Fraters Libertas

Hewitt-Beinart Debate Review

AM1280 The Patriot staged another unqualified success last night with the Hugh Hewitt-Peter Beinart debate at the Downtown Hilton. Hundreds of politically savvy and highly social Minnesotans got together for several hours of stimulating conversation, provocative idea exchanges, strong drink, and delicious, succulent chicken dinners.

After which we settled in for the spirited debate on the future of the Democratic Party. Peter Beinart proved himself to be a genuinely earnest and affable guy and his presentation won the respect of all in attendance. But the master, Hugh Hewitt, won the day with his persuasive contention that the current leadership and activists in Democratic Party do not take the threats posed by Islamic fascism seriously. Instead, the primary enemy they're dedicated to defeating is the Republican party, the broader national interest be damned. Their behavior is too often motivated by a cynical suspicion of this country's motives and historical role in the world and too often their instinctual sympathies lie with the enemies of America. To quote the man himself:

When liberals talk about America's new era, the discussion is largely negative--against the Iraq war, against restrictions on civil liberties, against America's worsening reputation in the world. In sharp contrast to the first years of the cold war, post-September 11 liberalism has produced leaders and institutions--most notably Michael Moore and MoveOn--that do not put the struggle against America's new totalitarian foe at the center of their hopes for a better world.

Moore is the most prominent soft in the United States today. Most Democrats agree with him about the Iraq war, about Ashcroft, and about Bush. What they do not recognize, or do not acknowledge, is that Moore does not oppose Bush's policies because he thinks they fail to effectively address the terrorist threat; he does not believe there is a terrorist threat. For Moore, terrorism is an opiate whipped up by corporate bosses. In Dude, Where's My Country?, he says it plainly: "There is no terrorist threat." And he wonders, "Why has our government gone to such absurd lengths to convince us our lives are in danger?"

Today, most liberals naïvely consider Moore a useful ally, a bomb-thrower against a right-wing that deserves to be torched. What they do not understand is that his real casualties are on the decent left. When Moore opposes the war against the Taliban, he casts doubt upon the sincerity of liberals who say they opposed the Iraq war because they wanted to win in Afghanistan first. When Moore says terrorism should be no greater a national concern than car accidents or pneumonia, he makes it harder for liberals to claim that their belief in civil liberties does not imply a diminished vigilance against Al Qaeda.

Like the softs of the early cold war, MoveOn sees threats to liberalism only on the right. And thus, it makes common cause with the most deeply illiberal elements on the international left. In its campaign against the Iraq war, MoveOn urged its supporters to participate in protests co-sponsored by International answer, a front for the World Workers Party, which has defended Saddam, Slobodan Milosevic, and Kim Jong Il. When George Packer, in The New York Times Magazine, asked Pariser about sharing the stage with apologists for dictators, he replied, "I'm personally against defending Slobodan Milosevic and calling North Korea a socialist heaven, but it's just not relevant right now."

Hard to argue with evidence and logic like that. Particularly since they were made by none other than Peter Beinart. They are excerpts from his excellent New Republic essay "A Fighting Faith" (soon to be expanded into a full book treatment).

Perhaps it was the mentality of a man who thought he was under siege (I'd surmise their weren't more than a handful of sympathetic liberals in the audience), but at the podium Beinart seemed to shrink from these clear-eyed criticisms of his party. Instead of accepting his own premise that this does represent the leadership and the activist vigor of his party, last night he seemed to dismiss them as a minority view, increasingly in discredit by the Democratic base.

During the meet and greet in the hospitality room before hand, I queried Beinart about Howard Dean and how he must be disappointed that a leading figure of the Democratic "softs," as he calls them, has risen to DNC chairman. Much to my surprise, Beinart dismissed that characterization of Dean, instead citing his support of interventions in Kosovo and Bosnia and the First Gulf War as evidence of his hawkish disposition.

I must say I didn't follow Dean's career as a foreign policy analyst while he was Governor of Vermont, so I don't know the extent of or reasoning behind his alleged support of these interventions. But I do remember Presidential candidate Dean disparaging the Bush administration's efforts and motives with regard to Iraq and attempting to erode the will of the American people to keep up the fight. If one takes seriously the threat of Islamic fundamentalism and Iraq's vital role in helping to transform the region, Dean's actions can be viewed as nothing more than irresponsible and in spiritual harmony with the likes of Michael Moore and MoveOn.org.

The failure of a smart and dedicated Democrat true believer such as Peter Beinart to recognize this illustrates the troubled future of the Democratic party as much as anything said last night.

Speaking of illustrations, a couple of talented artists were in attendance last night. I met, in person for the first time, Dan Lacey and his lovely wife Chris from Faithmouse. Dan burned the midnight oil and has already composed a charming take on last night's activities. (Hewitt on the elephant with the lance, Beinart yanking the stubborn donkey on stage - brilliant).

Last night during my strolling dinner table ambush interviewing on the Hugh Hewitt show, I happened upon on a 14-year-old George Bush impersonator. Little did I know he was a double threat. Young Thomas Mealy is also the proprietor of the web site Pea Planet. I encourage you to check it out - the graphics and playful interactivity of the site are outstanding. Although I did notice, most pages are still under construction. Come on Thomas, we know you're only 14, but you really need to devote more time to the Web site and less to your personal life. It'll be the perfect training for a blogger.

Once again, thanks to AM1280 the Patriot, the Downtown Hilton and everyone who attended last night, a great time was had by all.