I got to hang out with many of my NR colleagues, particularly some of the younger folks I don’t know very well plus Andy McCarthy who’s just a Hoss. Anyway, I have nothing thoughtful to say right now (“‘Right now’?” — The Couch) but I figured I’d post some email I got while I was away from the computer all day.

From a reader:

Mr. Goldberg
I will acknowledge that I consider myself a liberal – I am also a
devout atheist (although unlike Christopher Hitchens I do not believe
that religion is a negative influence – but the metaphysical premises of
religion are frankly, nonsense). Having said this I enjoyed your book
greatly and got out of it, I think, what you would expect a “thinking”
liberal as opposed to a more doctrinaire liberal should.
My view is that you conclusively showed that the pejorative use of
the loaded term “fascist” against the right is not only unfair but that
in fact a look in the mirror by a liberal would lead him to recognize
that American Conservatism principles taken to excess would not be
fascist whereas American Liberalism incorporates precepts which taken
not much farther would make Mussolini or Albert Speer feel right at
home.
I found particularly impressive in your book the willingness to
engage opposing points of view rather than simply dismissing them. In
this regard you resemble the late, lamented Mr. Buckley and very few
others in the media, either conservative or liberal.
Respectfully,
Bryan

And:

If you look at the New Republic’s homepage today their main story is: Right Now, We Need Liberals The word may be too toxic for Obama and Clinton to use–but to bring the change the U.S. needs, they should embrace liberalism’s proud history. And slightly down the page there’s this: Mourning The Progressive Era That Ended When Martin Luther King Was Murdered But I’m confused! I thought the history of progressivism/liberalism didn’t matter and how-dare-Jonah-Goldberg-talk-about-what-liberals-used-to-say!

And:

Jonah,
I agree with the other e-mailer who begged you to write another book. I have found myself referring everyone to your current book, plus I’ve forwarded the links you provided to highlights from the Glen Beck interview. My copy of your book is now full of dog-ears, underlines, and numerous exclamation points with “Obama” written in the margins. I only wish I could be as articulate when trying to explain this to my friends, but alas, I cannot compete with some of the other e-mailers. I’m trying not to be fearful of our future, but one cannot escape truth once they have knowledge. Thank you for taking the time to help enlighten all of us, and do consider the possibility of writing another book.
Respectfully,
Barb from Minneapolis, MN

And:

Jonah-
Enjoyed you Liberal Fascism. Thank you.
How about resurrecting the ideas of classical Liberalism and rescuing that
term from the Left?
Classical liberalism is a pretty good thing. A new generation of Americans
can use it, if it’s rehabilitated.
Here’s an interesting Hayek article on the topic:
http://www.fahayek.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46
Also, here’s a discussion from HotAir, prompted by that silly E.J. Dionne
column:
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/04/04/when-was-liberalisms-expiration-date/
I think it would be provocative to re-claim the Liberal mantle for the
political right, and could make for a very interesting book. It would at
least help to clarify terms– as it stands now, there is a transatlantic
miscommunication about this.

And:

Mr. Goldberg,
In the south suburbs of Chicago our library system has 39 copies of the book. Most are checked out (including in our town of Flossmoor) with lots of holds on the checked out copies.
Just did my part to keep sales going. I ordered a copy for my dad through Amazon. He taught Western history at the Junior College level in Western Canada. When I was still pretty young, I remember him pointing out that NAZI was the acronym for the National SOCIALIST party. I never looked at politics and history the same after that.
Thanks again for all your writings and LF in particular.
Best,
[Name withheld]