The fair-minded, faithful, compassionate liberalism of John F. Kennedy — which today is known as conservatism — is reasserting itself. People finally got sick and tired of being lectured to and reduced to their skin color, or being told what they could or could not say.
The Supreme Court has given us an opportunity for a future brighter than we’ve had since 1963. It’s possible to care for pregnant mothers, acknowledge the racism of the past while holding everyone to the same standards, and to not force Christians to agree with the state instead of their own conscience. If we can cancel the drag queens, try and act like Jesus, and finally go to Mars, we’re looking at a second American Century.
The demon of punitive liberalism getting exorcised. I won’t miss it.
[I hadn’t seen this turn of phrase, which Mark credits to James Piereson, but it’s a good one. The pattern of punitive judgments is remarkable, and while I think some of the more controversial rulings over the past few decades don’t neatly fit within it, there is an arguable streak of “punitive liberalism” across that time. — Ed]
Join the conversation as a VIP Member