The Tyranny of Cliches: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas

“An indispensable and enduring field guide to the arguments the left makes—and the ones it tries to avoid.”

—The Claremont Review of Books

 

According to Jonah Goldberg, if the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didnt exist, the greatest trick liberals ever pulled was convincing themselves theyre not ideological.

 

Today, “objective” journalists, academics, and “moderate” politicians peddle some of the most radical arguments by hiding them in homespun apho­risms. Barack Obama casts himself as a disciple of reason: Hes a pragmatist, opposed to the ideology and drama of the Right, solely concerned with “what works.” And todays liberals follow his lead, spouting countless clichés such as:

• One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter: Sure, if the other man is an idiot. Was Martin Luther King Jr. a terrorist? Was Bin Laden a freedom fighter?
• Violence never solves anything: Really? It solved our problems with King George III and ended slavery.
• We need complete separation of church and state: In other words, all expressions of faith should be barred from politics . . . except when they support liberal programs.

With humor and passion, Goldberg dismantles these and many other Trojan horses that liberals use to cheat in the war of ideas. He shows that the Pro­gressive tradition of denying an ideological agenda while pursuing it vigorously under the false flag of reasonableness is alive and well. And he reveals how this dangerous game may lead us further down the path of self-destruction.

Jonah Goldberg’s first book, Liberal Fascism, was a number one New York Times bestseller. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the founding editor of National Review Online. He is also a Los Angeles Times columnist, a Fox News contributor, and a member of the board of contributors at USA Today. The Atlantic named him one of America’s fifty most influential commentators. He lives with his family in Washington, DC.