Questioning Their Patriotism
Politics
| December 17, 2008
| Tim
Left: December 16, 2008:
Melissa Etheridge stopped by "The View" Tuesday, but before singing a Christmas song she challenged co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck about Prop 8. Etheridge married partner Tammy Lynn Michaels, which whom she has twin two-year olds, in 2003. "To have people vote to take away rights is very un-American," Etheridge told the cohosts talking about her disappointment over Prop 8. She then singled out Elisabeth for a previous show's discussion on the issue...
Subjecting the creation of new rights to democracy: Un-American.
Left: December 12, 2008:
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) said it was "un-American" for senators to have voted against approving a bailout of troubled automakers last night, saying their vote may cause a recession to become a depression.
"It is unacceptable for this un-American, frankly, behavior of these U.S. senators to cause this country to go from a recession into a depression," Granholm said during a radio interview Friday morning.
Failing to give billions of taxpayer dollars to large corporations and unions: Un-American.
Right: December 9, 2008:
To Steve Bartolin, who runs the five-star Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, the notion of rewriting portions of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act to require card check elections is “un-American.”
Forbidding a secret vote on union membership: Un-American.
Left: November 26, 2008, MarketWatch:
Velvet Revolution ("VR"), a non-profit dedicated to clean and honest elections, has called on California Secretary of State Debra Bowen to order an immediate investigation into the accuracy of the vote count on Proposition 8.... The passage of Prop 8 creates a dangerous precedent of subjecting the rights of a minority to a popular vote. Quite frankly, that is unconstitutional and un-American.
Subjecting the creation of new rights to democracy: Un-American. (Presumably it would be more "American" if voters were excluded from the process?)
Left: November 23, 2008:
COMMENTARY: Disrespecting the Voters and the System: Un-American
Anyone listening these days to the likes of Limbaugh, Savage, O’Reilly and the minor leaguer Sean Hannity would come away thinking the nation is rapidly sinking into socialism. [....] it is important to note their actions in disrespecting the overwhelming decision of the voters is hardly the expression of Americanism they allegedly support.
Dissent: No longer the highest form of patriotism, now un-American.
Subjecting the creation of new rights to democracy:
I believe in the authority of the Democratic process, myself, though I do believe in both majority rules and minority rights (Which many of the people you cited probably only believe in when it fits their particular political beliefs.)
But you didn't answer my question earlier about the implications of the 14th amendment as it applies to same sex marriage. If it's unconstitutional to discriminate based on sex, then isn't a prohibition on same sex marriage unconstituional (if not 'un-American.')
Incidentally, there's a fair bit of outrage among the Democratic base over the bailouts. One of my coworkers, a stauch Democrat, said of the matter "God help me, but I'm on the side of the Republicans."
I believe in the authority of the Democratic process, myself, though I do believe in both majority rules and minority rights.
Ultimately, rights must be protected (and created, if and when appropriate) through democratic means. But to be protected, philosophically, in the long run, by being held to be inalienable, which is a dogmatic appeal to a certain religious conception of God.
But you didn't answer my question earlier about the implications of the 14th amendment...
Addressed here.
Incidentally, there's a fair bit of outrage among the Democratic base over the bailouts.
Yes, I can understand that. It's a bit like Kelo where many liberal commentators at first got screwed up and thought it was the conservatives who must have supported it. (Yes, I know, I owe you a response on that too, just haven't had time to read yours well yet.)
There are times when it's "them" (politicians) versus "us". With the exception of the Congressional Republicans (who appear to be on the right side of this one), that's pretty much the case here, IMO.
Liberal voters are often surprised by outcomes like this and Kelo because the simpler formulations they hear ("corporations are right-wing, and bad") don't often match up with a deeper understanding of the roots and historical positions of leftism (corporations often lean left, and a merger between state and corporate interests sometimes serves the "unconstrained vision" of those on the left).
(And then there's also corruption, but neither case above is an example of that.)
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Subjecting the creation of new rights to democracy:
I believe in the authority of the Democratic process, myself, though I do believe in both majority rules and minority rights (Which many of the people you cited probably only believe in when it fits their particular political beliefs.)
But you didn't answer my question earlier about the implications of the 14th amendment as it applies to same sex marriage. If it's unconstitutional to discriminate based on sex, then isn't a prohibition on same sex marriage unconstituional (if not 'un-American.')
Incidentally, there's a fair bit of outrage among the Democratic base over the bailouts. One of my coworkers, a stauch Democrat, said of the matter "God help me, but I'm on the side of the Republicans."
Posted by: Ryan W. on December 17, 2008 10:48 AM