Objectives: Why AlterLiberal?

Why AlterLiberal? Why yet another liberal blog? What is different about AlterLiberal and why should anyone devote their precious time to reading this blog as opposed to any other?

I would not be devoting my precious time to this blog if I thought I would merely be writing what others have already said - and said better than I could. So much of what I see and hear in the media and from our leaders presents issues as if there were only two perspectives - liberal vs. conservative, business vs. worker, antiabortion vs. pro-choice, etc. I for one have grown weary of seeing both sides vilify the other, and of seeing the people, country and world I love divisive and divided. I believe there are other ways of presenting and discussing the issues we face.

So... Why AlterLiberal? For starters, my worldview is that of a liberal. When I contemplate the world around me, I see the same problems that most liberals see - an imperiled environment, the myriad of ills resulting from economic injustice, minority issues, personal liberty issues, how to wage peace vs. war, etc. That is the liberal part of AlterLiberal. So what about the Alter part? While I see many of the problems facing humanity from a liberal perspective, I do not always see the solution to those problems from the same perspective as we liberals have approached them for decades. Let's face it, in the America of 2006, liberalism is in decline and has been since the days of Ronald Reagan. Conservatives have been in ascendancy for years. Conservatives have been able to define the terms of debate, leaving liberals to react with stale ideas which have lost their appeal. For the pendulum to swing back toward the liberal side, we must adapt and evolve. We must create new solutions to old problems. We must redefine the world's problems in liberal terms and offer fresh solutions that resonate with today's citizens. And we must do so while remaining true to our ideals. Toward that end, the Alter in AlterLiberal stands for: 1) to alter - to change; 2) alternative - different; 3) alter as in alter ego - one's other self. I believe we liberals must rediscover, redefine and reinvent ourselves if we are to move forward.

Therefore, my goal with AlterLiberal is to present issues from a unique perspective. And in so doing, I hope to present liberals with an alternate, and perhaps more compelling, way of discussing these issues with their fellow Americans.