Media, Left fawned on Arab Spring, slammed American Spring

Sen. Jim DeMint recounted the American Spring in his new book 'The Great American Awakening.' Shown here: DeMint at Red State Gathering 2011 in Charleston. (Photo by Kay B. Day/The US Report)As protesters filled the streets of Egypt, media and everyone else on the Left fawned on that event and others like it in countries in the Middle East. The term ‘Arab Spring’ became commonplace.

Some on the left even began to hint that perhaps President George W. Bush’s decision on Iraq was the stimulus for the general awakening of people in countries ruled by tyrants.

Legacy media praised the rebels in countries where uprisings occurred. Few praised the American activists.

In the United States, an American Spring produced its most visible fruits in November, 2010 when a number of new congressmen arrived in Washington. Many of them were fiscal conservatives. Some were favorites of the tea partiers. Whatever the ideology, most credited the tea party grassroots movement as producing a sea change that would require longtime politicos to take a hard look at their concept of service to the country.

The practice of sending as much pork as possible back to political cronies and constituents fell from favor. Lifting the debt ceiling again actually inspired a valid debate that should have been held long ago.  Tea partiers, Libertarians and Republican fiscal conservatives successfully introduced the concept of government reform. People began to look at government in a new way.

Any change produces criticism, but few anticipated the hostility and vitriol directed at this government reform movement. One of the most visible leaders, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) recounted his own experiences in his book, ‘The Great American Awakening.’ The book is a remarkable contribution to political history because DeMint had an inside view.

DeMint didn’t just encounter criticism from Democrats. His own party was not happy with DeMint’s activism. He recounts anger from long-serving fellow Republicans.

DeMint explained the backstory: “Republicans, controlled by big-spending senior members, betrayed the principles of limited government, lost the confidence of the American people, and finally lost control of Congress and the White House. Now with a minority so small we could hardly apply any brakes or resistance to the Obama agenda, I was looking outside the Senate to continue my fight for freedom.” (pg. 86)

How bad was the situation in Washington? When DeMint wanted to read a bill before he signed it, critics called him an “obstructionist.” That’s how low members of Congress set the standard for governance.

That low bar was evident when Democrats socialized US healthcare by passing the massive Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). Most members of Congress admitted not reading the partisan bill.

Critics of government reformers missed the fact that the complaints weren’t partisan—people weren’t just unhappy about Democrats expanding government and spending. People were equally unhappy with a lot of Republicans. Otherwise Democrats would not have gained absolute control of Washington starting with the November, 2006, elections. Bush worked with a Senate and House of Representatives totally controlled by progressives.

The left and most legacy media displayed an astounding lack of respect for these activists, labeling them with vulgar pejoratives and naturally hurling the race card. The progressive camp and some in the RINO camp vilified those Americans who spoke out in an attempt to reform a government that by anyone’s standards had grown beyond all reasonable or safe proportions. Some of us complained about that, by the way, long before President Barack Obama won the presidency, sealing control of two branches of government in the hands of progressives.

No media pundits expounded poetically about the tea partiers. The reformers, however, successfully led the conversation that finally restored some balance in Washington with the Republican landslide in the US House in 2010. A number of Republican governors were also elected and the GOP increased numbers in the US Senate.

Progressive attacks continue. The Congressional Black Caucus, most major networks, leftwing Northeastern newspapers and Democrats in general have nothing good to say about hardworking Americans seeking a smaller, less restrictive central government.

The United States experienced an ‘American Spring.’

The Left would not have a kind word for it. Most in that camp were too busy praising the leaders of the ‘Arab Spring’ although no one can predict whether people in the Middle East will be freer, or will simply switch out tyrants with little long term change.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Sept. 1, 2011)