The Tyranny of Cliches

According to Jonah Goldberg, if the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist, the greatest trick liberals ever pulled was convincing themselves that they're not ideological. Today, so-called "objective" journalists, academics and "moderate" politicians peddle some of the most radical arguments by hiding them in homespun aphorisms such as "Violence never solved anything." (If that were true wouldn't we all be speaking with British accents?)

In THE TYRANNY OF CLICHÉS: HOW LIBERALS CHEAT IN THE WAR OF IDEAS (Sentinel/Penguin; On Sale May 1, 2012) Goldberg exposes one by one the falsehoods behind the left's most morally obtuse and dangerously invoked clichés-mere stand-ins for ideas not fully understood-as party members attempt to avoid arguments, not make them.

Goldberg traces terms and concepts like "Social Darwinism," "living Constitution," and "social justice" to show how some of the most radical claims have become accepted as little more than simple truths. In addition he tackles such vaguely supported slogans as:

Goldberg reveals that much of what passes for non-ideological common sense is in fact either pithy hogwash or camouflage for a more radical agenda progressives are unwilling to defend openly. Pundits and politicians are talking a whole lot more, but many are just regurgitating what they've heard before with no real thought as to the true meaning. From the floor of the Senate to the Occupy protests, progressives tend to repeat empty phrases while believing (or pretending) they're simply advocating for common sense. Barack Obama, for example, casts himself as a disciple of reason and sticks to one refrain above all others: he's a pragmatist, opposed to the ideology and dogma of the right, solely concerned with "what works." Goldberg traces the long history of this trick: denying any ideological agenda while pursuing dangerously radical goals. A moment of serious thought exposes the foolishness of such platitudes. But that's Goldberg's point: most liberals aren't thinking at all.

From Gandhi to Marie Antoinette and Madonna, Goldberg shows how we naively allow intellectual Trojan Horses inside our defense uncontested. And with humor and passion, he dismantles them one by one to show how our thinking is profoundly shaped by deeply ideological concepts and convenient myths that most of us accept uncritically. Moreover, he reveals how this precarious game may lead America further down the path of self-destruction.