Jonah Goldberg recalls some of the unhinged elements of the Left during the days of George W. Bush, and wonders why they got a pass from the media—as opposed to those speaking out against President Obama’s policies:
Patriot Act hysteria consumed American politics for years, even though the bill was reasonable and the number of those affected by it minuscule. No libraries were searched. Terrorists were caught. Inconveniences and mistakes surely transpired, but not on a grand scale. American privacy endured.
Now consider what Salon magazine calls the conservative "freakout" over the health care legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by Obama. Unlike the Patriot Act, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 was passed narrowly, against the public's wishes and in the face of bipartisan opposition. It will cost trillions of dollars we do not have. It gives the government greater say in the most intimate areas of your life, far more private than your library record. It is based on dubious constitutional assumptions.
Lots of liberals opposed the Patriot Act on slippery-slope grounds, but it's worth noting that very few conservatives said the Patriot Act was just a "first step" or a "down payment" toward an even more aggressive police state, while many hoped it would be a temporary measure. Lots of liberals insist health care reform merely begins the process of pushing for full governmentalization of health care.
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