Posted by
Nerdus Maximus on Monday, July 24, 2006 12:10:41 PM
Debra
Saunders draws the conclusion
from the rougher treatment Joe Lieberman has received from the left wing
of the Democratic party compared to the treatment John McCain has received from
the right wing of the Republican party that the liberals are less tolerant of “ideological
impurity” than conservatives are. The
intolerance of the toleration worshiping left is indeed seen in this, but in
many other places as well. This is compounded
by a factor she did not mention.
Not all
ideologies are created equal. Even if
conservatives were more demanding of ideological purity it would make sense
because they are right a much greater percentage of the time than the liberals
are. Straying from the conservative
party line is much more likely to result in error than straying from the
liberal party line, which is precisely why the left can’t tolerate it. When you believe in something that isn’t true
you have to defend it very zealously because even the tiniest crack could
expose it for the fraud it is and bring the whole thing tumbling down. This is why the tolerance worshippers can’t
afford to be tolerant of people like Joe Lieberman, but the “intolerant”
right can get along quite well with John McCain, or Rudy Giuliani, or
George W. Bush.