I’ve been both a progressive and a conservative. I’ve been a conservative for much less time than I was a progressive. This column rings true to me. The sheer viciousness of progressives is astonishing and disturbing. That I did not notice or pay much attention to it until I became a conservative shows how ideology acts as a blinder.

Addendum: I voted for Bill Clinton in 1992, so you can be sure I was attentive to Clinton-hatred. Yes, there was Clinton-hatred between 1993 and 2001, but it was nothing like the Bush-hatred that we’ve seen throughout the Bush presidency. In fact, there’s no comparison. On a scale of one to 10, Clinton-hatred was four and Bush-hatred is nine. What do others think? Can anyone explain why progressives are so hateful? Does progressivism cause hatefulness? Does being a hateful person cause one to be a progressive? Is there some third factor that causes both?

Addendum 2: I discovered the Brooks column while visiting Michelle Malkin’s site.