Psychology of Liberalism

Caution: this is a post-progressive post.

I must have ADD. Off I go researching something on Google in about as linear a manner as one possibly can. The process bears a lot of similarity to panning for gold. The nugget to stone ratio is preposterous, yet the overwhelming joy of stumbling upon a nugget keeps one obsessively focused. And then, every once in a while, a discrete little payload of something useful shows up in the pan. It doesn't have the same density or value as gold, but you notice it and pick it up anyway.

An article by John J. Ray, available here is one of those distracting incredibly useful non-gold treasures:

[...]
My basic proposal, then, is that most (but not all) Leftists/liberals are motivated by strong ego needs -- needs for power, attention, praise and fame [...] Rightists by contrast have no need either for change or its opposite and may oppose change if they see it as destructive or favour change if they see it as constructive.
[...]
one of the most consistent themes to emerge from the Leftist's love of change is the claimed need for "equality". And the belief in "equality" also tends to lead to support for such things as redistribution of wealth generally, heavily "progressive" income taxes, inheritance taxes, foreign aid, feminism, gay rights and socialized medicine
[...]
Basically, Leftists seem to believe that "education" can change almost anything in human behaviour.
[...]
But moral codes are onerous and Communism offered an escape from them. If all men were to become brothers and all resources were to be shared freely, fathers would not be needed for anything more than the act of procreation itself. This vision was of course a great attraction for both men and women and Leftists were always in the vanguard of sexual liberation. Sex sells and it certainly sold Leftism to many.
[...]
Modern-day Leftists have an obsession with racism and fiercely attribute all racism to their political opponents and deny it in themselves. This is however utter nonsense. Take this description of a political programme: A "declaration of war against the order of things which exist, against the state of things which exist, in a word, against the structure of the world which presently exists".

I've learned through life that the best leaders simultaneously possess the attributes of humility and healthy self-esteem. Humility and self-esteem. Together. It's a sensible (and therefore, post-progressive) approach.

The article is a must read.

UPDATE: I found this quote at The Patriette:

"The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become." -Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911-2004)