The Difference Between Republicans and Democrats

Last year, everyone was fed up with the Republicans. There were, of course, the people you expect to be mad at them: the rabid pro-abortionists, the anti-american war protestors, the coockoo environmentalists, the amoral gay marriage crowd, and the just generally flaming liberal. But the people who elected the Republicans were unhappy too. We had put them in office to bring about smaller government, fiscal responsibility, and backbone. They didn’t do a very good job of that. In fact, they did just the opposite. They did it so much that a lot of people who we thought were very smart began to tell us that Republicans and Democrats are the same thing.

So we let them elect Barack Obama.

It turns out those smart people were pretty dumb.

Yesterday, I was reading an article on CNN.com about the Tea Party protests and meetings that have been going on all around the country. I was appalled at what one Democrat had to say about them.

Are you ready? He said it "violates the democratic process."

Hack. Gag. Faint.

I have been listening to Democrats self-righteously denounce any debate on the health care issue and claim that conservatives who pose objections to Obama’s various socialistic programs are clouding the issue and not promoting healthy conversation. The problem: their idea of healthy conversation is for us to sit down and shut up. President Obama himself has said that he doesn’t want those who "caused the problems" to be talking.

A few years ago, when we were in the middle of what was being denounced as a quagmire in Iraq (funny we don’t hear about that anymore), a very vocal group was howling that the war was unjust, wicked, and a pack of lies. But no one threatened their right to say so. We debated, but we didn’t try to shut them up.

That’s the difference between Republicans and Democrats. While Republicans might spend a lot of money and some of them might be immoral, they don’t try to take away people’s freedom to speak. You know, First Amendment.

I realize that at this point the Democrats are probably just doing a lot of sabre-rattling.

I fear that in a few years, the sabre might come out of the sheath.