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October 4, 2008
Speak correctly, or build a big bunker
WASHINGTON
— Allow me to introduce myself. I am a traitor and an idiot. Also, my
mother should have aborted me and left me in a Dumpster, but since she
didn't, I should "off" myself.
Those are just a few nuggets randomly selected from thousands of e-mails written in response to my column suggesting that Sarah Palin is out of her league and should step down.
Who says public discourse hasn't deteriorated?
The fierce reaction to my column has been both bracing and
enlightening. After 20 years of column writing, I'm familiar with angry
mail. But the past few days have produced responses of a different
order. Not just angry, but vicious and threatening.
Some of my usual readers feel betrayed because I previously have
written favorably of Palin. By changing my mind and saying so, I am
viewed as a traitor to the Republican Party—not a "true" conservative.
Palin's fans say they like her specifically because she's an
outsider, not part of the Washington club. When she flubs during
interviews, they identify with that too. "You see the lack of polish,
we applaud it," one reader wrote.
Of course, there's a difference between a lack of polish and a lack of
coherence. Some of Palin's interview responses can't even be critiqued
on their merits because they're so nonsensical. "Let Sarah be Sarah"
has become the latest rallying cry among my colleagues on the right.
She'll be fine if we just leave her alone, they say. Between prayers, I
might add.
Not all my mail has been mean-spirited. A fair number expressed polite
disappointment; others relief and gratitude. Still others offered
reasonable arguments aimed at changing my mind. I may yet.
In the meantime, this assault and my decision to write about it aren't
really about me—or even Sarah Palin. The mailbag is about us, our
country, and what we really believe.
That we have become a partisan nation is no secret. This week has
provided a vivid example of where rabid partisanship leads with the
failure of Congress to pass a bailout bill vitally needed to keep our
economy from unraveling.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave a partisan speech, blaming the credit crisis on the Bush
administration (omitting the Clinton administration's role in launching
the subprime lending debacle). Republicans responded by voting against
the bill.
Everyone's to blame, by the way.
Such extreme partisanship has a crippling effect on government, which
may be desirable at times, but not now. More important in the long term
is the less-tangible effect of stifling free speech. My mail paints an
ugly picture and a bleak future if we do not soon correct ourselves.
The picture is this: Anyone who dares express an opinion that runs
counter to the party line will be silenced. That doesn't sound American
to me, but Stalin would approve. Readers have every right to reject my
opinion. But when we decide that a person is a traitor and should die
for having an opinion different than one's own, then we cross into
territory that puts all freedoms at risk. (I hear you, Dixie Chicks.)
Our day of reckoning, indeed, may be upon us. Between war and
economic collapse, we have enormous challenges. It will take the best
of everyone to solve them. That process begins minimally with a
commitment to engage in civil discourse and a cease-fire in the war
against unwelcome ideas.
In that spirit, may Sarah Palin be fearless in Thursday's debate and speak her true mind.
Kathleen Parker is a syndicated columnist.kparker@kparker.com
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