civil rights act

Must watch Rachel: Why Rand Paul matters

by: Daniel De Groot

Fri May 21, 2010 at 20:13
I can't praise this segment highly enough:


I will admit, I was a little dubious over how much attention this thing was getting, but I realize now I was wrong to question it (usually a safe assumption that whatever thing the media pack are chasing is dumb).  For once, there is a media firestorm over a very substantive and deep philisophical question.  Naturally much of the media coverage will still manage to be stupid, but the subject itself isn't.  And yes, libertarians are a silly fringe, but 75% of their ideology comprises 75% of the beliefs of the conservative movement, so attacking libertarianism is a very effective swipe at the roots of conservativism too.

The only other general comment I have is on Paul's defensive claim that running a discriminatory establishment would be a bad business decision.  Today, it probably would be in most places, but in 1965 I suspect the reverse was true:  businesses which chose to cater to blacks equally to whites would in fact be harmed economically, if not subject to attack for that decision.  Paul's assumption that the market would prevent mass private discrimination is only true because liberalism has spent 50 years drilling a message of racial equality into the public.  Markets are only anti-racism if the people who comprise them are.

Discuss :: (11 Comments)


USER MENU


blog advertising is good for you
blog advertising is good for you

Donate to Open Left
QUICK HITS
SEARCH

   

Advanced Search

LIBERAL INSTITUTIONS
STATE BLOGS

Home | RSS/XML Feed | Register | Contact

  © OpenLeft 2007-2010, Powered by SoapBlox