Dan Gerstein, Sen. Joe Lieberman’s former communications director, in today’s WSJ (pay site):

“The Democratic elites have convinced themselves that they are taking a stand against cultural tyranny. That’s how some women have rationalized their indifference to the misogyny of several hip-hop artists. But the reality is that it is those who cry “Censorship!” the loudest who are the ones trying to stifle speech and force their moral world-view on others. … What is at issue is not the right to express oneself politically or artistically, or to consume controversial works in one’s own home. It’s the cultural environment we all share, what gets said and done in the public square for all to hear and see, and whether that common space should be governed by some social (not legal) norms and standards.

How could that not be an appropriate subject for public debate in a democracy, particularly one as committed to free speech as ours? … But that is not a discussion the entertainment industry or its Democratic defenders want to have. … Part of this response is clearly motivated by profit margins. But it also flows from a profound aversion to making moral judgments. And that’s the nub of the values problem for Democrats today. We don’t hesitate to judge people’s beliefs, but we blanch at judging their behavior.”

This entry was posted on Monday, April 11th, 2005 at 2:33 pm by A Senior Administration Official and is filed under Brilliant, but uncategorizable. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.