Romney's Mission Impossible
Mark Davis, in The Dallas Morning News, offers unsolicited advice to Mitt Romney about what he should say in the speech on religion that Romney plans to give at the George HW Bush Presidential Library.
Mark Davis first declares his own religious beliefs off limits for discussion. Davis believes Jesus actually rose from the dead, admits that his belief is illogical, but says there's no use trying to reason with him. On the other hand, Davis declares open season on Mitt Romney's Mormon beliefs, which he dismisses because objective historians can find no evidence to support. Quite a double standard, that. What it amounts to is this. My religion is immune from reasoned argument. Your religion is nutty. Don't argue.
Davis warns Romney not to even try justifying his beliefs. It'll only reinforce the opinion of conservative Christians who'll wonder: if Romney can believe that, what else will he believe?
Davis also pre-emptively shoots down any appeal for tolerance, dismissing that as mere platitude. Davis doesn't say it, but tolerance is a dirty word to movement conservatives.
Pretty much the only thing left for Romney to say is that he shares the movement conservative agenda against abortion, gay rights, etc. Which is what Romney has based his campaign on all along, and which isn't working.
Bottom line? Mark Davis is telling Romney he's screwed. Movement conservatives like Mark Davis have their minds made up and there's nothing Romney can say to change them.
Defending America's Constitution
Tara Ross, in Dallas Blog, rants against a University of Texas Law School program, the "National Security and Human Rights" clinic. She is disheartened that UT would "defend America's enemies", as she puts it. She draws a line between criminals, who have Constitutional rights, and terrorists, who have no such rights. She would deny detainees access to the courts even to contest their classification as terrorists.
Ross uses over the top alarmist argument, claiming that admitting that detainees have any rights at all will result in soldiers having to read Miranda rights to enemy combatants on the battlefield.
Ross says she is not suggesting there is no room for rule of law in war, when, in fact, that's just what she is doing. She says we must always behave honorably, but then dishonorably cedes to one man, the President, the power to imprison whoever he wants, without charge, indefinitely, and torture them. She dishonorably surrenders any checks or balances on this power, any questioning of the limits of such powers, at least any questioning by the UT Law School. So much for the rule of law.
There's no reason not to be proud of the UT Law School, whose principled actions in this instance make Ross' shame equivalent to being ashamed of America. However, having just learned that Ross herself is a graduate, my respect for the law school did drop a notch.
Open-border open-heart-ism
DallasMorningView's Rod Dreher has an astonishing new take on the problem of millions of Americans not having health insurance. He quotes extensively from a reader who faced financial ruin after having a serious car accident and no insurance. The country doesn't have universal health insurance. Those rich enough to afford insurance can buy it privately. Those fortunate to have jobs with employers who cover health insurance get it with their jobs. The poor can fall back on Medicaid. Dreher's correspondent didn't fit any of those categories. And so he was faced with financial ruin.
Who does Dreher's correspondent blame for his impending financial ruin? Bush and Cheney and the Republicans in Congress who for decades have fought tooth and nail against guaranteed health insurance for people in situations like Dreher's correspondent? No. Democrats for letting Republicans outmaneuver them at every turn in the political battles over universal health insurance? No.
No, he blames... wait for it... illegal immigrants. Specifically, some Mexican family's brother from Hidalgo who was treated for complications from diabetes at Parkland Hospital.
Somewhere, a Republican is smiling. He has a new argument to turn back the next attempt at achieving universal health insurance in this country. Blame the illegal immigrants.
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