> Raskin's talk sounds very interesting.
> You've inspired me to invite him over
> to EPI for a talk.
I agree wholeheartedly. Thanks for the summary, Alec!
A couple of points I'd make:
(1) "Judicial activism" "rewriting the Constitution" started with the Right in the 19th Century. Dred Scott ACTIVELY deprived blacks of citizenship rights which were inherently given to them in the Consitution. And of course there was the wholesale importation of free market ideology, courtesy of the Republican railroad lawyers, which exists nowhere in the Constitution. Thus, the whole "judicial activism" charge is a transparently hypocritical attack.
(2) Common law, the Holy Grail of many on the right, is ENTIRELY judge-made law (except, of course for the contributions of juries which the judges allowed to stand). So just why "judge-made law" should upset them now is an utter mystery -- unless of course, you look at the CONTENT!
Failing to make such points is indicative of a deep failure on the left to take the law seriously. That's why I agree with Raskin 100% in this respect.
> ...<SNIP>..
> Personal responsibility is more relevant to a
> collectivist setting than an individualist one.
> People depend on each other.
Not only that, but in typical demonological fashion, it's the conservatives who are absolutely TERRIBLE when it comes to personal responsibility.
Heck, 99 times out of 100 they're too lazy to even try to construct a rational argument. They just recycle the same old garbage over and over again, taking no responsibility at all for anything they say.
I say it's high time for us to aggressively take back "personal responsibility" as a leftwing value.
Since when did a racist, a homophobe, a sexist, a polluter, an exploiter of labor demonstrate "presonal responsibility"???
Inquiring minds want to know!
Heck, inquiring minds DEMAND to know!
-- Paul Rosenberg Reason and Democracy rad at gte.net
"Let's put the information BACK into the information age!"