OPINION: Selective Outrage

From The Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.

It’s been in vogue for office-holders and political groups to call for civility—for an end to name-calling and harsh rhetoric aimed at anyone whose ideas differ from your own.

Yet those who call for civility often refuse to practice it themselves, or to apply that standard to their political allies.

So President Obama shared a platform on Labor Day and praised a national union leader who not only called for war on the right, but used very salty language to do it. And the Vice-President called his adversaries barbarians.

There’s nothing unusual about military metaphors in politics, or to talk about targeting people in politics or in business. But it’s wrong to let your friends get away with things for which you condemn others.

The hypocrisy is old hat; most Americans are not fooled by selective outrage anymore. They’re just plain tired of it.

From The Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.

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