GOP can't turn a blind eye to bigots in their midst

GOP can't turn a blind eye to bigots in their midst

It has only been two short days and I have already been called on by MSNBC's _Countdown_ to once again discuss the issue of rising rancor in American political discourse in the wake of the health care reform debate. I have another opportunity to expand on those ideas here on theGrio. Throughout the country, Democratic members of Congress have been receiving aggressive messages and, in some cases, death threats based on their vote for health care reform. On Thursday night Lawrence O'Donnell asked me "Do these threats threaten the democratic process?" WATCH THE VIDEO OF MY APPEARANCE ON 'COUNTDOWN' HERE:

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When it comes to democracy I firmly believe that ideas are not dangerous. The attempt to limit ideas or to shame or punish people for having ideas is far more dangerous. I work as a professor and I am committed to a fundamental belief that the free exchange of ideas is the basis of a healthy, functioning democracy. One of the most important classes of ideas that any democracy must protect is the right to disagree with the government. Remember that Thomas Jefferson wrote in Declaration of Independence that: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed," This was an amazing and novel idea! The idea that governments should derive their authority from the consent of the governed, rather than from the Divine Right of Kings, changed the world forever. Our elections are the primary tools through which we give and retract consent, but we also have the right to march, to yell, to write letters, and to run for office ourselves. As citizens of a democracy we are not just the ruled, we are the rulers. But we must also remember that Jefferson wrote "Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes" We have a right to express our ideas. We have a right to organize to criticize the government when we disagree with its policies. However, with rights come responsibilities. Those who are behaving violently because they disagree with a policy that was publicly debated and duly passed by a majority of rightfully elected representatives have abdicated their basic responsibility to democracy. Our founders modeled for us the way that responsible, reasoned disagreement should take place in the public square. Yes, they were often rowdy and irreverent, but they also gave us the carefully crafted arguments found in the Federalist Papers, not just the empty rhetoric of dissent. In fact here is my assignment, let's all go back and read the Federalist Papers as a model of disagreement. Now is the time for Republican leadership to exercise the responsibilities of leadership. For decades they have claimed to be the champions of personal responsibility. Now is the time for collective responsibility. The violence, the threats, the danger are emerging from a wing of their party. They need to actively work to stem the tide of potentially dangerous actions. They should not stop dissenting, but they must vigorously and repeatedly denounce acts and threats of bigotry and violence. Democratic Party leadership must continue to welcome debate, discussion and dissent. It is the basis of healthy democracy. But GOP leadership cannot simply pretend that the vitriol being expressed in communities across the country is unrelated to their actions on Capitol Hill.