“That so few conservatives walked out is disappointing.”
I disagree. Our founding fathers were trying to establish a free market for ideas and a society in which people respected the free speech rights of others. They engaged in spirited and passionate debate yet treated each other with respect. Respect implies a willingness to listen politely and consider what is being said. An unwillingness to listen, and consider, results in a polarized society in which ideas are imposed, not freely adopted by free men and women.
I have great respect for the founding fathers and their concepts of virtue and citizenship. I recall no instance when George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, James Madison, and John Adams walked out of the Philadelphia convention, refusing to hear a speech by another delegate. There were extreme disagreements at that convention but ultimately the delegates heard each other out and united to support the Declaration of Independence. A little more than a decade later our founders came together again, after intense and passionate debate, to draft and adopt the Constitution. While they strongly disagreed on many issues, they listened to each other with respect and courtesy. Those who had extreme positions ultimately compromised for the greater good.
The left does not respect the founders and does not desire a free market for ideas. Most leftists I know do not listen even though they claim to support free speech and free expression. However, if we wish to return to a society where there is civility in public discourse, and respect for each other, we conservatives need to behave in the manner we wish to be treated. A willingness to listen to points of view we disagree with makes a stronger statement about our character than walking out and refusing to listen.
How does one condemn the Democrats from boycotting Mr. Netanyahu’s speech and then cheer those who walked out on Jeb Bush? A citizen is not diminished by showing common courtesy to someone he/she disagrees with. Let the Democrats be known for boorish and disrespectful behavior. Conservatives should aspire to a higher standard.
You may be right.
But.
When el Jefe bused in hundreds of interns, he was playing fair.
Respect is earned.
I walked out. No regrets. I didn’t come here to have anything to do with him.