Posted on 06/28/2016 5:20:42 AM PDT by Kaslin
One of the common laments of leftist commentators in Europe and America concerning Brexit is that holding referendums is a bad idea.
The most frequently expressed example is the contempt in which the left holds British Prime Minister David Cameron for having suggested the referendum in the first place.
But why would the left hate referendums? Doesn't it claim to represent "the people"? Isn't "power to the people" one of the most popular sayings of the left? Isn't the American left trying to abolish the Electoral College precisely because it isn't directly representative of "the people's" will?
One would imagine, therefore, that if anyone would welcome referendums it would be the left.
So, what gives?
The answers explain a great deal about the left.
First, the left cares about "the people" as much as the Soviet Communist Party cared about the workers. For the left, real people are either political fodder or, when they support the left, useful idiots.
The left loves power, not people.
Repeat: The left loves power, not people.
If that is not understood, the left is not understood.
The European Union is a perfect example. It is a left-wing exercise in controlling people -- in this case, entire nations. That great source of societal damage -- the faceless and nameless bureaucrat, in this instance located in Brussels, Belgium -- seeks to control as much of every individual European's life as possible. There is no limit to the number and extent of rules the EU passes.
To the left nations are archaic constructs, impediments to the left-wing ideal of a world without national identities. This utopia, governed ultimately by a worldwide Brussels -- the United Nations or something like it -- will be run by a secular totalitarian clergy consisting of left-wing parties; left-wing intellectuals in academia and the media; big corporations vying for government subsidies; and big labor, whose leaders embody the love of power. Fellow travelers include environmentalist and feminist organizations and the religious Left (to the extent that organized Western religion will exist in a left-wing-run world).
Since its beginning, the major, if not only interest the left has had in people is to control them.
That is the reason for the left's fear and loathing of referendums. Every referendum gives people who are not yet controlled by the left the exceedingly rare opportunity to exercise power.
That is what the people of California did when they voted to amend their state's constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The left loathed the proposal, characterizing it as "hate." And after it was passed the left did what it always does when it can: used judges to overturn the popular will.
The British nation did last week what the citizens of California had done. They exercised their will independently of the left. Those British whose minds were not yet influenced by the left said that they would rather have Britain stay British and be self-governing than become an identity-free European country governed by Brussels.
Thus, the left is now apoplectic. No one should be able to defy the left and get away with it. Just as almost everyone of any prominence who supported California's Proposition 8 was ultimately punished (like the CEO of Mozilla Firefox, who despite his universally acknowledged fair treatment of gays was targeted with furious attacks solely for supporting the notion that marriage should have remain defined as it had always been, a union between the two sexes).
America should have a referendum on whether or not to exit the United Nations, that moral wasteland beloved by the left. In light of Brexit, Republicans should strongly endorse the idea, even if the results aren't binding.
Brexit represents a ray of optimism. But in the long run, even referendums may not matter. As long as the left controls education and the news and entertainment media, brainwashed populations will vote to destroy their nations and Western civilization in general, as is already happening in the institution most controlled by the left: the university.
In the meantime, long live the referendum, the last remaining tool for the non-elites and the non-leftists to express themselves.
Dennis Prager used to say that the left's goal was "equality." He seems to have recovered from that illusion.
“The left loves power, not people.
Repeat: The left loves power, not people.
If that is not understood, the left is not understood.”
The issue isn’t that the Left hates referendums. It is that this one didn’t go their way. They’d be happy with the results of a “revote” referendum if they could get one and they won.
After all, it is the Left that is pushing the “National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.” If you didn’t know please Google it. Under this arrangement, which has passed in a number of states, the states who are part of it would throw all of their electoral college votes to the candidate with the most votes nationally.
It would completely undo the whole electoral scheme, and give enormous power to the last cheating district standing. It would lead to an explosion in cheating in the voting process, and endless recounts. And, it would turn the Presidential election into a one-shot referendum.
You can bet that if this were passed, the Leftist governments of the states in the compact would only follow it when it was to their advantage. And, you can bet that this patently unconstituional arrangement would be ratified by the Supreme Court if Hillary gets a few judges appointed.
Liberals cannot stand for the opposition to win.
When liberals lose, the opposition must be destroyed.
Then another referendum or election must be held.
The peasants are SO stupid, why even allow them a voice? They obviously don’t know what’s best for themselves.
Brilliant article, in Prager’s concise and level-headed style.
Maine has 5 leftist referendums on the ballot this November. When they controlled the govt, they decried the use of referendums by the party out of power. Our mantra will be just vote no.
Hitler, Stalin, Il Duce, Mao, Ho, Pol Pot...it’s happening right here right before our eyes. Whatever made us think it couldn’t?
For myself, meanwhile, with a Polish wife and a half-Polish son, this sort of thing is currently worrying me, even though I voted Leave...
My wife has been a British citizen since 2000, but she has a definite Polish accent and speaks Polish to friends on her mobile phone.
Polish community centre is vandalised with graffiti
In the latter link - the Polish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith has been there since the 1960s, with never a hint of trouble. Something has changed.
"The Left has always sought single, non-values-based explanations for human behavior."
"Socialism values equality more than liberty."
I found this quote also good
"Want to raise children who will be happy adults? Teach them not to whine."
They’re referenda.
Dennis sometimes awakens from his neocon slumber to recognize a valid point.
The late great Larry Auster used to describe Dennis as a confused liberal who inconsistently is attracted to conservative values while holding tightly to the liberal prejudices that work against them.
Beware, the tyranny of the majority.
Dennis Prager used to say that the left’s goal was “equality.”
You seem to have mis-understood what Prager was saying. The leftist goal of “equality” is one of egalitarianism - equality of results - I’ve heard Prager explain this several times, including recently. The left clearly then needs power to bring about this “equality”.
This is not the same as the conservative goal of equality - everyone equal under the law, but your “results” are completely in your hands, not the governments.
You wouldn’t think Townhall and Prager U would make that mistake
That is demonstrably not true. If their goal was equality of result, they would LIVE equality of result, by means such as choosing a "median" lifestyle. "Life simply, so others may simply live," and all that.
I’ve heard Prager explain this several times, including recently.
Then he is still deceived, contrary to his apparent enlightenment in this article.
” If their goal was equality of result, they would LIVE equality of result,”
It’s so cute that you actually believe that...
Have a nice day, Pollyanna.
It’s something they thought through over 100 years ago. Today’s lefties/progressives are very much about power like the article says but there’s also theory behind it.
“Progressivism” was a theory wants to speed up the “evolution of society”. On it’s own society will keep improving (evolving) at a slow pace. But, if “the right people” are in control they can speed up the evolution by forcing people to do “the right things”. People will of course be against this - until they see the wonderful results. If we let people decide things (e.g. referendums) then “the right people” will not be able to speed along the evolution of society.
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