI think those are very young kids. I think the legislature is basically trying to give parents assurance that theyregonnabe able to go and this stuff's notgonnabe there," DeSantis said.

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"But theres nothing in the billthat says anything about 'youcan'tsay' or this say. Itsbasically saying for our youngest students do you really want them to be taught aboutandthis is any sexual stuff, but I think clearly right now, we see a lot of focus on the transgenderism telling kids that they may be able to pick genders and all that. I dont think parents want that for these young kids,so I think thats what they were trying to do, and I think thats justifiable," he continued.

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AP, other outlets repeat liberal 'Don't Say Gay' talking point on Florida education bill as legislation passes - Fox News

This weeks Liberal Media Scream features a rare case of a news source pushing back against the bias of a big-shot news host, this time NBC anchor Lester Holts view that minorities are targeted by biased police.

Doing the pushing back was former President Donald Trumps attorney general, William Barr, who challenged Holts positive view of Black Lives Matter and rejected the liberal statement that police are racists.

In a special about Barr, who is pitching his new book, One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney, the former attorney general was his typical matter-of-fact self, stopping Holt dead in his tracks when he said, Black men are the subject of three times as many traffic stops by police.

Barr responded, That sometimes is a function of where the police are. Police go where the crime is.

From the Sunday night NBC News special, "Bill Barr: In the Eye of the Storm":

LESTER HOLT: Can we talk about the "big lie"?

BILL BARR: Which one is that?

HOLT: Well, you write about the "big lie" being Black Lives Matter.

BARR: Yeah.

HOLT: What did you mean by that?

BARR: Black Lives Matter is based on the premise that the main threat to black welfare in the inner city are out-of-control police force that gratuitously kill African Americans. Thats simply not borne out by the facts.

HOLT, NARRATION: As the nations top law enforcement official, Bill Barr always had hard-line views on crime and how to fight it. In 1992, when Barr was attorney general the first time, he wrote a memo called The Case for More Incarceration the kind of tough, "lock em up" policy thats been cited as a leading cause of destabilizing black communities.

HOLT TO BARR: 1 in 3 black men will be incarcerated sometime in their lifetime, 1 in 17 for white men. Can you not see how that shapes the perception and makes people want to rally around the idea of Black Lives Matter?

BARR: Well, I understand the perception, and I think theres ambivalence. Thats what I have found on the one hand, there is a concern that, when they encounter police, theyre not given the benefit of the doubt and theyre treated as second-class citizens, and theres definitely that concern. On the other hand, I think they also understand that the police are there to try to make their community safer, that its a very tough job and they want more police.

CROWD: Black Lives Matter! No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!

HOLT: In society, do you believe theres such a thing as systemic racism?

BARR: I actually think the whole idea is a cop-out. I think racism exists in peoples, individuals souls.

HOLT: By dismissing systematic racism, are you not dismissing the pain of African American families that have to sit down with their children and have the talk because theyre afraid a simple traffic stop could lead to their deaths?

BARR: No, I dont you know, I dont I dont ignore that

HOLT: "Dismiss" is the term I used.

BARR: I dont dismiss that as a reality. I dont think that police are racist and, as a general matter

HOLT: You dont see bias in police?

BARR: No, in every study of the situation that Im familiar with says there is no bias. The numbers are the product of the number of interactions police have.

HOLT: Yeah, and black men are the subject of three times as many traffic stops by police.

BARR: Right. And that sometimes is a function of where the police are. Police go where the crime is.

Brent Baker, vice president of research and publications for the Media Research Center, explains our weekly pick: Since it happens so rarely, its great to see an interviewee press back in real time against the loaded liberal premise pushed by a star TV journalist. Holt seemed baffled that someone wouldnt see the world through his liberal prism, where America is racist and police enforce that racism, and thus Black Lives Matter should be treated as a heroic cause.

RATING: THREE out of FIVE SCREAMS.

Read more from the original source:

Liberal Media Scream: Lester Holt fights truth that police are where crime is - Washington Examiner