--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peter Beinart excoriates the doughface…" description: "\"Peter Beinart excoriates the doughface liberals who during the Cold War put anti-imperialism before anti-totalitarianism and demanded total moral purit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/rich-lowry-12149_action_peter-beinart-excoriates-the-doughface-l_542497.png" --- # Peter Beinart excoriates the doughface liberals who during… ![“Peter Beinart excoriates the doughface liberals who during the Cold War put anti-imperialism before anti-totalitarianism and demanded total moral purity on the part of the United States, thus opposing any action in the real world to resist Soviet expansionism. If the Democrats were, as he…” quote by Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/rich-lowry-12149_action_peter-beinart-excoriates-the-doughface-l_542497.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/rich-lowry-12149_action_peter-beinart-excoriates-the-doughface-l_542497.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/rich-lowry-12149_action_peter-beinart-excoriates-the-doughface-l_542497.png) > “Peter Beinart excoriates the doughface liberals who during the Cold War put anti-imperialism before anti-totalitarianism and demanded total moral purity on the part of the United States, thus opposing any action in the real world to resist Soviet expansionism. If the Democrats were, as he advocates, to return to the Trumanesque anti-totalitarian liberalism that held sway in the party from roughly 1947 to 1972, the party and the country would be better off.” [Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques liberals who prioritized anti-imperialism over anti-totalitarianism, urging a return to Truman-era liberalism for stronger US policy. **In simple terms:** Liberalism should balance anti-imperialism with anti-totalitarianism. Key Takeaway Adopt principled, realistic foreign policy. Themes politics foreign policy liberalism history ideology Mood critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - policy debates - academic discussions - voting decisions - public speeches - media analysis Key Concepts anti-imperialism anti-totalitarianism Trumanism realism Questions to Reflect On - How can a party balance moral ideals with pragmatic action? - What risks arise from abandoning anti-imperialism? A Different Perspective May overlook complexities of modern geopolitics and domestic concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Democrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrat/) [Imperialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperialism/) [Liberalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalism/) [Liberals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Totalitarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarianism/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [One of the standards on which your happiness is based, now and in your future, is moral purity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/one-of-the-standards-on-which-your-happiness-is-based-now-and-in-your/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Women particularly can dress modestly and in the process contribute to their own self respect and to the moral purity of men. 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