Pogo: We Have Met the Enemy

During the Viet Nam War, the political cartoonist Walt Kelly neatly captured the attitude of those who opposed the conflict.  As his character Pogo opined, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”  In other words, we Americans were responsible for inflicting death and destruction.

Nowadays this characterization needs to be updated.  It should be the mantra of contemporary liberals.  If anyone has been intent upon destroying our nation, it is them.  Although they routinely accuse others of malice, they are currently the most dangerous foe of the American Dream.

Liberals hate America.  They may swear up and down that they are trying to change us because they love us, but when the transformations insisted upon are too dramatic, they demonstrate revulsion.  Its like saying we love the way you look; nonetheless we require you to undergo radical plastic surgery.

Citizens of the United States have been proud of their freedoms, but the liberals are dedicated to stripping these away.  Progressives are always prepared to impose new governmental regulations so that people behave in a way leftists believe they should.

Freedom has historically included freedom of speech, but political correctness has invaded almost all aspects of life.  People now tremble that they might be accused of sexism or racism.  They worry that this could cost them their jobs.

Liberals also hate the family.  They claim they are only trying to liberate women, whereas they are undermining heterosexual trust.  This places children in jeopardy, as witnessed by the growing number of out-of-wedlock births.  Yet the progressives do not care.  They just re-label this shambles “diversity.”

Liberals also hate our culture.  They are therefore willing to admit millions of illegal aliens who do not share our values—and do not intend to.  So far as liberals are concerned, if some immigrants wish to impose Sharia law upon us, this is their prerogative.

This lack of concern for our institutions also extends to our personal safety.  Liberals do not wish to vet potential terrorists.  Neither do they want to deport criminal aliens.  They are even prepared to allow gang members to run rampant on the streets of Chicago.

We are also seeing this mentality affect Congress.  For years, Democrats complained that Republicans were obstructionists.  After all, conservatives voted against reducing the size of the military and for dismantling Obamacare.  They even sought to thwart Obama’s Iran deal.

In this, the liberals confused resistance with obstruction.  They were utterly uncomfortable with the idea of a loyal opposition.  Instead of seeking common ground where they agreed to some conservative demands, they wanted things their way—or no way.

Barack Obama often spoke about the need for compromise.  Nonetheless, by compromise he meant that those who disagreed with him must eventually come around to realizing he was right.  He never understood that mutual concessions were part of what made our democracy work.

Now that Trump has taken power, the extent of the anti-democratic impulses of Democrats has been revealed.  They have openly proclaimed that they will obstruct the new president in everything they can.  Thus, they slowed his cabinet appointments and plan to oppose any health care reforms or tax reductions.

At the height of the Cold War, many Republicans accused Democrats of being “knee-jerk” liberals.  Whatever issue came up, the first left-wing response was to suggest a new federal regulation or program.  At the moment, we are seeing knee-jerk obstructionism.

Some of this has been ludicrous.  The malfeasance with which many Trump nominees have been charged is absurd.  To blame Tom Price of a conflict of interest because his broker purchased stocks without Price’s knowledge was silly.  To say that the Statue of Liberty is crying because terrorists would be denied admission into the country was harebrained.

This is not the way we—together—will make America great.  Liberals may still be in mourning because they lost the election, but this does not give them the right to lose their heads.  Political disagreements are fine: sabotaging our political system is not!

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University