One of the most historic political speeches in U.S. history was Barry Goldwater’s 1964 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, and the most memorable part of that speech was when Goldwater said, “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
Even though this was long before the onset of wokeism and cancel culture, Goldwater’s words caused Democrats to become apoplectic and establishment Republicans to gasp in horror. From an early age, Republicans have been taught that the word extremism is not to be bandied about in polite society. Republicans were all about civility and dignity, thus words that offended their beloved Democrat colleagues were off limits. Growing up, I suspected that to be buried alongside a Democrat was something every Republican secretly aspired to.
Today, however, Democrats have become the party of insanity, destruction, and authoritarianism, so it’s time to take a closer look at Goldwater’s use of the word extremism, which politicians now use as a weapon. The truth, of course, is that extremism, of and by itself, is neither good nor bad.
What actually determines if extremism is good or bad is what a person is extreme about. If you hold an extreme belief that anyone who doesn’t comport with your religious views should be beheaded, most civilized people would agree that’s a bad kind of extremism. If you are extreme in your belief in uncompromising honesty in all aspects of life, most civilized people would agree that’s a good kind of extremism.
Which brings me to the murder of Cayler Ellingson, the young man from North Dakota who was killed last week by a leftwing fanatic who said he (Ellingson) was an “extreme Republican” even though there is no evidence to suggest he had ever been a threat to anyone. This horrific crime raises two questions: What is an “extreme Republican” and is being an extreme Republican really a bad thing?
According to America’s make-believe president, the answer to both of these questions is a resounding yes. Make no mistake about it, when Biden rages on and on about Republicans being extremists, his vulgar rhetoric is meant to cause harm — including physical harm — to Republicans, especially those who admit to being MAGA Republicans.
Following Biden’s lead, Democrats and their media allies have been pounding home the message that extremist Republicans are, in fact, fascists. The logical inference from that claim is that it’s a justification to kill them. After all, killing fascists in World War II was considered a noble endeavor.
Which raises another question: What is it that makes MAGA Republicans fascists? Is it because of their appalling desire to make America great again? More specifically, is it because they see the American flag as a symbol of freedom? Or because they want to ban the killing of infants in the womb? Or because they believe in the Constitutional right of every American to keep and bear arms to defend himself and his family?
According to Democrats, Republicans even take the extreme position of being against the genital mutilation of children. They also use insensitive words like mom, dad, man, and woman and want to prevent foreigners from coming into the country unless they are properly vetted and follow an orderly application process.
Above all, MAGA Republicans are extreme when it comes to believing in the idea that liberty must be given a higher priority than all other objectives. This kind of extremism is a bridge too far for Democrats, because it flies in the face of their totalitarian goals. In truth, of course, it is those goals that constitute the most dangerous kind of extremism.
A naïve person might wonder why Democrats have such a disregard for the truth. Why do they keep perpetrating lies like Republicans are fascists? It’s not complicated. It’s simply because they have found that Joseph Goebbels was correct when he said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” That’s why they are still repeating the Charlottesville-fine-people lie, the January 6-was-an-insurrection lie, and the border-is-secure lie. Experience has convinced them that you really can fool some of the people all of the time.
Speaking of time, the time has come for Republicans to turn things right side up and explain to voters that the most dangerous kind of extremists are those who, among other things, want to bring modern civilization to its knees by banning fossil fuels, by letting violent criminals out of prison, by abolishing the police, and, above all, by shutting down dissenting viewpoints. The worst kind of extremism of all is Democrat totalitarianism, because it robs people of their freedom.
If Barry Goldwater were alive today, rest assured he would agree that exercising one’s constitutional and natural rights to an extreme is not a vice, and failing to be harsh with those who want to take away those rights is not a virtue.
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