(02-10-2019, 02:37 PM)TJBender Wrote:

(02-10-2019, 02:15 PM)pirkster Wrote: The reason the left is blind to this, is that they perceive themselves as the center of all being.

The center of the universe, center of all thought, and the center of the political spectrum.  Perhaps the cornerstone of the alternate reality they've manufactured for themselves.

In truth, they are way left and moving farther left at an accelerating rate.  (Yet will look out the window and say, "I've moved nowhere!")

Same with the right.  The right as a whole has moved left of center over time as well - in turn pulled to the left by the political climate as well.  There isn't much that separates the parties, at least... the career politicians in the parties.

Your graphic is simplifying things considerably, and isn't entirely accurate. The political spectrum extends from statism on the far left to fascism on the far right, and once you start reaching for those extremes (neither party is anywhere near there yet), the two ends of the political spectrum start to curl back in towards each other. Statism and fascism have a lot in common.

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(02-10-2019, 12:36 PM)jj82284 Wrote: Then he's a liberal.

What? Dude, you've posted some crazy stuff before, but a Supreme Court justice being labeled a liberal because he votes for what he thinks is correct rather than voting for what the party that put him there wants? Sometimes I wonder if you actually think for yourself, or if you just parrot whatever Carlson and Brietbart throw at the wall.

If you're going to insult me that's fine.  Maybe I deserve it.  At least have the common decency to respond to my entire post and not pigeon hole my response. You mentioned that Roberts didn't want to have the court be used as a tool by the right. That may seem like a lofty goal but how do you achieve that? The answer should be strict constructionism, this is what the constitution says, this is what the statute says, and then hash out the decision based on the merits of the complaint. That's not the same as the prevailing theory of his actions in this case, the case for Obamacare etc. In that case the more general assertion is that Roberts is acting not of his own constitutional understanding, but intentionally trying to find common cause with the liberal members of the court to give SCOTUS the perception of impartiality. That's not the same thing! That's acting in a manner to advance a cause other than the intent or letter of the constitution and that's not what he was appointed to do.


The underlying case for this thread is based on the idea that the state of Louisiana can place restrictions on providers of abortion. I stated, and continue to state, that in this country at current states have the ability to regulate the credentials of service providers and place restrictions on licensure. Don't believe me, see what hoops you have to go through to sell a variable annuity. Try to open a business that sells alcohol. Try to open a gun store in NY state. If we want to have a broader discussion about the states role in licensure and making the entire country Right to Work then hey, I'm with you. I'll sit at that table and hash out details, but under our current understanding of state regulatory authority the idea that the state can't require admitting privileges for a surgical procedure is insane.


As to the political spectrum I don't care if you call it a horseshoe, circle, line, or the bloody dewy decimal system. Fascism is a form of socialism that ascribes to the idea that the state has infinite power and that the individual has no rights in comparison to the collective need or will. That has absolutely nothing to do with Constitutional republicanism, individual liberty, classical liberalism or the rest of it. As Malabar Correctly pointed out, the left in this country was involved in a one to one relationship with the fascists in Europe. Social Security and national health insurance are staples of German State Theory. Replacing the profit motive of the free market with government run subsidies to serve SOCIAL NEEDS is the fundamental basis for the Green New Deal, modern environmentalism and all the rest of it. The incestuous nature of Large Corporations and big government doesn't mean that those who advocate smaller government are corporatists. That's the kind of circular self defeating logic that can only exist in the modern higher educational system.

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