Geoffrey Nunberg is a familiar name to anyone who has listened to Fresh Air on NPR. Numberg is a linguist and professor at University of California at Berkely. He has a new book out about how Republican activists have manipulated language for political gain in recent years. The book is titled Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show

If by any chance there are any republicans reading this blog, I would like to set the record straight.

-I am indeed an unrepentant liberal
-I am not generally in favor of raising taxes, but if it is necessary I will support it.
-I don’t drink Lattes, ever. I drink my coffee strong, black and without sugar.
-I’m not a big fan of sushi. I will eat it but I don’t go out of my way for it.
-I don’t drive a Volvo. I drive a 2005 Ford Mustang. I like cars, I always have.
-I don’t read the New York Times. I generally avoid newspapers that publish the administration bullshit without real investigation.
-I don’t have any piercings and probably never will.
-I don’t like Hollywood. The major players in Hollywood are a bunch of no talent hacks who can’t come up with an original idea if there life depended on it. The top executives only care about making money and locking up there content in perpetuity.
-I hate freak shows.

I know lots of liberals and not one of them fit the above generalization. I resent republicans trying to pigeon hole all of us progressives with with labels that even if they were true, are only meant to scare small town religious people who don’t like anything different and don’t know any better. There is nothing wrong with driving a Volvo (they are extremely safe cars), drinking lattes, getting piercings or eating sushi if you like it. Hollywood and the Times are both well past their sell by date and ought to tossed on the compost heap, but that is another story.