6/12/2020 - Josh Hammer Townhall.com
What
comes of a nation whose newspaper of record publicly caves to overwhelming
pressure and repudiates an opinion piece written by a duly elected leading
national legislator who boasts degrees from the nation's most famous
educational institution, has undeniably relevant life experience on the subject
and advances an argument supported by a majority of citizens? America is about
to find out.
Last
week, The New York Times, in perhaps the single most appalling bout of
journalistic malpractice this century, reneged upon an op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton
about a dusty piece of federal legislation, the Insurrection Act of 1807, that
President Donald Trump had discussed a couple days prior. The headline read, "Send
in the Troops." In arguing to restore law and order in America amidst a
once-a-generation anarchic breakdown, Cotton -- a double Harvard alum, former
U.S. Court of Appeals law clerk and Bronze Star Army combat veteran -- spoke
for a sizable majority of his fellow American citizens, according to reputable
opinion polling.
For
the grievous sin of permitting a U.S. senator's informed, erudite opinion to
grace its opinion page, hundreds of staffers of the Gray Lady threatened a
"virtual walkout." The echo chamber that is left-wing Twitter went
positively haywire, deeming The Times complicit in fomenting racial strife
and/or outright bigotry. In cowardly fashion, The Times publicly threw under
the bus its own junior editor who had edited the piece before its editorial
page editor "resigned" in disgrace. Again, all The Times did was
publish a well-informed argument by a U.S. senator who spoke on behalf of a
majority of Americans.
The
yawning chasm between our bicoastal ruling class and the Americanists of the
heartland has never been more starkly revealed.
For
decades, The Times, historically liberal but not quite leftist, invariably
published a modicum of right-leaning opinion with which its editorial board no
doubt disagreed but that showcased editors' purported commitment to the
proverbial marketplace of ideas. Those days appear to be over: Now the frothing
woke mob partisans appear to have a plenary veto over contrary opinion -- no
matter how popular that opinion or how credible its messenger. The mob is the
sieve through which all opinion must be filtered.
The
Times is, of course, a private company and is not constitutionally required to
publish a diversity of opinions. Still, this is hardly a blueprint for a
healthy and well-functioning country. Grand paeans to lofty ideals
notwithstanding, a nation ultimately cannot survive unless it inculcates and
cultivates a similar overarching set of concrete traits, customs and shared
historical experiences across the entirety of its citizenry.
Solidifying
the mutual bonds of citizenship without which a free republic cannot endure is
impossible when We the People not only do not consume the same media but also
are precluded by powerful, self-appointed societal censors from even being
aware of differing sentiments. I am proud to publish diverse perspectives at
Newsweek, where I serve as opinion editor, but my experience is sadly an
exception to the wider rule.
The
fraying of America into two discordant, silently warring tribes underscores all
the nationwide mayhem of the past two weeks. One tribe looks at the societal
uproar and sees a decades-long strive toward fuller equality and justice; the
other tribe looks at the chaos and sees a ruinous and self-destructive
breakdown of law and order. But those in the former camp cannot plausibly claim
to understand the grievances of the latter camp if their most prestigious
arbiter of opinion refuses to consider the latter's median viewpoint to be
within the window of tolerable opinions for polite society.
If
the United States of America is to perdure without unraveling into two warring
Divided States of America, we desperately need to recover our lost senses of
civic unity and national purpose. Much of this can, and should, be done purely
by private actors -- think of casual human interactions like recreational
league softball teams and book clubs. But there is a role for government policy
here.
Immigration policy must prioritize assimilation and cultural cohesion.
Education policy must prioritize fostering civic knowledge and virtue. Economic
policy must prioritize an industrial policy and re-shored critical supply
chains over the ethereal interests of globalization. Our political leaders must
rally in unison around cherished shared symbols like the national flag.
The
road back from the abyss will be arduous. But a unified American republic is
worth fighting for. And it should not be too much to ask that our paper of
record not repress U.S. senators who deign to speak on behalf of pro-rule of
law national majorities.
To
find out more about Josh Hammer and read features by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at
www.creators.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment