Meghan McCain has spent the last year or so trying really really hard to be cool. Which, in today’s climate, basically means spending a lot of time trash-talking the same ideas that everybody else trash-talks and then trying to pretend that you’re bravely going where nobody’s ever gone before. It also includes wild accusations of racism toward anyone who is not a lefty, Concerned Eyebrows aimed toward those who make value judgments about our current State of the Union, and much ado about free speech, while not being so sure that those crazy Tea Party people deserve the First Amendment after all.
Rand Paul, on the other hand, does not seem to be very concerned about his cool factor, hence his honestly Libertarian views on the Civil Rights Act, which now have both conservatives and liberals in a tizzy of disgust, feigned discussion and not very much deep thought. Because the real fact is that Paul did not say anything that controversial. He’s actually simply being true to what a Libertarian stands for, which is incredibly limited government, to a point that most Republicans are even uncomfortable with the level of freedom proposed.
Here’s what he said on the Rachel Maddow show.
The more I dig into politics on my own, the more I resonate with Libertarian ideals. I can sympathize with Paul’s position. Is racism or discrimination OK? Definitely not. But Federal regulation may not be the way to deal with it, at least not in private businesses. I personally believe that the American people are far too anti-discrimination these days to ever let such a thing stand. If some dude wants to put up a sign “No Blacks Allowed” above his restaurant door, let him. Then all the decent people won’t eat there, and hopefully he’ll lose business and repent of his bigoted ways. If, however, the Feds decide that they can MAKE him serve everybody, then he has lost sovreignty over his privately-owned business. This, then, starts the slippery slope of legislating for the good of the public, which basically means that we legislate away whatever is not politically correct at the moment. Hi Food Deserts and Salt Ban!
So, when Rachel Maddow tries paint Paul as a Unprecedented Haterface, she’s not being honest about what he’s saying. Which brings me to Meghan McCain, the Queen of Not Being Honest About What She’s Saying. While Maddow’s and McCain’s eyebrows get very high and concerned at all the right moments to imply racism, the racism that they long to see is simply not there. Paul is not making a statement about Civil Rights. He’s not even making a statement about discrimination in general. He’s trying to make a point about Federal Regulation, and to do so on such a touchy issue required a serious set of convictions and a manly pair of you-know-whats.
McCain calls herself as Conservative, but rails against any kind of thoughtful debate, which tracks nicely with the political trends. Interestingly enough, despite her disgust with Rand Paul’s hateyness, she probably doesn’t know he’s likely in favor of gay marriage, since most Libertarians believe that marriage shouldn’t be overseen by the Gummint anyway. So are we going to continue to debate whether or not he’s a racist homophobe, or can we start looking at the policies he’s endorsing and the point he was trying to make?
My hat is off to Dr. Paul for having the gonads to bring up something so controversial, and for trusting that the American people are intelligent enough to look past an unsavory argument and into a real issue of rights and freedoms. After all, all men are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, and that’s something that no Government can give or take away. As for Meghan McCain, I wish she’d worry more about the truth and less about being young and cool and on The View. (I wasn’t going to quote her, but I can’t resist – it’s so bad it’s good: “Revolutions start with young people, not with 65-year-old people talking about literacy tests and people who can’t say the word vote in English. It’s ridiculous.” Wiping eyes… catching breath….)
(For a snarky take-down of Ms. McCain, click here. For more on the Maddow interview, click here.)
Posted on May 25, 2010
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