DeTocqueville.US

Archive for August, 2009

The current debate over health-care reform has brought out the hypocrisy of the Left in a very visible way. Their response to protests (most of which are focused on the House’s health-care bill, HR 3200) is quite telling. If the protesters were to be anti-war or anti-Bush, they would be praised for their courage and patriotism. In this case, however, protesters are derided and chided for “unruly” behavior. Swastikas and Nazi references directed at the Right have long been used by leftists, but when such tactics are turned around on them, it is offensive and un-American. The Left’s hypocrisy is thus in full display.

What we should remember, however, is that many of our representatives on the Right have little room to talk on the hypocrisy front. Unfortunately, hypocrisy seems to be ingrained in most politicians. Republicans came to the majority in Congress in the 1990s as a specific response to tax-and-spend liberalism, but when they finally had a Republican president and an opportunity to affect real change, they succumbed to the spending bug themselves.

It is often said nowadays that the Right is “in the wilderness.” We should remember that the wilderness is a place of reflection and preparation, and we should learn the lessons not only of last eight years, but also of the last eight months, and not repeat the same mistakes.