IJ, this is a ridiculous argument. Would you say the same for Nazis during WWII? Were they principled because they believed in the rightness of Aryan Supremacy and the Final Solution? Listen to yourself. You are justifying the actions of those who consider the entire American Experiment in Liberty and self-determination to be a lie!
Insanity? Raimondo considers himself to be the only sane one. Yet he advocates a position that would end with our destruction. The operation was a success, but the patient died.The Left and radical Libertarians have no moral standing, having jettisoned the very concept of morality descending from a sovereign, holy God without whom "morality" becomes a political football in the hands of the ruthless. Raimondo is no different, leaving him with no morality per se, only self-righteousness.
You seem to be intentionally missing the point. I in no way am validating the CONTENT of the Left's stance. But you can't seriously believe that conservatives are the only ones who believe strongly in their principles???!!!! The Left is as convinced they're "right" (pardon the pun) as we are! If we believe what we believe because we ground those beliefs in principle, then the Left BELIEVES equally strongly that their ideas are grounded in principle. That is why no amount of logic and reason will dissuade them; this is a matter of faith for them, in many cases, the only example of faith to be found in their world.
But if loyalty to a cause is a principle, then there is little doubt that liberals are every bit as devoted to their cause as we are to ours, so they are no less principled than we.
Again, I am not focusing on the content of the Left; it is bankrupt. But while I think you can certainly question the RIGHTNESS of the Left, I don't think you can genuinely argue the STRENGTH of their convictions.