by liberal japonicus
All of you may have things to say about this.
"This is the Voice of Moderation. I wouldn't go so far as to say we've actually SEIZED the radio station . . . "
"This is the Voice of Moderation. I wouldn't go so far as to say we've actually SEIZED the radio station . . . "
by liberal japonicus
All of you may have things to say about this.
He make an excellent point that, among those with whom we massively disagree, there are (pardon me) nuances. Some had the virtue of opposing his being cancelled and the courage to stand up and say so. Others either supported it, or at least lacked the courage to say so.
Oppose those you disagree with, sure. But acknowledge it when they get something right.
What wj said. Although, in the case of e.g. Ted Cruz, his past record entitles us to suspect that there may be more to his apparently principled stand than meets the eye. Cynicism which prompts a jump a particular way after reading the (national) room is different from sticking bravely to your principles. But sure, better to do it than not, like so many of the others.
This Politico piece talks about that.
It’s clear the 54-year-old Texan is wagering that at some future date, when he’s still young enough to run for president again, his party will drift back to its free market and free speech moorings. I know Cruz well enough to hear him saying it on the stump at some future Pizza Ranch stop: Look, folks, I think Trump did a lot of good and his critics never gave him a fair shot, but I stood up for our conservative values when it wasn’t totally popular in our party. (And, yes, it’s also no coincidence that Cruz has used his two major critiques to target other actors in the administration rather than Trump himself.)
One thing that I’m struck by about Cruz’ defense of free speech (and Rand Paul’s I think) is not that we do this because strength comes from a diversity of opinions, but because the liberals might do it to us. This suggests that if there wasn’t that argument, he’s be all in.
One thing that I’m struck by about Cruz’ defense of free speech (and Rand Paul’s I think) is not that we do this because strength comes from a diversity of opinions, but because the liberals might do it to us.
Yes, I noticed that with a few of the Rs taking this tack. It does seem contemptible, but the only thing that gives me pause is that even if a particular person saying it actually did feel it was a matter of principle, they might nevertheless make this argument to bring as many Rs, MAGAs etc along with them as possible under prevailing conditions. However, I can’t offhand think of anybody this might apply to (although of course I am not all that familiar with all of their records), and given the current state of the GOP, this would probably be a tiny minority even if it existed.
It’s no surprise that this plugs into a belief of might is right. It also suggests that you can’t deal with folks like that by reasoning, you just have to show them a bigger stick.