Not Your Sweetie

Posted by Cherryperry on DU:Poll question: Vote On Your Opinion of Liberalism as Defined By This Song & Then Respond
LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL
by Phil Ochs
I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
Tears ran down my spine
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
As though I'd lost a father of mine
But Malcolm X got what was coming
He got what he asked for this time
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
as long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crane?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I read New Republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like Korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I vote for the democratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Although politics is not exactly a traditional Jewish profession, individual Jews have thrown themselves into the democratic process, such as Paul Wellstone, Barbara Boxer, many freedom riders in the 1950's/60's, Emma Goldman and the radicals of the early 20th century, all of whom have been inspired by the traditional Jewish ideal that we have a DUTY to help repair the world!


Poll result (69 votes)
Appropriate in the 1960's, Doesn't Work Anymore (2 votes, 3%) Vote
Not Appropriate in the 1960's or Ever (5 votes, 7%) Vote
I Don't Believe I Ever Looked At Liberalism This Way, But I Agree (1 votes, 1%) Vote
I Don't Believe I Ever Looked At Liberalism This Way, But I Disagree (34 votes, 49%) Vote
I've Always Loved this Song and I Agree With It (11 votes, 16%) Vote
I've Always Loved Phil Ochs, but This Song Was Not One With Which I Agreed (3 votes, 4%) Vote
Phil Ochs is a Whiney-Baby (6 votes, 9%) Vote
Other (7 votes, 10%) Vote 
my answer:
 No longer applies eversince Raygun moved the center to the right
When Phil Ochs wrote that song, liberal was something people were proud to be - and he took a poke at this sacred cow from the radical perspective. Partly justified at the time.
Enter Raygun and the media (sans fairness doctrine): now everyone, Phil's gang, the people he poked fun at and people who would be DLC- moderate GOP-ers - all of them became "liberals". Those "dirty liberals" opposed to "the people" (silent majority) - that fuzzy notion that media assigned when dubbing Raygun "populist". So, the majority of Americans - everyone who was not a freeper became some sort of a fringe that had to defend their right to exist, speak for themselves eversince.
Now we need to fight for our right to be libera; and proud of it.
Which only illustrates how far back we moved from Ochs time.