Neoliberal Hatred, Maureen Dowd Style

Can anybody tell me why Maureen Dowd is employed by the New York Times? As an opinion writer, her columns are supposed to be thought provoking. As such, it is to be expected that her political agenda will bleed through into her columns, and many on the other side of the fence will be irritated, if not offended, by her opinions.

Unfortunately, Dowd consistently reveals herself to be a hate mongering dimwit, well equipped at tapping random thoughts of hatred towards all things conservative, but totally inept at developing a rational thesis. Dowd has done little more than reveal herself to the world as being neoliberal dimentia incarnate.

It should come as no surprise that she hates Dick Cheney. But I was surprised to read about her hatred for Pope Benedict XVI in her recent column. This is Dowd's take on the Papal Conclave:

"The éminence grise who had long whispered in the ear of power and who had helped oversee the selection process ended up selecting himself. In Cheneyesque fashion, he searched far and wide for a pope by looking around the room and swiftly deciding he was the best man for the job."

Dowd clearly understands that Cardinals elect the new pope during the conclave. She understands there was no campaigning leading up to the conclave. And undoubtedly, she has read the accounts of Cardinal Ratzinger's preference to live out his final years in peace and quiet in Germany, rather than take on the role of leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics. So why would a woman make these fanatical accusations against the pope when she knows perfectly well that the words she speaks are false? What does she have to gain by labeling the pope as a power hungry cheat? Welcome to the world of neoliberalism, where you're duty bound to hate all things conservative, and if necessary, fabricate stories about your adversaries in order to recruit others into your circle of hatred.

Dowd goes on to state: "the new pope is a Jurassic archconservative who disdains the "if it feels good do it" culture and the revolutionary trends toward diversity and cultural openness since the 60's." Only an imbecile like Dowd could feign surprise that the pope doesn't subscribe to the "if it feels good do it" club. Does she really expect the pope to subscribe to her dope smoking, gender bending, wife swapping, abortion as contraception culture? Furthermore, how can a man who shepherds 1.1 billion members of all racial and social backgrounds, not appreciate diversity?

I'll be the first to admit that it is a Herculean task to defend the neoliberal platform. Acting shocked that Pope Benedict doesn't preach "if it feels good do it" requires some serious talent. Claiming Cardinal Ratzinger stole the papal conclave election requires some serious credibility. Unfortunately, neither talent nor credibility are Dowd's strong suits. If Dowd is the best the New York Times has to offer in this regard, I can rest easy knowing the effluent that is radical liberalism is headed downwards into history's septic tank of flawed idealologies.