Party of COVID-19 Authoritarianism Improbably Rebrands as ‘Party of Freedom’
For a while there last night, it looked like variations on the word joy had a puncher’s chance of outnumbering references to freedom at the relentlessly message-disciplined day three of the Democratic National Convention.
When onetime party rising star Sen. Cory Booker (D–N.J.) informed us about one-third of the way through that “tonight is about joy” and “achieving the impossible that should bring us joy,” and that “our nominees, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, they bring the joy,” the (unofficial) joy vs. freedom count stood at a respectable 21–32.
But then Pennsylvania governor, veep pick runner-up, and professional Barack Obama impersonator Josh Shapiro ladled out the freedom thicker than a 1980s direct response television commercial.
“We are the party of real freedom,” Shapiro (or as former President Donald Trump calls him, “the highly overrated Jewish Governor”) assured Democrats. “That’s right, the kind of real freedom that comes when that child has a great public school with an awesome teacher, because we believe in her future. Real freedom, real freedom that comes when we invest in the police and in the community so that child can walk to and from school and get home safely to her mama. Real freedom, real freedom that comes when she can join a union, marry who she loves, start a family on her own terms, breathe clean air, drink pure water, worship how she wants, and live a life of purpose where she is respected for who she is. Real freedom. Real freedom comes when she can look at madam president and know that this is a nation where anything and everything is possible. That is real freedom, and that is what we are fighting for.”
By the time Pastor (and Chicago Alderman) William Hall in his benediction prayed that “God, we are ready to fight for freedoms,” the Democrats’ new favorite F-word had won the contest in a rout, 94–35.
One of the reasons Shapiro had made for an attractive vice presidential selection over last night’s featured speaker Tim Walz was that, unlike the Minnesota governor, he was not in office during the critical, life-and-death pandemic policy-making era of 2020–2022. Thus making all his freedom talk less deserving of a laugh track. Or vuvuzela.
Walz during his 18-minute speech wisely did not bring up his controversial record on COVID-19: the school closures, the indoor (and some outdoor) mask mandates, the unsupported-by-science outdoor dining bans, the jailing of defiantly open bar owners, the state of emergency that lasted 474 days, the misspent relief funds, the state tipline for ratting out Minnesotans for gathering in overly large numbers by a lake.
“You never learn anything about anybody when times are easy,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared last night. “You learn everything you need to know about somebody when times are hard and when the temperature gets turned up.”
Judging by Moore’s standard, we have learned that Walz will drop that “freedom” pose like a lump of burning coal when the going gets rough. In November 2020, months after Republican governors such as Florida’s Ron DeSantis had lifted most restrictions and opened up all K-12 schools, Walz took what even the restriction-friendly New York Times characterized as “the extraordinary step of banning people from different households from meeting indoors or outdoors, even though evidence has consistently shown the outdoors to be relatively safe.”
“This prohibition includes indoor and outdoor gatherings, planned and spontaneous gatherings, and public and private gatherings,” Walz declared at the time, applying the order to groups of an
Article from Latest
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.