Great Liberal Backlash of 2003
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The Great Liberal Backlash of 2003 is a political slogan coined by Molly Ivins to describe what she perceived as a growing opposition in 2003 to conservatism in the United States, and to the administration of President George W. Bush.
Ivins describes the backlash as, "the half-dozen or so writers now schlepping around the country promoting books that do not speak kindly of Our Leader's record." Ivins adds, "Beware the anger of the legions...left too long...without enough help; of the unemployed; of the uninsured; of those who...lost...the right to organize. Beware the anger of those...who see the big rich take their money...the anger of those who are shunted aside." [1]
The books and authors which are seen as forming the core of the backlash include best selling authors such as:
- Eric Alterman - author of What Liberal Media?: The Truth About Bias and the News (ISBN 0465001769)
- Joe Conason - author of Big Lies (ISBN 0312315600)
- Al Franken - author of Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (ISBN 0525947647)
- Jim Hightower - author of Thieves in High Places (ISBN 0670031410)
- Molly Ivins - co-writer with Lou Dubose of Bushwhacked (ISBN 0375507523)
- Michael Moore - author of Dude, Where's My Country? (ISBN 0446532231)
These authors have worked to counter the dominance of conservative views in best selling political books and talk radio in the U.S. Authors from the conservative end of the political spectrum who compete for spots on the bestseller list include:
- Ann Coulter - author of Slander (ISBN 1400049520) and Treason (ISBN 1400050308)
- Sean Hannity - author of Let Freedom Ring (ISBN 0060514558)
- Bill O'Reilly - author of Who's Looking Out For You? (ISBN 0767913795)
- Michael Savage - author of The Savage Nation (ISBN 0785263535)
Impact
Among left-wing activists, the backlash resulted in the emergence of more organised dissemination of social and political commentary with a liberal point of view, with the establishment of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank; Air America Radio, featuring Al Franken (amongst others); and organizations such as Media Matters for America and MoveOn.org.
However, on the political results (which is what Ivins cared about), the impact was not seen. In 2004, the federal elections showed no movement toward liberalism. In the U.S. House election, 2004, Republicans gained three additional seats in the United States House of Representatives (although this has been widely attributed to a highly controversial redistricting plan in the state of Texas). In the U.S. Senate election, 2004, Republicans gained four additional seats in the United States Senate, including the defeat of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. In the U.S. presidential election, 2004, President Bush was re-elected, gaining 15 more electoral votes than the previous election and receiving the majority of the popular vote (unlike the previous election). Likewise, Republican governors continued to outnumber Democratic governors by a wide margin.