Why the left is always wrong

November 15, 2001

Enough of living laws

That Adam and Eve have left.

Hustle old history’s horse

Left! Left! Left!

– Sergei Mayakovsky

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

– Proverbs 14:12

The political left is like a television weatherman who never seems to get it right. Day after day, they shout their pronouncements in our ear, and demand that we take note of their fancy maps, which they broadcast for all the nation to see. Day after day we alter the way we dress and act, taking into account their pronouncements. And day after day, they are wrong.

The results of their political jet streams, creating pockets of highs and lows across the nation can be amusing, confusing or downright dangerous. It depends on how much we listen to what they say. Here are some good reasons to take their forecasts with a grain of salt.

Feeling over fact. The left is ruled by their emotions. While empathy is commendable in our relationships with others, and sympathy is often warranted, it is a disastrous recipe for national policy. Our humanness – the very thing that separates us from the beasts of the field – is our ability to think and reason. Dominated by oftentimes conflicting emotions, the left disdains thought because it undermines their position on almost every imaginable issue. An example? Even after 9-11, pro-immigration groups are arguing for more porous national borders, and recommend against further scrutiny for applicants coming from Arab and Muslim countries. The reason? It might make those subjected to such scrutiny “feel” bad. Whether the rest of us “feel” alive or dead doesn’t seem to enter into their equation.

Historical ignorance. History is the fossilized record of human experience, engraved in the words and deeds of the past. Through history, we learn how great nations became that way, and how insignificant nations faded from view. We learn what good government looks like, and what bad government feels like. We learn how businesses, charities and institutions have succeeded and failed. And we learn how individuals overcame what seemed insurmountable handicaps to rise above the crowd in both their accomplishments and their gifts to humanity.

Each generation typically reexamines history for itself. Yet only the leftist academic concubines of the ivory tower start with the premise that history is wicked because it doesn’t support their views – and then fashion their “research” to destroy its relevance for the rest of us. One example: gun control. Michael Bellesiles’ “Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture” relies on research by the author into early American firearms ownership that has been shown to be a complete fraud. Even his ivory-tower neighbors have now asked that he support his “evidence” or retract his “findings.” One suspects this is less because he was wrong and more because he got caught.

Cause and effect. Because the left is dominated by volatile emotions and disdains the past, they are unable to connect the dots of cause and effect that permeate society. Leftists live in the world of perpetual present, their actions informed by immediate emotions and chemically-induced mood swings. Ignorant of the past and oblivious to the future, they have no reason to examine the chain of events known as cause and effect. Thus their decisions and policies fluctuate wildly, zigging and zagging across the national landscape as they chase feel-good solutions to momentary disruptions in the ether. As good-hearted as they appear, the well-being of future generations never appears on their radar screens.

These are three powerful reasons why the left is almost always wrong. You probably know of others. But there is one final reason: They ignore the one true God, who has revealed himself and his son, Jesus Christ, and explained the workings of his Holy Spirit through the historical record contained in the Bible. Since God is by definition all knowing, all powerful and all present, we cannot understand our past, our present or our future without understanding what He has said about us and Himself. Western civilization is based upon this record, contained in the Bible. No society has ever transcended its religious foundations. The events of 9-11 have given each of us a vision of a society based on another holy book. We should give serious thought to what that means for our future.