Spring Break
DANIEL ORTNER: Battling in the right-wing rhetorical arena
by Daniel Ortner
Columnists | 1/22/08
Posted online at 3:36 AM EST on 1/22/08
As I sat down to listen to Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Monday night, I was filled with immense optimism. After years of neglect in the hands of the Republican party, one of our most influential and important committees, the Senate Armed Services Committee, is finally in the hands of an articulate and responsible adult who understands the fundamental principle of the rule of law and the basic concept that our reputation abroad is a vital national security concern. As I listened to Levin's speech and his responses to questions, however, I felt a bit of that optimism being sucked away.
What disturbed me was not so much his words, indeed they were forceful and often stirring in their evocation of American ideals. Rather, what disappointed me was his simplistic belief in the power of a single day of voting, Nov. 4, 2008, to actually make an impact. Don't get me wrong; no reasonable American could assert after eight years of the Bush presidency that who rules the country is irrelevant, but putting a Democrat in the White House is not a sufficient change to bring about a true framework shift.
Levin almost instantly dismissed the notion that Democrats are foolishly fighting against overwhelming odds in a rhetorical arena defined by the fringe right, but that is exactly what is happening, and we will never be able to move our country in a truly progressive direction until we realize and confront this truth. As someone who has been involved in debate in high school and here at Brandeis, my experience has clearly taught me one simple truism: Definitions and case construction matter.
What is commonly called the "war on terrorism" is a perfect example of the imposition of a constraining framework for debate. Under this construct, the neo-conservative extremists have been able to lead us astray. Instead, allowing us focus on defeating our foes in al-Qaida while stripping away the basis for their legitimacy and support, the right has been extremely successful at labeling disparate foes part of a nebulous global menace and making us act recklessly and without proper vision.
What disturbed me was not so much his words, indeed they were forceful and often stirring in their evocation of American ideals. Rather, what disappointed me was his simplistic belief in the power of a single day of voting, Nov. 4, 2008, to actually make an impact. Don't get me wrong; no reasonable American could assert after eight years of the Bush presidency that who rules the country is irrelevant, but putting a Democrat in the White House is not a sufficient change to bring about a true framework shift.
Levin almost instantly dismissed the notion that Democrats are foolishly fighting against overwhelming odds in a rhetorical arena defined by the fringe right, but that is exactly what is happening, and we will never be able to move our country in a truly progressive direction until we realize and confront this truth. As someone who has been involved in debate in high school and here at Brandeis, my experience has clearly taught me one simple truism: Definitions and case construction matter.
What is commonly called the "war on terrorism" is a perfect example of the imposition of a constraining framework for debate. Under this construct, the neo-conservative extremists have been able to lead us astray. Instead, allowing us focus on defeating our foes in al-Qaida while stripping away the basis for their legitimacy and support, the right has been extremely successful at labeling disparate foes part of a nebulous global menace and making us act recklessly and without proper vision.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Stuart Gold
posted 1/22/08 @ 1:38 PM EST
Such Left-Wing nonsense !! The author belittles the fact that Republican leadership in instituting measures such as the Patriot Act, surveillance of foreign communications and detaining unlawful combatants have played a huge role in keeping our country safe since 9/11. (Continued…)
Post a Comment