There is a quote – endlessly repeated and often misattributed to Winston Churchill – that runs something like the following: If you are 20 and not a liberal, you have no heart. If you are 40 and not a conservative, you have no brain.

Taken on its own terms, this observation gives progressives a very narrow window of time in which to operate – something the Daily Kos appears to have recognized, in a rare moment of lucidity:

“Of course, we can’t make such a simplistic argument.  We don’t think that more government is always best.  In fact, even arguing over the size of the government is folding to a conservative narrative.  But how can we begin to discuss politics in the political world of today without tripping over conservative buzz words?  The honest truth is, we can’t.”

But there is hope for the progressive movement, according to our anonymous writer, in the following:

“1.) The blogosphere more-or-less is ours.  The right-wing attempts to match the left’s web presence has largely looked like our attempt to match their radio work.  The web belongs to the young, and the young, at least for now, are with us.

2.) Satire is ours.  Jon Stewart likes to deny his real-world impact, calling his show comedy.  And it is.  But it has great impact none-the-less.  Stewart and Colbert have made a huge difference by exposing fraud and corruption.  And most of this has been on the right.  Even when they come at us, they come from the left.  That kind of work, over time, builds values in the viewers that move them toward the left, like Limbaugh’s daily listeners eventually become Republicans.  And the right has fallen prey to attempting their version of political satire.  And, as you probably know, those attempts have been incredible failures.

3.) Academia remains reality-based, and that is good for us.  Although I think the accusations of campus “liberal bias” are greatly exaggerated, issues like human rights, equality, and environmentalism are clear values of the liberal arts community.  And these values are more than just issues for progressives.  They go a long way in pointing toward a framework for thinking progressively.”

Now, obviously, there are a few things that strike me as a bit foolish about this. For one thing, calling Academia reality-based strikes me as similar to calling Marvin the Martian carbon-based.

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There was an old English saying, “A mayde schuld be seen, but not herd” which has since morphed into ‘Children should be seen and not heard’. The latter was the world I grew up in, and as one finds as one grows up, there is wisdom in old sayings.

I remember being with my father and his friends as a child, and that saying was the rule, because of course, I had very little to offer an adult conversation. That was then.

I also remember the Bill Clinton/Whitney Houston 80s and 90s. Bill Clinton for coining the phrase “for the children” and Whitney Houston for that sappy song “The Greatest Love Of All’ with what we thought were harmless lyrics….

I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Between the two of them, talk about the makings of the big head.

Let me preface the remainder of this column by saying that when I refer to young people, I don’t mean all. Some of them get it. Obviously, most of them don’t.

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