The difference between Us and Them.

There is a basic difference between the left and the right today that I think gets overlooked. When the right speaks of defending America, they mean protecting the lives of the current citizens of the U.S. Those of us on the left, however, think of defending America as defending the ideas, values, and institutions on which the nation was founded.

The rhetoric of George Bush constantly uses phrases like "Americans" and "the American people," and he tells us it's his job to keep them safe. But rarely does he speak of protecting the Constitution or democracy (at least domestically). George Bush has probably never taken a single action as president that creates more democracy. Every action he has taken from his first day in office is to limit democracy, or government by the people. He does not really believe in the concept of America; he just thinks of America as its current citizens.

Progressives today, on the other hand, are always speaking of defending the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and democracy. Glenn Greenwald's exceptional book, "How Would a Patriot Act?" made the bestseller lists. Howard Dean's presidential campaign was, above all, an appeal to patriotism. Campaign events would end with Dean exhorting the crowd to "stand up for America." He wasn't speaking of defending the nation's current residents from outside attack; he was speaking of defending the concept and ideals of the United States of America. (To hear a fantastic music remix of part of a Dean speech, go here--it will bring a tear to the eye of all Dean supporters): http://www.crocuta.net/Dean/Dean_speech_sampler_faulknerremix.mp3

When the right screams treason at the New York Times, they don't mean that the Times has taken actions that are opposed to the values of our Founding Fathers; they simply mean that the Times has taken actions that make it more likely that they will get killed by terrorists. Although the screaming monkeys of the right pretend to be patriotic, their brand of patriotism is little more than a fashion accessory. They have no real attachment to America. It's just where they happened to be born. But the left deeply believes in the American project. We understand how revolutionary the Constitution really was (and is); it is that which we seek to protect.

If these two groups of people were to have been born in the Soviet Union, the people of the right would still see the world as Us versus Them, only Us would be the citizens of the Soviet Union and Them would be the evil Americans who wanted to kill them. Those on the left, however, would not have fallen into line behind the Soviet ideology. We would have opposed the Soviet government, trying to create a society based on democracy and individual rights.

The right thinks "Americans" and the left thinks "America." One reason is that, as I've mentioned, the right does not really believe in democracy and individual liberty. They divide the world into Us and Them, and they most highly value protecting Us from Them and see the ideals of America as getting in the way of that. (This Us vs. Them thought process also makes it easy to demonize gays, illegal immigrants, etc). The people of the right also do not seem to have the desire and/or ability to think in the abstract. These are, after all, the people who voted for George Bush, the presidential candidate who practically bragged that he does not read books and knows little about the world. Their leaders simply appeal to their primal emotions and fears.

The left, of course, wants to defend Americans, but we also think in grander terms. We want to defend the very idea of the United States of America. After all, if Americans won't defend the ideas of America, who will?

A note: ironically, for this discussion I've neatly divided people into two groups of the left and the right. Obviously, this is a gross simplification. There are many moderates, conservatives, and libertarians who would rightly belong in the group I've labeled the left. When I say the right, I really have in mind the screaming wingnuts of Fox, Limbaugh, Coulter, and their fellow travelers; by the left I mean progressives, the netroots, and others who express an overriding concern for upholding the values of our Founding Fathers.

I just wish we could remember that, instead of always being on the defensive.

A fine post, thank you.

Redstone

well written and in the last couple years here at DU I have noticed more and more of us spend our time worried about the Constitution

in years past when * first got selected we were unhappy and disgusted, now we are truly aghast and in fear for the very fabric of our Nation.

One thing that soothes me (somewhat) is the many Constitutional scholars say that it is not unusual for our citizens swing away from freedom in times of Nation Emergency but we always come back to the roots of the Founder's great plans in time.

I can only continue to remind my neighbors of the foundation on which this nation was conceived and hope that enough will realize that by giving up our civil liberties without a whimper we have allowed the terrorists to indeed WIN

to quote another DU from a few weeks back, "When did Americans become such lily livered cowards?"

founded, there is no America. This fact seems to escape those on the right. They are willing to give up what it means to be an American for their personal safety. What is really frightening is that they don't seem to realize that without the ideas, values and institutions, everyone's personal safety is at risk. They have succumbed to the fear instilled in them by Bushco and his henchmen to the point that they are willing to give up what they claim to protect and hold dear.