The American Left prides itself on a selfless commitment to economic and social justice. With moral certitude, confident of the purity of their motives and the evil nature of their opponents, they support a familiar litany of causes and programs: progressive taxes, affirmative action, greater regulation of corporations, increasing the inheritance tax, stricter environmental safeguards, consumer rights, and more.

But do liberals actually practice what they preach? Peter Schweizer dug deep into the tax returns, real estate documents, business and investment patterns, court depositions, and other records of politicians like the Clintons, Nancy Pelosi, the Kennedys, and Ralph Nader; commentators Michael Moore, Al Franken, Noam Chomsky, and Cornel West; and such prominent supporters of liberal causes as George Soros and Barbra Streisand. What he uncovered was a host of anomalies. They are all adept at avoiding taxes, invest in the very industries they denounce, and abandon environmental causes when they impinge on their own property rights. Michael Moore, who loudly condemns oil and defense contractors as war profiteers, owns shares in Halliburton, Boeing, and Honeywell. Nancy Pelosi, a tireless advocate for organized labor, is co-owner of a Napa Valley vineyard that uses nonunion workers. Noam Chomsky calls the Pentagon “the worst institution in human history,” yet both he and his wife have done well-paid contract work for the Department of Defense.

Schweizer makes it clear that when it comes to what matters most in their lives—the protection of their property, privacy, and families—even the most outspoken liberals jettison their progressive ideas and adopt conservative principles. In short, liberalism forces its adherents to become hypocrites. Schweizer’s conclusion is strikingly simple and highly persuasive: liberal principles that don’t work for individuals have no place in shaping national programs and policies.