This past Sunday, there was a pretty disgusting op-ed piece in the Post-Gazette entitled “The Left Won the Culture War” by Barton Swain. Barton Swain, as you may or may not know, was the conservative speechwriter for that paragon of virtue Mark Sanford – the married (at the time) former governor of South Carolina who was caught dallying with his latest mistress in South America while he was supposed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail.
The basic premise of Swain’s piece is that in public opinion surveys and in court, social conservatives have been getting beaten – so the left should be magnanimous and let things calm down. Isn’t that what good sportsmanship is all about? There’s only one tiny little problem with the conservative spinmeister’s thesis – the conservatives have shamelessly gerrymandered Congressional and Legislative districts so radically that they have managed to gain and retain control of the US House of Representatives and a majority of state legislatures even though they lose the overall popular vote. And they are using this control to pass all sorts of vicious and mean-spirited laws aimed at hurting people who don’t fit their narrow image of who is acceptable. They’re not playing nice or being ethical – they just want us to let them do their thing without interference.
Sorry, pal. Let me borrow a song title from Alice Cooper – no more mister nice-guy. I am NOT going to roll over and play dead while you and your sadistic cohorts run riot backdooring settled Constitutional law, codifying discrimination, and disenfranchising citizens of their ability to vote. I intend to be in your face at every turn and fight tooth and nail to prevent you from realizing victory in your campaign of bigotry and delusional fervor. Magnanimity is reserved for those who deserve it.