IRS and Principle over Party [View all]

[Savannahmann]

Interestingly enough, some of the things I most admire is when Liberals put Principle over party. I could post several examples, but I'll limit them to a couple just for edification of those who don't understand what I mean. This first one, the ACLU, long the bane of RW activists, defended a Republican's right to political speech. In this one, the ACLU joined with Conservatives to denounce a National ID card.

When we can find common ground with our political opponents, we should celebrate that. They are opponents, politically opposed to our ideology, but not enemies deserving of death. I can't imagine anyone in the ACLU voting Republican, or donating to Conservative causes. But they stood up and said that wrong, was wrong. They fought, and argued, to defend a Republican, because principle matters. They didn't turn and support a National ID card just because Conservatives opposed it. They correctly believed that a National ID card was a bad idea.

We didn't end McCarthyism by taking political power. We ended it by showing the world, including those RW types that had supported McCarthy, that he was a bully and a liar. We ended the harassment of Liberals by convincing the Conservatives of the era that it was wrong, morally wrong. A majority of the people went from supporting the harassment of the House Un-American activities investigations, to being silently uncomfortable, to opposing the harassment. It took years, but they finally saw the light and agreed that it was wrong.

So when we see targeting of groups based upon political beliefs, we have a simple choice. We can stand with principle. We can stand with party. We can decide we are enjoying our political opponents being the targets of harassment, or we can decide it's wrong and oppose that harassment. Too many here are supporting the harassment, people who would be screaming the loudest if the roles were reversed.

Beyond the principle, there is the political. The Tea Party claims that the Government is too large, too intrusive, and too abusive in its taxation. So the Government attempts to give the Tea Party an air of legitimacy that they would not otherwise have, by targeting them and essentially proving their argument that the government is too large, and too intrusive.

So here we are. We can stand aside, while the rest of the people in the nation object, loudly, to the IRS actions regarding the Tea Party. Labeling ourselves, for years, as politics over principle Leftists. Or we can stand with principles, and object to the targeting of any group based upon political beliefs. If we stand with principles, we are worthy of the long legacy of Liberal fighters who stood up for the ideals that are our foundation. We stand up for individual liberties, and civil rights, and most importantly equality before the law. If we stand aside, can we really expect the people to continue supporting us when we are so blatantly partisan that we figure Civil Liberties and Equality are applicable only when you espouse the correct political ideology?

I may detest the Tea Party as much as the rest of you. Like you, I think they're a bunch of nuts. But they are nuts who are entitled to their opinion, no matter how wrong it is to me. This is one of those opportunities that comes all too rarely. An opportunity to stand with our political opponents against injustice. The Tea Party has increased their legitimacy from this debacle. Will we sacrifice our own legitimacy because our hatred for them outweighs our love and dedication to principle?