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Playing the patriotic card can often misfire

Tom G. Palmer, a writer I greatly admire, nicely calls out some rather boorish behaviour by the leftist writer, Jonathan Chait. I am a bit surprised: I always figured that Chait was one of the more reasonable leftists, so it seems a bit disappointing that he is a sneering jackass.

Mr Chait’s powers of reasoning are in any event, somewhat over-rated. I fisked something by him in relation to the Great Depression some time ago.

2 comments to Playing the patriotic card can often misfire

  • Paul Marks

    What leftists such as Mr Chait seem unable to understand is that being American is nothing to do with RACE.

    Still less is it anythng to do with having or not having a French family name.

    The “Progressives” hate (indeed detest) the strictly limited government principles that are American Constiution – they hate them so much that they try and pretend (via almost a century of “interpretation”) that the principles of being American do not even exit.

    That America is about being a certain race, or about being fat, or about liking baseball (or whatever).

    The French did not give the United States the Statue of Liberty because America is about baseball (a game that was not even very popular at the time) the French gave the United States the Statue of Liberty because that is what America is about.

    The United States is about LIBERTY – private property and strictly limited government, or it is about NOTHING.

    To “fundementally transform America” (the aim of the Progressive movement for a century or more) is to DESTROY AMERICA.

    And this must be clearly understood.

    “A lot of high sounding nonsense to cover up defence of bankers high incomes – now challenged by the noble Barney Frank”.

    The present economic crises was caused by the increase in the money supply by the Federal Reserve (itself a totally unconstituional entity – even more so than the two Banks of the United States) and the application of this credit money to the pyramid scheme know as the “affordable housing policy” (with home loans given to people who could not afford to buy houses – and these loans being used as the foundation for a vast mountain of securities and other debt instruments).

    There were two Senators most closely associated with all the above – Christopher Dodd (head of the Senate Banking Commitee) and a young (ish) Community Organizer Senator from Chicago – I wonder what the name of that person was. Oh yes I remember – it was BARACK OBAMA.

    These two men were even deeper in the mess of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (and all the rest) than the clueless George Walker Bush – at least he had a dim idea something was wrong and made half hearted efforts to stop it.

    But there was also a member of the House of Representatives involved (indeed at the heart of) this demented line of policy.

    The Chairman of the House Banking Committee ……

    CONGRESSMAN BARNEY FRANK.

    If Congressman Frank really cared about the victims of the current crises (and there will be many more victims) he would say two words.

    “I resign”.

    But there was also

  • John Thacker

    I always figured that Chait was one of the more reasonable leftists, so it seems a bit disappointing that he is a sneering jackass.

    Mr. Chait is the very epitome of a New Republic writer. He is a reasonable, moderate leftist, but somehow that only makes him even more unhinged about the other team and more of a jackass.

    “The Right has some good ideas… too bad that they’re all EVIL people!” could be their motto.