Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Henry Brown's Christmas Ruse and the Scam of Social Conservatism

Posted by Jack Hunter on Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 10:45 AM

My latest at The American Conservative:

Explaining the need for his “Stand Up for Christmas” resolution, Congressman Henry Brown of South Carolina released the following statement:

“I am troubled by the growing sentiment that the phrase ‘Merry Christmas’ is not appropriate and I am worried that attempts to celebrate a ‘politically correct’ holiday season may cause the loss of some of the traditions sacred to this widely celebrated holiday.”

For this stance, FOX News pundit Bill O’Reilly declared Brown a “patriot.”

Many have debated whether there actually exists a “war on Christmas,” with many conservatives answering in the affirmative and many liberals insisting that the whole thing is a manufactured seasonal ruse, exploited by opportunistic Republicans like Brown. While there is no doubt an increasing reluctance to use the word “Christmas” in public, especially within government and corporate institutions, liberals are right that the “war on Christmas” is often nothing more than an excuse to engage in cheap political opportunism and Brown’s “Stand Up for Christmas” legislation is a perfect example.

Brown is an archetype of the conventional Republican—a big spending, big government politician who constantly appeals to his base with ineffectual, conservative sounding rhetoric about peripheral social issues. It’s not that issues like abortion, gay marriage, and the 2nd amendment aren’t important—it’s just that most Republican politicians’ stances on these issues rarely produce anything that actually advances any conservative agenda. There is never a grand strategy—but always plenty of grandstanding.

For decades, such posturing on social issues has kept the biggest, big government Republicans in office and similarly, Brown’s supposed concern for the “traditions,” “sacred” to Christmas come off as grandstanding precisely because he is. Even many of those who agree with his sentiments concerning the loss of Christmas and its traditions, including this writer, can still see right through the opportunistic Brown.

Read the entire column

Topics: National Politics
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Comments (9)

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HERE HERE! This thing is a complete joke, and adds Brown to my list of people worth voting AGAINST. You cannot preach fiscal conservatism and then turn around and waste our money (by wasting his time, which we pay for) on something he knows is completely and utterly useless, and will have no real effect. As if there weren't more pressing issues for him to focus on right now. It's totally appalling!!

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Posted by ETimmonsP on December 22, 2009 at 12:06 PM

I agree with Bill O'Reilly, he is a patriot; there are very few left in Congress and I appreciate him taking a stance. I am really sick of the direction our country is going...getting away from our right to celebrate Christmas as Christ's birthday. Our religious rights are being taken away from us and the episode where the nativity scene was removed from the fire station is an example....put in a corner away from public view. Now it's pc to say "Happy Holidays" in case we offend someone...that's garbage. Of course they are trying to take away "In God We Trust" on our money and the list goes on.... It is time we stand up for our rights and say "ENOUGH.! Mr. Brown is a wonderful person and our family knows him personally. He loves the state of South Carolina and has done many good things for all of us. I would suggest the writer find another topic to give his opinion...this has nothing to do with spending and big government.

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Posted by realforsure on December 22, 2009 at 1:06 PM

Is there really a christmas crisis, and does it take precedence over an economic crisis? Stop wasting tax-payers time Mr. Brown and please focus on what is really important.

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Posted by n66178 on December 22, 2009 at 1:23 PM

Well said realforsure. And n66178, Mr. Brown is and has been trying to fight the economic crisis by trying to block this horrible health care bill along with many other huge spending bills that the Obama administration have been trying to push through. Why is it so wrong for him to also fight for our rights and traditions? We have been compromising away everything that makes us Americans and this country so great and it's time someone takes a stand. Enough is enough. It's time for our politicians to stop apologizing and bowing down to foreign leaders and start standing up for the American people.

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Posted by dragun on December 22, 2009 at 1:44 PM

When will the PC Police press to rename the federal holiday following the 24th of December? The federal calendar still reads "Christmas Day", not "Kwanza Day" or "Winter Solstice Day"! Methinks Henry doth protest to much.

Perhaps we should rename the holiday after Senator Reid to commemorate the turkey of a health care bill he will stuff through the senate on Christmas eve. The new PC greeting will be "Happy Harry-days, Sucker!", and on the eve of the holiday children will exchange money for "health vouchers", to be redeemed in lengthy queues at government run "clinics".

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Posted by I P Yuengling on December 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM

Without Christmas, many of the stores would go bankrupt. As said again and again, they make most of their money for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of the Christ child. No one's forcing anyone to celebrate it. But it is what it is, and that is Christmas. The gifts are in the tradition of the gifts by the wisemen to the Christ child. The tree is in representation of the cross the adult Jesus Christ died upon. And Santa Claus is a representation of the Bishop turned St. Nicolas born in the third or fourth century. As for the fire station's nativity scene, it was set up on neighboring property with permission of it's owners. It wasn't even on the firehouse property, though now the fruits in Wisconsin, who complained about that, are complaining about the cross dedicated to the fallen firefighters.

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Posted by BBL on December 22, 2009 at 3:59 PM

"Baloney. There is no such assault going on. On the contrary, what is happening is a growing recognition of America’s religious and spiritual diversity. The thought has apparently never occurred to O’Reilly and other Christian conservatives that there are literally millions of Americans who are not Christian and have December holidays of their own. Why should Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Yule not get the recognition they richly deserve? Why should those holidays be ignored or subsumed under Christmas? And contrary to what O’Reilly and other Christian conservatives say, Christmas is not a strictly Christian religious holiday in the first place. It’s celebrated by billions of non-Christians around the world and is a public holiday even in countries where Christians are a small minority."

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/20043

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Posted by militarywife on December 22, 2009 at 6:08 PM

If you want to say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays," there is nothing preventing you from doing so. Say what you want to say. We don't need legislators saying that "Happy Holidays" is correct, NOR do we need legislators saying "Merry Christmas" is correct. Frankly, who cares? We have double-digit unemployment right now, we need legislators focused on REAL PROBLEMS, not fabricating issues to win feel-good votes.

It's hard to believe that anyone seriously believes this is an effective use of a legislator's time right now.

And I'd add that I think I heard a quote from Brown to the effect that he was worried that if we don't do something now, in the future children might not even know why Christmas is celebrated? This is a horrible indictment of parents, and frankly sounds like some kind of "nanny state" philosophy wherein Brown doesn't think parents will be able to teach their kids what Christmas is about, so he thinks the government should step in? Hogwash.

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Posted by ETimmonsP on December 22, 2009 at 10:22 PM

@realforsure:

How is changing said phrases stripping you of your right to celebrate Christmas or to worship whom you please? All this needless rhetoric is accomplishing is drumming up more of the same...and all the while, nothing of substance is accomplished on Capitol Hill. Oh well, Who is John Galt?

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Posted by JohnGalt1 on December 23, 2009 at 7:20 AM
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