I am getting very tired of reading and listening to accusations of my intolerance, bigotry, racism, sexism, and nativism in my objections to the construction of the Ground Zero mosque, support of the Arizona illegal immigration law, and support for the California anti-same sex marriage law, among other cultural issues on which I share the views of the substantial majority of Americans. I’m sorry, Americans have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone, including Jeremiah Wright, as to their record as the most generous, benevolent, unselfish, tolerant, and welcoming society in world history. Jonah Goldberg has it right–those Americans who are in the majority on these issues are the real victims of hate, directed I would add by a totalitarian left that cannot win a democratic majority on any of these issues. Of course the response from my President is that my refuge from this brand of “progressivism” is to “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like me”. And of course, according to the progressive elite and their fellow media travelers the only people who could hold views like mine are ignorant bigots or political panderers. The demonization of its opponents is a well honed tactic of the left and a very effective one over the years. Well, I have news. This time the totalitarian left has overplayed its hand. For about half a century, it has relied on the good will of Americans coupled with the guilty instincts of many in the majority in pursuing the progressive agenda, but it has now overstepped its bounds and overestimated the size of its mandate and it is about to be rolled back.
Most of the media analysis of the upcoming election characterize the central issue as the economy and jobs, and this is to a large extent reflected in the polling, but I have a different take. The issues raised by the mosque, the Arizona law, and the gay rights issue are about who we are, and we are manifestly not the bigots the left would have us believe. The guilt trip is over.
