Utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) once said, "I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative."

Apparently, 150 years later, that sentiment is stronger than ever.

A casual glance at Web logs all across the World Wide Web shows the level of angst and disdain liberals have for conservatives. I realize, of course, that when there is a contentious election, one side or the other is going to be a little miffed at the results. But I have seen generally calm, fun-loving people become fairly emotional over W's re-election.

And I hear the "S" word bandied about fairly routinely. Along with words like "idiot," "moron," "boor" and "dolt."

Here are some snippets:

There is a profound lack of interest in ideological or philosophic pursuits among many young conservatives. Of course, this lack of interest in learning about the principles they claim to support is why so many conservatives are convinced that George Bush is the type of president right-wingers used to dream about (these morons can't even tell dreams from nightmares).

Or:

Pity the poor stupid conservatives, for they are blinded by their religious goonie-leaders, which monthly rob them of 10 percent of their income on a tax-free basis. Poor stupid conservatives! Before I go, my favorite quotes from President Dumbya - "Is our children learning?" and Bring it on!

How about:

I'll never understand you and maybe that's best.

It is absolutely amazing to me how you can really believe all of the bull**** you're celebrating about. I still haven't heard or read a single Republican point recently that wasn't twisted, completely backwards or just plain wrong.

I congratulate all of you for your resolve and heart and faith or whatever it is that you use to form opinions with. Wow, the line between ignorance and stupidity has actually vanished!

There are so many stupid/selfish/intolerant people in this world and this recent campaign is proof that most of them live in the USA.

Now, as I said before, I fully understand a certain level of angst with regard to a contentious election. And if you look at what conservatives are saying, you'll also see a fairly pronounced level of incivility in their remarks. The marked difference I see is that conservatives don't generally accuse liberals of being stupid.

The converse is not true. Liberals are always accusing conservatives of being stupid.

And frankly, I believe that if liberals really want to turn this whole political thing around in their favor, they need to get away from that whole "conservatives are stupid" mindset.

You see, liberals tend to think of themselves as progressive. They're thinkers. They're cutting edge. They're enlightened. They feel as if they have the ability to see all sides of an issue and formulate a reasoned approach or solution. They perceive themselves as caring more about their fellow man and their environment than conservatives.

Given that thought process, liberals have to view conservatives as narrow-minded, selfish and unable to see the big picture. Conservatives are only concerned with things that affect them directly. Conservatives are only concerned with money and bettering themselves to the detriment of others.

I also think liberals tend to view all change as progress, especially when it comes to social issues.

Of course not all change is positive. Not all change is progress. Some changes can have a negative impact on society and culture.

But if conservatives question the societal impact of change, they are perceived by liberals as being averse to progress, unenlightened or just plain stupid.

The gay marriage issue is a perfect example of this. Liberals tend to see a change in the definition of marriage as progress in the realm of civil rights. Conservatives see the change as having a potential negative impact on society and culture.

Certainly, you could make a reasoned, principled argument on either side of the issue. But it's the liberals who view the conservative position as averse to change and progress. And, after all, only stupid people are averse to change and progress.

Liberals think this way at their political peril. For evidence, liberals need to look no further than the glaring irony of the last election.

The very issues that should be most important to rural Americans - jobs, the economy, health care, Social Security - were all owned by the Democrats. Yet it is rural Americans who handed the re-election to W.

Conservatives aren't stupid. They're just conservative. And unenlightened as they may be, they still comprise a majority of the voters in this country.

The key is for liberals to convince them that they share the same values. The key is for liberals to reach out to them, not to denigrate them.

That was precisely the formula for success employed by Bill Clinton. He embraced conservatives. He raced to the center. It's been a long-standing axiom in politics that the only way a liberal can be elected is to talk like a conservative. That makes sense. Who would campaign on a platform of bigger government and higher taxes?

John Kerry moved to left, thinking he could energize his base enough to put him in the White House.

The problem with that strategy is, like it or not, there are more people in the country who think like conservatives than who think like liberals. Look at what has happened in the South. Formerly a Democrat stronghold, every southern state went for W.

USA today published a county-by-county election map. Red counties went for Bush, blue for Kerry. It noted the population of the red counties was 150.9 million. The population of the blue counties was 103.6 million.

That tells me that there are a lot more untapped conservative voters out there. Liberals need to understand this if they want to be electorally successful in the future. They need to lose the attitude that they're smarter or more enlightened than conservatives. That makes them seem elitist.

People won't vote for you if you call them stupid. [[In-content Ad]]