If you think of yourself as a liberal or socialist or broadly of the left, who do you regard as the most persuasive right-winger in the public sphere, and why?
If you think of yourself as a conservative or libertarian or broadly of the right, who do you regard as the most persuasive left-winger in the public sphere, and why?
(It could be a writer or academic or philosopher, as well as a politician).
Originally posted by Teinosuke If you think of yourself as a liberal or socialist or broadly of the left, who do you regard as the most persuasive right-winger in the public sphere, and why?
If you think of yourself as a conservative or libertarian or broadly of the right, who do you regard as the most persuasive left-winger in the public sphere, and why?
(It could be a writer or academic or philosopher, as well as a politician).
This should be a short thread.
😛
I'll save everyone a little bit of time.
Those on the "left/right" are all a bunch of morons!!!
Originally posted by Teinosuke If you think of yourself as a liberal or socialist or broadly of the left, who do you regard as the most persuasive right-winger in the public sphere, and why?
If you think of yourself as a conservative or libertarian or broadly of the right, who do you regard as the most persuasive left-winger in the public sphere, and why?
(It could be a writer or academic or philosopher, as well as a politician).
George Will writes some good stuff and seems to be pretty consistent ideologically.
Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper I'm a Liberal. As a right wing entity I would say Fox "news" is the most persuassive public figure - by far and for obvious reason.
As an individual I would say Bill O'Reilly. He's engaging, charismatic and he does a great job hiding the fact that he's a right wing shill.
I think you may have misunderstood what I meant by "persuasive". I meant, which figures on the right you find to advance convincing or plausible arguments. So Fox News persuades a lot of people, but presumably (since you don't find its arguments convincing or plausible) is not "persuasive" to you.
What I'm really looking for are conservatives that unsettle the convictions of avowed liberals, and vice versa. So these would be people who advance an argument you oppose politically with the convincing support of relevant statistics, historical background, legal knowledge, etc.
Originally posted by no1marauder George Will writes some good stuff and seems to be pretty consistent ideologically.
Oh, I'm glad you nominated Will; I was going to do so myself. His erudition and rigour are indeed impressive. His column was syndicated in the Japan Times when I lived in Tokyo, and I always looked forward to it, even though it often infuriated me.
Originally posted by no1marauder George Will writes some good stuff and seems to be pretty consistent ideologically.
I used to see Will on PBS/Newshour/Sam & Cokie [or whatever] a lot when I was living in Japan (NHK broadcast it in the afternoons) and he was worth listening to for sure. Not so sure about Sam & Cokie though. Jim Lehrer's Newshour had plenty of interesting guests. I'm talking the 90s here. Don't know what's going on with those particular folks now.
Originally posted by Teinosuke I think you may have misunderstood what I meant by "persuasive". I meant, which figures on the right you find to advance convincing or plausible arguments. So Fox News persuades a lot of people, but presumably (since you don't find its arguments convincing or plausible) is not "persuasive" to you.
What I'm really looking for are conservatives that unset ...[text shortened]... he convincing support of relevant statistics, historical background, legal knowledge, etc.
In that case I would say Ron Christie. He's intelligent, articulate and a fierce debater. Why the right hasn't propelled him up to be a top spokesperson is beyond me. He's miles above idiot nutjobs like Palin, Bachmann, Limbaugh and Beck.
Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper In that case I would say Ron Christie. He's intelligent, articulate and a fierce debater. Why the right hasn't propelled him up to be a top spokesperson is beyond me. He's miles above idiot nutjobs like Palin, Bachmann, Limbaugh and Beck.
Originally posted by sh76 Then pick someone who you think is wrong but intelligent and persuasive; like Milton Friedman, only more alive.
I thought about it for a while, but I'm not easily impressed. Perhaps Jon Stewart fits the bill best, although he is not particularly intelligent (compared to myself).
Liberals conservatives like, and vice versa
18 Jul '11 10:33
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