For those of us who love our country and the diverse viewpoints that have made America the greatest experiment in the history of government, now is the time to engage in intellectual debates between Jeffersonians who err on the side of individual rights, and Hamiltonians who are more likely to defer to the state.
I watch Morning Joe just about every day, and I can assure you, I haven't heard an "intellectual debate" about the nature of American economic policy as it relates to the founders. Ever. In fact, would someone with access to the transcripts tell me if the word "Hamiltonian" has been mentioned at all?
From what I've overheard, Scarborough has engaged in red-baiting nearly every day. Predictably, he'll deny that invoking the words "socialism" and "wealth redistribution" is red-baiting, but then again, one of his debating crutches is to deny anything he's ever accused of, most often while shouting down his guests. He'll deny that he supported Bush administration policies, he'll deny that he's resorted to name-calling, and he'll often deny (as he did to David Shuster) that he's a Republican.
What I want to know is this: if Scarborough is such a Jeffersonian, why was he against one of the largest tax cuts in American history? The largest middle class tax cut?
How Jeffersonian of him.
Would Jefferson have supported invading and occupying Iraq (to be fair, Scarborough withdrew his support of the war in late 2005 -- nearly three years after the invasion)? Did Jefferson support legislating Christian dogma, as Scarborough does? Would Jefferson have supported the Patriot Act or torture or military commissions or the suspension of habeas or illegal eavesdropping as Scarborough does?
Let's debate Jefferson vs. Hamilton, Joe. I don't think you're as much a Jeffersonian as you think you are.