Jonah Goldberg Loses It

Not that he ever had it, but if he did, it's long gone after today.

A few points.

1. The Left, since the 1960s, has been the aggressor in the culture war. Liberals often object when conservatives point this out, but they brag about it amongst themselves. They are, after all, the "agents of change," "forces of progress," "enemies of the status quo," etc. And when they meet resistance to the wheel of history or efforts to roll it back, they scream "culture war!"

So you freely admit that conservatives have no ideas, never try to change the status quo, are bankrupt of progress and that nothing ever gets done in this country unless a bunch of pissed off liberals get together and change things.  I appreciate that.   Well, that's not entirely true, it's just all your ideas are dedicated to stopping the Left from changing things for the better.  Righty-o.

 2. Culture wars erupt because liberals urge expansion of the size and scope of the government, intruding into virgin territories of civil society where the party of government then imposes its preferred way (sometimes, as in the case of civil rights, this was justified). Culture-war issues sometimes erupt wholly in the private sector, but when they do, the intensity is much lower because tax dollars aren't in play (and remedies involve boycotts, not roll-call votes).

See my response to point #1.  Thanks.

3. The expansion of the size and role of government in this legislation is in and of itself a cultural issue. As we've been discussing around here quite a bit, part of America's exceptional nature is that we do not look to the state for help the way many other countries do.

You know, except for Social Security, Medicare, police, firefighters, schools, state-run universities, state-provided infrastructure like bridges and roads to drive on to work, state-run entities that safeguard the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe, that deliver us electricity and sanitation, oh and the fact that this article appears on the internet, invented by DARPA back decades ago.  Yeah, America never looks to the state because as we all know, the state can't do anything right.  Except for all the places where the state quietly keeps its contract with the American people to protect and preserve.  Where it doesn't, it needs to be improved.  Your response rather is to destroy it and put a profit margin on it instead.

4. But on another level, this legislation is a superconducting super collider of culture-war conflagrations. It will throw off new and unforeseen cultural spectacles for years to come (if it is not repealed). The grinding debate over the Stupak amendment was just a foretaste. The government has surged over the breakwater and is now going to flood the nooks and crannies of American life. Americans will now fight over what tax dollars should cover and not cover. Debates over "subsidizing" this "lifestyle" or that "personal choice" will erupt. And when conservatives complain, liberals will blame them for perpetuating the culture war.

Well yes, that's because you're the ones that choose to see this as the superconducting super collider of culture-war conflagrations" and all.  See, to a conservative, government is something we use to impose our will on the other 6.4 billion people on Earth, but if they try to govern the 300 million here, well, that's tyranny.  And these are the same jokers who have no problem impeding the personal liberty of a woman to choose an abortion if she wants to.  That particular "nook" or "cranny" of a woman's womb, well that has to be "flooded" with government.

Jagoff.