I pointed out the other day that President Obama and his allies are a major threat, not just to the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, but to the entire Constitution. They don't see it as a bedrock foundation, binding on public law, political policy and jurisprudence; instead, it's a 'living document', to be reinterpreted at will and disregarded when it's inconvenient. Those of us who regard it as the framework of our Republic are dismissed as old fogeys, stick-in-the-mud has-beens who 'cling to our guns and religion' and are an obstacle to 'progress'.
A number of reports today reinforce that perspective.
- The President is converting his re-election organization into a non-profit movement to press for ongoing political and social change. As such, it will not have to declare its sources of funding. It might be funded by the Cuban Communist Party for all we know . . . we'll never find out. It'll try to out-fund-raise and out-muscle the NRA and other conservative political organizations.
- President Obama's inauguration address signals that he plans to make America's political future a collective fight, rather than rely on individual charisma or negotiating with individual politicians. He's trying to sideline traditional political structures, relying on mass political muscle to force through his agenda.
- A massive new left-wing political alliance has been formed, hoping to outdo any and all conservative movements of a similar nature. It involves almost every noteworthy so-called 'progressive' group in the country. "Radford, Brune, Cohen, and others say the Democracy Initiative is no flash in the pan; they're in it for the long haul, for more than just this election cycle and the one after it."
- It appears that Democrats intend to use their majority in the Senate to re-write the rules, amending or even eliminating the filibuster that has allowed Republicans to paralyze much of the legislative business in that Chamber. This, of course, means that the appointment of left-wing and progressive judges and officials can be much more easily accomplished, without having to take opposing views into account. (The fact that Democrats have consistently, even hysterically, warned Republicans against taking a similar step when they were in the minority will, of course, be conveniently ignored.)
- It seems that the most influential groups during the new Administration will be those not tied to physical production of economic goods, but those that are centered around intangibles such as information technology, education, administration, etc. For those of us whose existence depends on 'tangibles' (e.g. food, transport, etc.), this means our pressing needs and concerns are unlikely to be a major factor for consideration by those in positions of power.
As I said before, all the signs point to a concerted, deliberate attempt to sideline conservative and classic-liberal concerns, to ignore the Constitution, and to rule by mobilizing mass support for initiatives that may actually contradict the foundation of our constitutional Republic.
It's going to be a long fight, friends, and probably a very dirty one. The other side has few if any principles, largely because they appear to deny the existence of any independent, objective moral or ethical foundation. We're seeing the "If it feels good, do it!" generation on the march. It's a pretty sickening sight.
Gird your loins. The battle has begun.
Peter
2 comments:
That's just bad strategy, Peter. Don't fight your opponent on his chosen ground (and from a base of his determination, no less), co-opt his position by creating an alternative option that achieves his stated goals via constitutionally compliant means.
Use religious tenets to advance science instead of resisting scientific change. Jewish/Islamic kosher/halal food preparation rules might be a useful concept in this regard.
Use the basic Bill Of Rights as a context around which to build a principle to guide all technology development maybe.
Don't gear up to go down fighting; steal the wind from the other guy's gunboat sails instead.
As I understand it, the proposed amendments to the filibuster are not to eliminate it, but to return it to its traditional form: If you want to filibuster, you'll hold the floor as long as you want, not just threaten a filibuster in the face of a cloture vote.
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