According to novelist, philosopher, and political commentator Mark Goldblatt, modern American liberalism is no longer a system of beliefs about the role of government, the conduct of international relations, or the nature of personal responsibility. Rather, it’s a series of “bumper sticker” ideas without foundation, that are a perfect antidote to critical thought. In Bumper Sticker Liberalism he offers a humorous and refreshing criticism of liberalism’s decline into a collection of ill-informed platitudes.

Bumper Sticker Liberalism explores the meaning—or lack of it—behind actual bumper stickers, ranging from war and peace to the nanny state, from heroes to bête noirs to  “Bush derangement syndrome.” Goldblatt reveals how these platitudes—clever, pithy, often nasty—require no defense on the part of their proponents. Sticker by sticker, he illuminates the holes and shortcomings of what he calls drive-by grievances, including:

• Global Warming Is Real: Deal With It—so who’s going to convince a billion or so Chinese and Indians to grin and bear the grinding poverty of their lives to achieve a greener tomorrow?

• “Bush Lied People Died”—up to 5,000 Iraqi children were dying each month prior to Bush’s decision to topple Saddam.

• Give Peace a Chance—should Lincoln have given peace a chance after the Battle of Bull Run?

Funny and sardonic, Bumper Sticker Liberalism takes on some of the left’s loftiest clichés, offering a derisive look from the other side.