Sliding Into the Pit

The ever-caustic but provocative Daily Howler has been focusing his wrath recently on weak mainstream reporting about low-income schools. http://http://www.dailyhowler.com/index.shtml. He makes the point, with some validity, I believe, that liberal writers and bloggers hardly seem to care about the subject anymore. A book could be written about this. I don’t think it’s because they don’t care, but it made me think about how far we have descended in the level of common decency in the last few decades. While a right winger can circulate a sick joke like “compassionate conservativism” -- with a wink-wink that the "base" understands -- a liberal cannot be caught dead showing anything like caring and compassion anymore – too soft. Everything has to be put into hard terms and self-interest. Even Kerry, who I’m sure cares genuinely about greater equality and eliminating poverty, felt the need to couch all his programs in terms of impact on the “middle class.” Torture, sure, electronic spying , fine, shock-and-awe bombing, cool, but eliminate poverty? Ha, ha ha! What a loser.