Fear and Loathing in Phoenix?

Hugh Hewitt's favorite Lefty Peter Beinart proves that when it comes to the politics of race and ethnicity, there are no moderates on the Left.  They just can't help but view everything through the prism of race.  And of course, in their telling, the Left is always the champion of the downtrodden and the Right is always suspicious and fearful of anyone not just (white) like them.

The problem is, the folks opposing LBJ on civil rights and beating up blacks in Alabama that Beinart laments were Democrats.  And the folks today who wave the bloody shirt of race at every turn are...Democrats.  And yet we are supposed to believe that just because liberal eltes can't stop thinking of race, normal Americans are similarly afflicted.

Do these people ever go the places they write about?  If they did, they might talk to the people most affected by the refusal of the Federal government to enforce its own laws, and thus necessitating the new Arizona law.  One may quibble about the legislative language, but what normal person (i.e., one who doesn't live on either of the Left coasts) can begrudge the good folks of Arizona for wanting their government to do something about the lawlessness and violence on their borders?

Does anyone believe that some nativist impulse drives the majority of Arizonans and similarly situated citizens of other southwestern states to want to stem the tide of illegals coming across the border?  The southwestern states contain a larger percentage of citizens and legal residents of Latino origin than any other region of the country?  Do none of them agree with the majority of Americans that border protection and enforcement of immigration laws is a national priority?  And are those Latinos who agree with their fellow citizens similarly nativist?

I think the liberals may have played the race/ethnicity card a little too often.  It has been thrown against conservatives in almost every political dispute since Obama was elected, ranging from a police arrest of an arrogant Harvard professor to opposition to Obama's plans to nationalize the health care industry.  It should be no surprise that after demonizing average Americans as racists merely for exercising their right as free people to disagree with their elected officials, liberals would demonize average Americans as nativists for trying to protect their life and property from  lawbreaking thugs.

Don Imus, Trent Lott and countless other public men have slinked away quietly in the face of unfair and ludicrous charges of racial crimes and misdemeanors.  But as I said, liberals may have finally overplayed their weak hand in the race game.  Now that they have waved the bloody shirt of "racism" at great swaths of ordinary law-abiding Americans, liberals may be surprised to find that their targets are not willing to gently comply with their demands to leave the public stage a la Messrs. Imus and Lott.

Shame on you, Peter Beinart.  I thought you were above the street theater of Sharpton and Company.