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Jonah Goldberg, author “The Tyranny of Cliches,” on the clichés used by politicians and the Obama Administration’s campaign jargon.
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-- -- -- -- -- Well with the general election almost six months away president Obama's reelection campaign borne out all the stops were catchy campaign slogans and fair share politics my next guest says it's common for liberals to hide.
Behind cliches instead of bringing -- -- original ideas into the political arena.
And he is shedding light on the practice.
Joining us now syndicated columnist national review online editor at large Fox News contributor Jonah Goldberg who is also the author of the new book.
The tyranny of cliches I'll liberals cheat.
In the war of ideas could there be anything more than one who does that -- good they had a terrific congratulations on your new book.
Thanks very much Lou it's great to be here what's your favorite cliche amongst all the cliches that the liberal.
The liberals.
-- Retina actually clear Republicans he's cliches and buzz terms and also never balked isn't it.
Well -- if it -- look what the point is that.
Conservatives and libertarians we admit anything like -- -- it west is a socialist we admit our ideology we admit that we have.
Ideological commitments from -- I think it's free markets limited government all it hasn't.
-- -- -- President Obama they say they're against ideology they say.
That they only care about what works that they're pragmatists and I think that's the central cliche of this entire administration this is a guy.
Who -- out billions of dollars on shovel ready jobs under the man -- I know what works and have to wait to find out that's all been wasted.
Because there are no shovel ready jobs something he himself was admitted.
And this is -- great sort of lie that liberals tell themselves.
About.
And then everybody else.
About the nature of liberalism that it's not ideological that it's just pragmatic and realistic in -- in the reality based community and it it today.
If there way of cliched thinking that drives the public debate.
Because they then get to -- conservatives Republicans libertarians as ideologues and extremists for simply disagreeing with them.
Now what are my -- favorite words of late because I'm hearing it used more and more is spare.
President start talking about everything is either fair or unfair deal fair it.
When talking about some of the most extraordinarily unfair things like frankly the income tax system in this country.
What is one of -- give us your favorite all time liberal trichet.
Sure I mean com.
Gosh I mean you a couple of weeks ago we had Barack Obama talking about how Republicans were social -- us from because of -- Ryan budget that it was thinly veiled social darwinism.
And this is that this is -- -- reduces head that the left brings out all the time didn't against Reagan.
Just sort of petrified people -- social darwinism sound so bad it sounds like Hitler -- something.
But -- the funny thing is -- of that.
There is no such thing as social darwinism no one ever believe in social darwinism the person -- apparently invented it.
Herbert Spencer never called himself a social darwinism doesn't believe in it.
But it's a way that they can sort of frame things may -- deeply ideological in this place in this case deceitful and dishonest and untrue.
Charge sound like it's this very serious -- -- visited -- social justice right we -- social justice.
All the time it's a kind of fairness and all the rest what they really in this is a deeply ideological approach to governance which basically says.
The government has the power and the wisdom to decide who deserves more of you more money than you do.
And that's what this whole fairness thing is about and if I disagree with the government's idea of how to spend -- money that makes me greedy when I want to spend my own money that makes me greedy when the government wants to spend my money on somebody else.
That social justice and fairness why.
I'd love the idea that social darwinism because it you know there should be great -- it is a radical document.
The Ryan's document because it.
They've got budget I mean it -- John I mean seriously the this thing.
And that won't balance the budget by 2040.
I mean that's got -- just does shake people for the timbers surveying.
Right are liked the idea that getting rid of obamacare will send us to some sort of -- being passed of social darwinism.
We didn't have a we don't even have obamacare yet I mean are we really sort of drinking bottled water in -- eating.
You know out of dumpsters now it is it is this way of extreme using.
Extreme rhetoric and extreme assumptions.
About the nature of a society that if we don't have government taking care of us from cradle to grave like this new Julia thing that the White House is put out of the campaign has put out.
That somehow what all be left you know to fight it out like in a prison yard and -- -- as a way they load everything with these ideological agenda.
Portland we've got Jonah Goldberg fighting back with the the tyranny of cliches exposing -- -- for the probably the -- -- they are here -- to have -- thanks for great.
