Why Won’t Barack Obama Start Hitting Himself?
By Clive Crook, everybody!
Or think of states’ rights [sic]. This is a politically divided country, with big divisions running along geographical lines. An arrangement that circumscribes the federal government’s role, leaving as much as feasible to be decided by states — an arrangement like the one envisaged in the Constitution [sic] — has much to be said for it. Obama could speak up for that idea, but doesn’t. He could acknowledge, and perhaps even believe, that the burden of proof lies with those who propose expanding federal powers, but doesn’t. It’s worse than that: You cannot say “states’ rights” [sic] to many Democrats without being accused of racism.
Yes, it’s completely inexplicable why the first African-American president who passed the first comprehensive health care reform bill in history wouldn’t be inclined to praise the noble tradition of states’ “rights.”* Why, Barack Obama probably has one of those nutty phony-baloney Constitutions that has Article I Section 8 and some so-called “13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments” in them!
*Obligatory note: individuals have “rights.” States do not.
[HT Jamelle]