I used to think it was possible to dismiss the right. Then, I thought it was possible to rationally argue against it. Then, I thought it was possible to feel triumphant as it suffered electoral defeat. Now, I believe that even as it suffered a defeat at the polls nine months ago, the right is louder, bolder, and as a consequence, much more dangerous than ever. While I hate dehumanizing metaphors, I believe that the right wing of American politics is like a wounded animal - never more dangerous than when it is injured and feels itself threatened. As we observe the doings in Congress and the Bush Administration, and read the increasingly shrill and nonsensical rantings of the right-wing blogosphere, I do believe that we are in the midst of a struggle for the very heart of America. The real enemy is not Islam. The real enemy is not illegal immigration. The real enemy is a vision of America that is contrary to our history, our Constitution, and the best of what America believes and professes about itself.
There are some, including ER, who remain optimistic about the current state of cultural and civic confusion, I cannot remain sanguine. The possibility always exists that all that we hold dear, all that we cherish about America, will be lost in an orgy of fear, hatred, and nihilism that pulls down around our ears all that has made life in America more than tolerable, but positively wonderful. For all our flaws, I believe that we are the best spot on the map, whether that spot is Syracuse, New York, Peoria, Illinois, Franklin, Virginia, or Santa Barbara California (or even Oklahoma City!). There were several discussion linked yesterday to a site called American Family Security that I found almost impossible to access; both digby and the boys at Sadly!No highlighted a piece that called for the end of American democracy in the name of saving American democracy, or something like that. The general point was quite frightening in its implication, and shows that, when push comes to shove, the right much prefers being led by an incompetent former booze hound than trust the wisdom of the people. This is just one of many instances where those on the right show their true colors; not too long ago I highlighted a piece by Thomas Sowell who seemed to relish the idea of a military coup in the United States.
This is not mere talk. These are direct threats to the very idea of America. That America is an idea, an idea that has to be defended from all sorts of attacks, has been clear to the best minds in our country's history, from Emerson and Whitman in the 19th century to William James, John Dewey, Richard Rorty, and Cornell West in our own time. The vision and idea of America the right promotes is one of intolerance, violence against difference, the denial of citizenship and humanity to those who differ, and the abrogation of our Constitution and laws in the name of some kind of purity, be it religious, racial, or cultural that in itself is narrow, stilted, and held by few. The challenge is to counter those who wish to end the American experiment in the name of Christianity, or security against terrorism, or unfettered capitalism, or "the white race", or cultural conformity. The only weapons we have are an openness to reality and a refusal to have our world and reality defined for us by those least qualified to do so. The stakes are far too high to rest upon the notion that America has faced worse times. We may have; precisely because the conflict is largely hidden it is all the more dangerous, and must be met much more publicly than ever before.
