Ok. I read blogs and right-wing rag blogs. They reveal the thinking of folks on the right, and it seems a useful thing to know. This entry from RealClearPolitics, which tries to give the impression of being thoughtful but is, ultimately, about as thoughtful as a pile of bricks. You get it in the title of the editorial comment below: "The French Make Law in the Streets, Here Congress does It." Let's count the ways this represents the sentiments of the right wing: french are bad (after all they did not support our hero GWB); making law in the streets is bad (god forbids protests, except against abortion clinics); only congress makes the law (except in cases where the president amends it with a signed statement that he is exempt from the law--oops, my politics leaked in.)
Actually, though, the reason I love the title is much simpler. The writer rejects the notion that pro-immigration forces, especially Mexican immigrants (legal and illegal), can alter the political landscape through mass action. Instead, the writer prefers "Congress." That kind of false dichotomy underscores two essential facts of the contemporary political system. You have to pay to play--on the left and right and his contention that there is a "silent majority." The former, of course, benefits everyone who is in power, but thankfully mass demonstration will always win the day. The latter is the more insidious way that the right-wing has been intimidating and governing, implying that some silent majority exists which is xenophobic, pro-markets, and pro-military--damn the consequences. We know better. And, we know better because people are taking to the streets!
In the meantime, watch RealClearPolitics. And respond. Help that silent majority to find voice against the demagoguery of the right wing.
Link: RealClearPolitics - Articles - The French Make Law in the Streets, Here Congress Does It.
