I expected a response from one of our many Republicans, and instead, I read a response from a Democrat with an identity crisis. He calls himself a liberal but actually thinks, by all accounts from his response, more like a conservative. Go figure.

Unfortunately, Mr. Carter completely missed the point of my article, tongue-in-cheek though it was, that the Republicans in power exhibit liberal thinking and behavior, and that if this continues, they’re likely to find themselves in the same sorry state as the failed, liberal thinking Democratic Party.

With that in mind, Mr. Carter, I suggest you read the article again. To help you along, though, let’s suppose that you asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to identify the party of the liberals. I’d wager a goodly bet that about 999 of them would say the Democratic Party.

Why would this be so? Obviously, the citizens of our country identify liberal thinking (and the results) with Democrats, and conservative thinking (and the results) with Republicans.

Does this mean that Democrats display liberal thinking across the board? Of course not, as you point out so well in current Democratic thinking regarding fuel efficiency standards.

But while it is thinking currently identified with the Democratic Party, it is to the core conservative thinking. You see, it’s about the thinking, the effects of the thinking ON the party, and particularly how liberal thinking is ruining the Republican party.

Allow me to address some of your fuzzy statements to further clear things up for you, though.

Concerning your statement on fiscal policy, you do remember that Clinton had just a little bit of help from conservative thinking and acting congressional Republicans to balance the budget, do you not?

In fact, wouldn’t you say that Clinton’s relative fiscal conservatism was a strength and one linchpin of his popularity?

To go further, I suspect if you polled your fellow liberal gurus, even they would confirm that Clinton was a fiscal conservative.

In a nutshell, that conservative thinking was good for your liberal party, and the rest of us too, wasn’t it?

But don’t let it confuse you just because the Republicans currently in power can’t keep a penny in their pocket. That liberal thinking does not bode well for their future. Contrast this with Clinton’s liberal thinking regarding Osama Bin Laden.

You do remember Aug. 7, 1998, right? If not, let me refresh your memory: over 300 dead and several thousand injured in bombings of our East African embassies by al Qaeda terrorists.

How about the laundry list of other terrorist acts on his watch, and Clinton’s pathetically weak response? That liberal thinking was not good for your party, or the rest of us, was it?

Unfortunately, the Republicans don’t have it right either, and this just points out that this liberal thinking is just as bad for the Democrats as it is for the Republicans. Are you still with me?

We agree that Iraq is a debacle, but surely you know that the liberal thinking of the Democratic Party in recent decades led to frequent and weak use of our military forces.

You could start with Kennedy and Vietnam, finish with Clinton, and include Johnson and Carter (any relation?) in between, but, unfortunately again, liberal thinking on the employment of military power was not good for the Democratic Party, or the rest of us, was it?

Yet again, the Republicans don t have it right either, but don’t let that confuse you. To be clear, frequent and weak use of the military is liberal thinking. Use of military force only when absolutely necessary and then using it overwhelmingly to guarantee the outcome is conservative thinking.

As we speak, liberal thinking on this issue is hurting the Republicans, is it not?

Let’s see, Roe v. Wade? To my conservative way of thinking, BOTH parties think liberally on this issue. Liberally in that a conservative doesn’t put blinders on to the exclusion of other equally important issues.

To my conservative way of thinking, you look for a Supreme Court nominee to understand and rule within the framework of the constitution, consider relevant issues and future consequences, and balance the aforementioned to reach solid, well-reasoned decisions, as opposed to the liberal thinking, in my opinion, of a nominee being acceptable or unacceptable based on whether he or she does or does not support Roe v. Wade.

On to swamp politics. Do I really need to bring up Slick Willie again, and the long laundry list of ethics lapses during his administration? You do remember the impeachment proceedings, don’t you?

Note from my previous article that I did not cite liberal thinking in this case. I referred to President Bush who forcefully stated, essentially, that he would clean up the sleazy stench in Washington left by your liberal Democrats.

The Republicans had a golden opportunity to paste the sleazy and corrupt label prominently in the middle of the liberal Democratic Party’s forehead by taking the high road. Instead, and incredibly, they proceeded to stink up Washington the same as your liberal Democrats left it.

Republicans behaving like their sleazy liberal Democratic predecessors has not been good for them, has it? I’m not sure why you’re confused on that one, unless you think that, ethically, the Clinton administration didn’t stink to high heaven.

Finally, I can understand, Mr. Carter, why you say that you and liberal Democrats need all the help you can get. Your party leadership is completely lost, as evidenced by the lack of a broad and coherent Democratic agenda. Why is this so?

I hope you answered: Liberal thinking. It failed the Democrats on many, many fronts, and it will fail the Republicans if they continue on their current course.

Paul Wilder
Peachtree City, Ga.

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