The fur is flying in the Democratic Party, and because both candidates' platforms are indistinguishable (Socialist) most of that "fur" is related to Identity Politics--and to the scourge that is Political Correctness.

Today Jules Crittenden writes that the American people are beginning to see clearly what a damaging thing PC really is--in no small part because the Democrats have so abused the genre in this campaign:

... Obama begins his argument with the curious observation that the pastor in question was a United States Marine, which suggests Obama wants us to think that is why he sought him out and joined his church. Obama insists he never heard the pastor preach anti-Americanism from the pulpit or in private. It was all about social justice and God.

Social justice, as expounded by the left, usually involves a great deal of anti-capitalism and virulent opposition to American foreign policy, much like that voiced by the Rev. Wright. Given that the last 20 years takes us back three Republican administrations, through a period of considerable public debate over U.S. foreign policy, it seems a stretch to claim the subject never came up in an activist’s church in Obama’s presence.

But fine. The offending social justice practitioner is silenced. In fact, the offending social justice practitioner has been taken out and, figuratively, shot. Obama’s pastor is no longer part of the campaign.

We are not to think the spiritual counselor of this candidate had anything substantive to do with the formation of the candidate’s thoughts, aside from informing him about God, AIDS, and social justice — whatever the definition of the latter might be. Stating actual beliefs in strong terms … forbidden.

So what has been the lesson of all this political correctitude in the ’08 race?

In the cases of Power, Ferraro, Steinem and now Wright, what is squelched or denied is not simply some inconvenient utterances, but the massive icebergs they are represent. In the case of Power, the simple fact that politics and campaigning is a tough, not particularly noble business. The fact that racial issues are far more complex, cut across party lines, and for the most superficial of reasons … race itself … work both for and against candidates. In the case of Steinem and Wright, the pervasive sense on the far left that the United States military and that America is a force of greater evil than good in the world. Though both Clinton and Obama have expressed foreign policy views that more diplomatically support those positions, that naked an exposition is not in their interest.

The PC lesson of the day: The truth hurts. That’s why it must be avoided at all costs.

How can we ever thank the Democratic Party, its two remaining presidential candidates and their campaigns? I don’t know. But if the American people, some of whom can be fooled all the time, all of whom can be fooled part of the time, have noticed what is going on, they may well thank the Democrats in their own way.

Read the whole thing (h/t Glenn). I am not sure I agree that this will be the death of PC; history has shown the supression of ideas to be part and parcel of the Marxist-Socialist movement. The free exchange of ideas is the Socialists' enemy, because 1) once outed the American people are overwhelmingly against it; and 2) most importantly, Socialism has failed in the end everywhere it has been tried. It runs against human nature and destroys incentive to productivity and excellence. If the truth about this fact is not suppressed by vehicles like PC, any democracy will eventually see the light (witness France and Sweden's turn away from 50+ years of economy draining soft socialist policy).

However I do agree that Crittenden is on to something in this sense: the more bankrupt that the blatant use of PC becomes in the minds of the electorate, the more difficult it will be for the Left to hide the truth of its own intellectual and moral bankruptcy. </img>


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