Amelia
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Peter Berkowitz: Liberals' Love-Hate Relationship With the Law | RealClearPolitics
That essay ends on a somewhat nonpartisan note but obviously the piece is partisan, and it resonates with my observations.
What examples do liberals have of high profile Republicans riding roughshod over the law the way the Obama administration and Washington Democrats have done in recent years?
That essay ends on a somewhat nonpartisan note but obviously the piece is partisan, and it resonates with my observations.
.... Obama’s apparent appeal to pragmatism disguises his oscillation between extremes. One moment he is ideologically driven to use fealty to the rule of law to overcome the normal (if sometimes morally suspect) give-and-take -- the horse-trading, glad-handing, and compromise -- necessary for the effective practice of politics. Yet the next moment, he is ideologically driven to disdain legal process and the constraints of law.
The worthy alternative to the left-liberal sensibility is not one that is opposed to the universal claims of reason but rather one that involves a more judicious interpretation of reason. It holds, among other things, that it is unreasonable to attempt to make public policy decisions on the basis of abstract theories. It also emphasizes the wisdom of experience, and accords latitude to the exercise of practical judgment in balancing competing interests, opinions, and principles. It holds that government must be limited to secure the rights shared equally by all. And it holds that appreciating the limits of law is crucial to vindicating the majesty of the law.
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What examples do liberals have of high profile Republicans riding roughshod over the law the way the Obama administration and Washington Democrats have done in recent years?
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