Legal Commentary

Are Poor Rubes Free To Subordinate Economics To Culture?

James Taranto makes a very good point:

Underlying [Obama?s] criticism is a curious normative premise: that the nonaffluent ought to prioritize their material interests over moral and cultural concerns. ?Workers of the world, unite!? meets ?The Virtue of Selfishness.?

Unlike Ayn Rand, Feingold and Obama see selfishness as a virtue only for bitter-off cultural conservatives. The well-heeled San Francisco Democrats Obama addressed on Friday stand to pay much higher taxes if he is elected. Many of them no doubt back Obama because they like his liberal positions on subjects like guns, abortion and same-sex marriage. If you think Obama criticized their priorities, we?ve got some change you can believe in. In Barack Obama?s America, rich people who vote on cultural issues rather than economic self-interest are principled and self-sacrificing. People of more modest means who do so are credulous and bitter. [Emphasis added]

When Feingold and Obama refer dismissively to cultural and moral issues, it is not because they do not take those issues seriously. It is because they would rather not take seriously the arguments on the other side. It is much less intellectually demanding, as well as flattering to oneself and those San Francisco Democrats, to caricature opposing positions as the products of poverty, ignorance and bitterness.

Full post as published by Discriminations on April 14, 2008 (boomark / email).