“I would like to remind you that extremism in defense of liberty is no vice and let me remind you also that moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.” This statement was a controversial part of Barry Goldwater’s acceptance speech at the 1964 Republican Convention and contributed greatly to the size of his loss to Lyndon Johnson in the general election.
People of the type to whom Goldwater’s appeal was directed are making headlines today under the logo of the Tea Party. This kind of thinking is not new to American politics. The “Know Nothing” Party of the pre Civil War years may have been so named because its members claimed to “know nothing” regarding suspected seditious ties. But with the benefit of hindsight, sometimes known as history, we know they were short on knowledge. The efforts of their 1964 descendants were assessed ruefully but humorously by Clair Luce in her post election comment, “that’s the way the 'Kookie' crumbles.”
Tea Party folks are more vividly identifiable by more people than their predecessors because of advanced communication technology. From a literary perspective the women and men seem to bear resemblances to Madame Defarge and Rumpelstiltskin respectively. It may a matter of coincidence or choice of media coverage, but it seems that the field is occupied primarily by far out women, or if you prefer, far in. Sarah Palin opened the door, to be followed by Michelle Bachman, Sharon Angle and now by Christine O’Donnell. The Delaware Senatorial candidate has warned of scientists putting human brains in mice. This may not be as far-fetched as it seems. Hearing Ms O’Donnell speak suggests that the reverse of the procedure isn’t out of the question.
Tea Party folks are more vividly identifiable by more people than their predecessors because of advanced communication technology. From a literary perspective the women and men seem to bear resemblances to Madame Defarge and Rumpelstiltskin respectively. It may a matter of coincidence or choice of media coverage, but it seems that the field is occupied primarily by far out women, or if you prefer, far in. Sarah Palin opened the door, to be followed by Michelle Bachman, Sharon Angle and now by Christine O’Donnell. The Delaware Senatorial candidate has warned of scientists putting human brains in mice. This may not be as far-fetched as it seems. Hearing Ms O’Donnell speak suggests that the reverse of the procedure isn’t out of the question.
In more financially stable times these kinds of people would be merely a blip on the radar screen. The idea of extremism was not a big winner in 1964 with a public that had seen its president assassinated less than a year earlier. In the Depression years, when times were much harder than today, we managed to avoid the prevailing demagogues. The danger today is exacerbated by the speed of communication and by anger, which is more dangerous to others than despair. This anger runs deeper, if not also broader, because we have a president of color.
All most of us can do is hope that the past is prologue. There’s the rub.
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