Mitt Romney, tonight:
"Each step of the way, I learned a little more about what it is that makes our American system so powerful. You can't learn that teaching constitutional law at University of Chicago!"...You can't even learn that as a community organizer.
You can't??? Notwithstanding that the University of Chicago, and in particular the law school, is the academic hub of the laissez-faire approach to the economy and governance that Romney is preaching, I think you can learn an awful lot about what makes our American system so powerful, when you're teaching constitutional law to some of the brightest law students in the country.
Some of us actually believe the Constitution is the foundation of this American system that has Romney so excited. He speaks of freedom, but where does that concept enter the American experience? It wasn't during the monarchy years. It was the Constitution that put limits on governmental power and guaranteed numerous freedoms for the country's citizens. I think studying and teaching constitutional law is the best way to learn about what makes the American system so powerful.
Romney says the President is conducting an "assault on freedom." I think Romney has the President confused with all those Republicans who are trying to prevent gays from marrying, from allowing women to get insurance coverage for contraception and reproductive health issues, and to stick wands up their vaginal canal if they see a doctor about the possibiilty of an abortion. Perhaps they need refreshers on the Constitution and the freedoms it is supposed to guarantee.
What makes the American system so powerful isn't a slavish worship of corporate capitalism. It is our experiment in representative democracy, in the rule of law, and in a written Constitution which set out the powers of the government and the limits of government, ensuring the rights of the individual. It's a social contract that dedicates us to "promote the general welfare", as well as securing the blessings of liberty.
That's something you can learn as a community organizer, too. America doesn't exist only in the corporate boardroom, or even the garages of those who can afford garages in which to tinker and invent. It exists in the bosom of all those who struggle to make a living and a life for themselves and who struggle to protect the rights of the downtrodden. That's how America got started, after all. Community organizers who called themselves the Sons of Liberty, who rallied ALL the people to a cause of social justice. And, it's been an inspiration to people all across the globe. That's the source of our "power."You'll find it outlined in the Declaration of Independence, and codified in the Constitution.
You ought to know that, Mitt. You went to the same law school as Barack Obama.