In this week’s column Peggy Noonan claims that the Democrats are responsible for starting the culture war. She quotes from Kevin Drum: “If you hate cultures wars, blame liberals. Why? Liberals have moved to the left on hot button issues. Missing from her column, are any references to a number of events that really brought us to where we are today. Brown v. Board of Education upset Republicans because an Eisenhower appointed Chief Justice led the way. Lyndon Johnson launched the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 That drove a vitally important nail in the racial segregation status quo particularly since the resistance to Brown was powerful. Let us remember that Barry Goldwater carried previously Democratic Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Misssissipi, and South Carolina (Republicans have held the South because new black voters have joined the Democratic party causing it to move to the left and causing many whites to leave the party). The specifics of the strategy have changed from election to election, but an important part of Republican Presidential politics has been an appeal (subtle or otherwise to racist voters). Yes, the Democrats have moved to the left since 2000, but not to a point that justifies a culture war – the Republicans move to war with McConnell leading the way or winking at outrage after outrage cannot be justified by the political positions of the Democrats. Those positions do not call for the abandonment of normal constitutional politics.
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