A pro-Miers argument: she’s a tool of the president

I’ve pointed before to an emerging element in the mindset of many Republicans and conservatives that I have described as fascistic. What I mean by this is that, more and more, today’s Republicans don’t seem to speak about politics in the accustomed way of Americans, as individuals who believe in certain truths, and work together with others who share those beliefs. They speak as fighters in a phalanx, as members of a collectivist unit acting as one, not appealing to reason, but to the demands of absolute loyalty. As an example of this mentality, consider Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, quoted today by John Fund in a critical article about Harriet Miers:

“In Texas, we have two important values, courage and loyalty,” [Land] told a conference call of conservative leaders last Thursday. “If Harriet Miers didn’t rule the way George W. Bush thought she would, he would see that as an act of betrayal and so would she.” That is an argument in her favor. It sounds more like a blood oath than a dignified nomination process aimed at finding the most qualified individual possible.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at October 10, 2005 11:15 AM | Send