Senator Harry Reid has stooped to a new low by comparing people who oppose Obamacare to defenders of slavery. From the story:
...Reid argued that Republicans are using the same stalling tactics employed in the pre-Civil War era. “Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, ‘slow down, stop everything, let’s start over.’ If you think you’ve heard these same excuses before, you’re right,” Reid said Monday. “When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said ‘slow down, it’s too early, things aren’t bad enough.’” He continued: “When women spoke up for the right to speak up, they wanted to vote, some insisted they simply, slow down, there will be a better day to do that, today isn’t quite right. When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today.”
Well, the people who dug in their heels about slavery were Democrats. Same for the most part regarding Jim Crow. And women were given the right to vote by men because Suffragettes they had successfully made the moral case. It was a splendid example of how the system is supposed to work, because once the job was done, we never looked back. Moreover, if a senator of a different political persuasion said something like that, it would be called hate speech.
But that’s beside the point. These kind of alleged moral comparisons with some of the worst evils in our country’s history are pure garbage. Our health care system is flawed, to be sure. But it is not slavery. It is not denying women the vote. It is not Jim Crow. People can disagree with the current proposal and not be malicious or supporters of oppression and tyranny. This kind of hyperbole convinces no one, changes no minds, but causes great harm by corroding what little political comity remains in this country.
December 7th, 2009 | 4:34 pm
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) actually did filibuster the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
December 7th, 2009 | 5:42 pm
This kind of crap makes my blood boil. Good point about the fact that DEMOCRATS opposed the abolition of slavery. Its like the leftist liberals who say that they are the only ones who care about disability rights while they campaign for late term abortion rights in the case of a disabled fetus. Sickening. It’s also too bad because attitudes like this make more down to earth liberals look like bad, which isn’t fair to them.
December 8th, 2009 | 6:43 am
“Well, the people who dug in their heels about slavery were Democrats.” True. And nearly every one of the SOUTHERN Democrats (hey, Wesley, you seem to have forgotten that adjective) who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act became, and remained, Republicans. So stop trying to play word games to further your Republican political agenda. Strom Thurmond was one of YOUR guys.
Wesley J. Smith Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 11:04 am
This blog is not partisan, and can it with the racist implications about people with whom you disagree. The facts were as I stated in the response to Reid’s diatribe. Hey, Al Gore’s dad voted against the Act. Has nothing to do with Al Gore.
December 8th, 2009 | 6:45 am
Oh, and I nearly forgot. When it comes to odious “comparisons,” does that also apply to your crowd comparing pro-choicers to Nazis?
Wesley J. Smith Reply:
December 8th, 2009 at 11:03 am
HW: That is not something of which I approve or in which I engage.
December 8th, 2009 | 5:11 pm
One more point, there is one senator still in office who filibustered civil rights: DEMOCRAT Senator Robert Byrd, formerly of the KKK.
December 8th, 2009 | 6:27 pm
This society has been falling apart for a long time. Otherwise Obama, Pelosi, and Reid wouldn’t be in Washington, there wouldn’t be a death culture, etc. By the way, Wesley, “death panel” really caught on and did a good job, didn’t it. I guess I’ll never let up about that one… As a matter of fact, Sarah Palin came to a book-signing here, where things have gone downhill as things went Democrat (some places are designed to be Democrat, some Republican), and was was welcomed with great enthusiasm even here.
December 8th, 2009 | 9:30 pm
Sarah WHO?
December 9th, 2009 | 2:59 am
The problem with partisan blogs is that facts are usually disregarded in place of strategically written fabrications intended to confuse and re-write events. You, my friend are a master at this.
I hope you warn your readers to disregard their common sense when reading your hysteria laden stories.
p.s. Reid’s comparison is SPOT ON!
January 1st, 2010 | 4:53 pm
thom, I don’t think you grasp the irony of your comment.
And yes, Senator Byrd is 92 years old and a left-leaning Democrat.
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