[Publib] Them Liberals, Us

Thu Nov 1 10:34:54 EDT 2007

I absolutely agree.  Current use of 'liberal' and 'conservative' much more
closely

resemble brand marketing now, rather than the generic meanings of those
words. 

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Robert L. Balliot

1-401-441-5763

Skype: RBalliot

Bristol, Rhode Island

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm

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From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of James Casey
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 9:57 AM
To: Backwage at aol.com; publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Them Liberals, Us

I find it very difficult to reconcile the Republican policies of the past 25
years with anything resembling what most people conceive to be
"conservatism".  By "conservatism", I mean favoring fiscally responsible
management, cautious and thoughtful decision making in both foreign and
domestic affairs, preservation of the basic values of our country and
community, conservation of natural and human resources, maintaining
separation of church and state, and of course, defense of intellectual
freedom and the privacy rights of the individual.  I would venture to say
that the vast majority of Librarians share these values and opinions and
might be likely to look at the field of candidates and choose to support
Hillary or Obama while admiring the ideas and common sense of Barry
Goldwater and Everett Dirksen.  Under Reagan and the Bush presidencies we
saw huge and growing deficits, but a balanced budget and surplus under Bill
Clinton.  Could the foreign policy of Bush 43 be considered cautious and
prudent?   With revelations about wiretapping, Justice Department policies
under Gonzales and practices in Abu Graib and Guantanamo, can we say that
the current administration has been defending privacy rights as a Goldwater
supporter might espouse?    I recommend the new dvd of the movie "No End in
Sight".

All labels aside, I tend to think of my public librarian colleagues as very
thoughtful, fiscally responsible people.  They operate under balanced
budgets in most cases and are far more likely to be cautious and pragmatic
than reckless and extravagant in their management styles.  I'm not surprised
at the outcome of the poll, but don't think that the labels of "liberal" and
"conservative" should be presumed.

James B. Casey --- My own views.

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Backwage at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 7:30 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Them Liberals, Us

As we approach the 300 mark in the Librarian Presidential Survey, some
things have become obvious, others less so:

To nobody's surprise, most librarians have turned up on the
liberal/Democratic side of the ledger.  57.5 percent self-identify as
Democrats, with 3.1% Green.  I would imagine that a fair proportion of the
21.9 percent who identify as Independent or without affiliation would tend
to lean more to the left as well.  

The interesting thing here is how tightly packed the three leading choices
of our librarians are.  Clinton carries 28.3 percent, Edwards 19.8 and Obama
21.6 percent.  In one national poll, Clinton is off in the distance with 47
percent, Obama 21 and Edwards 12 points.  Another very recent poll has
Clinton at 53 percent.  

Compare this to schoolteachers.  In 1980, 46 percent of teachers voted for
Ronald Reagan, 41 percent for Jimmy Carter, and 10 percent for John
Anderson.  I would love to see some more up-to-date figures if anybody has
them, by the way.  

Are we, as a body, that much more liberal than even public school teachers?
It seems so.  

Something else that our survey reveals:  34 percent named the War in Iraq
the most pressing issue (the leading choice) and 9.3 percent chose
International Relations.  This is in line with the more left-leaning stances
of the ALA's governing Council--and believe me, many more anti-war
Resolutions are proposed than actually pass through that body. 

So there you have it.  It's a lonely profession for a conservative
librarian--just as some of them have been saying for years.  

Michael McGrorty

Who will write in Adlai Stevenson, again

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