And long before climate change became another excuse for disparaging America’s “automobile culture,” many liberal intellectuals were bothered by the automobile. It subverted their agenda of expanding government—meaning their—supervision of other people’s lives. Drivers moving around where and when they please? Without government supervision? Depriving themselves and others of communitarian moments on mass transit? No good could come of this.

The reason why conservative criticism is so moronic is that it regards liberalism with nothing but tin-foil-hat paranoia. The basic agenda of liberalism is to control people? Maybe that argument would fly with the Birchers during the cold war, but it’s long past time to get over it. The criticism that liberals hate freedom is willful ignorance.

George Will used to write columns that included actual thought, and had a little bit of intellectual heft. Now he’s a beltway limbaugh. George, shut the fuck up.

Also, a more reasoned rebuttal.