[Dean's World] Dave Price: The Hate Debate

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Posted by Dave Price:
The Hate Debate
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1195060542.shtml


   Some [1]interesting observations from Peter Berkowitz:

     But as at that D.C. dinner in late spring of 2004, so again in
     early autumn 2007 at dinner following the Princeton panel, several
     of my progressive colleagues seized upon my remarks against giving
     oneself over to hatred. And they vigorously rejected the notion.
     Both a professor of political theory and a nationally syndicated
     columnist insisted that I was wrong to condemn hatred as a passion
     that impaired political judgment. On the contrary, they argued,
     Bush hatred was fully warranted considering his theft of the 2000
     election in Florida with the aid of the Supreme Court's decision in
     Bush v. Gore; his politicization of national security by making the
     invasion of Iraq an issue in the 2002 midterm elections; and his
     shredding of the Constitution to authorize the torture of enemy
     combatants.
     Of course, these very examples illustrate nothing so much as the
     damage hatred inflicts on the intellect.

   Indeed.
   I think Republican intellectuals are somewhat less susceptible to this
   mindset because Republican intellectuals tend to be churchgoing
   Christian intellectuals, and Christ teaches us to always act in love,
   something serious Christians must at least hold as an ideal even
   though we so often fail to live up to it; in this context, it is
   difficult to justify hate, now matter how supposedly well-earned, as
   acceptable or desirable. We will no doubt see numerous examples of
   Hillary-hatred from Republicans in the months ahead, [2]Aziz' example
   not being the first or last, but I do think this illustrates a real
   difference of core principles between the intellectual camps in our
   country.

References

   1. http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010861
   2. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1195006515.shtml