Norman Lear, legendary TV producer, calls himself a ‘bleeding heart conservative’

TV producer Norman Lear, long known as a liberal lion of Hollywood, has revealed himself to be what he calls “a bleeding heart conservative,” Entertainment Weekly reports.

“Everybody knows me to be a progressive or a liberal or lefty or whatever. I think of myself as a bleeding-heart conservative,” Mr. Lear said during a press tour to promote an upcoming PBS documentary on his career. “You will not [mess] with my Bill of Rights, my Constitution, my guarantees of political justice for all. But does my heart bleed for those who need help and aren’t getting the justice that the country promises them and the equal opportunity the country promises? Yes.”

The 93-year-old writer/producer made a career for himself by creating groundbreaking TV shows in the 1970s such as “All in the Family,” “The Jerffersons,” “Maude” and “Good Times” — entertainment that dealt with contentious social issues and carried strong political messages supporting liberal ideology. He also made a name for himself by supporting a host of liberal causes and leaders.

In describing his brand of conservatism, Mr. Lear said: “I’m a bleeding heart, but I think myself to be a total social conservative. The people who are running just don’t seem to have America on their minds, not the America I think about. When I was a kid, we were in love with America. As early as I can remember, there was a civics class in my public school. And I was in love with those things that guaranteed freedom before I learned that there were people who hated me because I was Jewish. I had a Bill of Rights and a Constitution, those words out of the Declaration that protected me. And I knew about that because we had civics in class. We don’t have that much in the country anymore.

“So before World War II or shortly after, we were in love with America because we understood what it was about and that’s what we were in love with. I believe everybody’s patriotic today. Everybody loves America. But I don’t need their flag plans to prove it. I’d like to go back to civics lessons,” he said, according to Entertainment Weekly.