We’ve seen a lot of insightful reflection about what the recent elections say about the prospects for liberty and the efforts of many Americans to fight for endangered liberties.
One lesson I hope we’re on the way to unlearning is how allegedly “praiseworthy” it is to evade any clear-cut defense of fundamental political principle. How allegedly “critical” it is to compromise not only on the details of a program that does advance one principles, but also on the basic principles themselves.
In a recent communiqué, Representative Ed Emery rejects the notion that “moderates” lost, sometimes spectacularly, because voters “weren’t thinking.” No, “Moderates lost because voters woke up to the truth that lukewarm does not protect personal liberties; it compromises them [and] protects the status quo.…”
But not even the status quo is protected by huddling in the middle of the road. The premier beneficiaries of the worship of the muddled middle are those who do advocate certain fundamental (and poisonous) ideological principles but who succeed in posing as practitioners of “moderation.” Today, the radical left calls itself “the center” and screams bloody murder about “extremism” when anybody offers cogent objections to their socialist agenda. “Compromise,” to them, means only tweaking the speed at which we hurtle ever closer to full government control over our lives.
Let’s not submit to this intimidation, this fraudulent debate-framing.
Let’s demand a fair and open clash of basic political principles.
That’s a battle we’ll win.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
4 replies on “The Murky, Muddled Middle”
I agree wholeheartedly. The left thinks “bi-partisanship” is the right agreeing to compromise with them. They now want bi-partisanship because they lost. Before when Republicans wanted to work out legislation, Obama shut them out and said “I won”. Now, after November 2, it’s time to “compromise”. They (the new Congress) better not! They were given a strong mandate to FIGHT, and they damn well better!
Governor Perry is making noises about fighting this if Congress does not. If he actually does do something to make a stand, ala interposition, he’d better prepare for the influx of productive people picking up to move there.
there is a lot of murky thinking to beundone. As long as I can remember (I’m 82) I have been hearing politicians from both sides of the aisle say Politics is tha art of compromise. To become successful politicians, they learn to comprmise theirvlues and ours, Compromise is the key to longevity. A strong argument for tight term limits. When they trade away our values it should be tantamont to their letters of resignation. We have a great opportunity to start back in the direction of constitutional government. If we let our representatives turn away becauseof our lack of persistence. it wil be our fault. Politicians are what they are.
I took a class on negotiating which pointed out that if you get the other person to compromise 50% three times, you have 87.5% of what you wanted and only 12.5% of what they wanted.