For the longest time “States’ Rights” has been a dog whistle used to oppose same-sex marriage, reproductive rights, abortion, desegregation and basically civil rights in general, but I am not hearing much of the way of “States’ Rights” nowadays from right-wing speakers. Am I wrong in this?
My sense is that, at least in recent history, conservatives have bleated about states’ rights only when it suited them and completely ignored it otherwise. I think very few people of that ilk really believe in it as a principle.
When it comes to firearms, they’re all about states’ rights. But I seem to recall when a number of states began de-criminalizing marijuana, suddenly it was really important for federal law to be enforced.
Now that the GOP has complete control of the federal government, “states’ rights” is no longer a convenient fiction, and is in fact an obstruction to imposing autocracy upon dissenting states.
Stranger
The Right will push any political ideology that suits their needs of the moment, then conveniently ignore it when it doesn’t. The new Pope recently pointed out that pro-life also means anti-death penalty, giving some conservative Catholics fits. (I know he’s not the only one to make the point, but he is certainly one of the louder voices.)
When they’re not in charge at the federal level, it’s “let the states decide!” When they have the seats of power, though, screw “states’ rights”.
States rights are brought up when in the minority position as an attempt to get local power when they don’t have national power. I still think they mostly believe in it (they definitely take the 10th amendment far more seriously than the Democratic party does), but, when the Republicans are in power, they do enjoy slipping in their federal legislation as well in places where it doesn’t belong.
Personally, I like the 10th amendment. I like the idea that, if I don’t like the laws under which I am living, I don’t have to leave the entire country just to get away from them. I enjoy the way California treats its poor people compared to other states and am glad California has the right to make its own rules. I don’t want Republicans making laws for us every time they are in power, nor do I think California should be making laws for Texas every time the Democrats are in power. We can all simply live in the state we want to live in.
States rights in modern politics means only that Republican states loudly announce they can do whatever they want when a Democrat is president. They hardly need to do so when the president is proclaiming all their positions on a national level.
States rights of course continues to be an issue. Most obviously when Democratic states push back against Trump’s decrees. Less obviously when red states pass referendums that the legislature doesn’t approve of and so work to nullify the popular vote. Only Republican legislatures have rights.
If the Democrats ever gain power states rights will be just as loud a dog whistle on the right as before.
Hypocrisy and bigotry are the right-wing’s only core principles. Everything else can vary by whim but never those.
Hypocrisy, bigotry, and hyperbole. Don’t forget the latter; it is a critical keystone in stoking false outrage.
Stranger
Eh, hyperbole is legitimate exaggeration. What they do is called lying. But I consider that a tactic rather than a principle.
They only care about states’ rights when they’re not in power. If Biden or Obama had even suggested sending troops into places like Alabama, Arkansas, or Florida to control crime the right would have gone bonkers.
You only emphasize state’s rights when you’re the underdog and the other side has federal power. Now that MAGA has federal control, they will squelch state’s rights hard. Such as if California and Gain Newsom defy MAGA too hard.
It’s not recent; it’s always been that way. The classic example being the Fugitive Slave Act during the run-up to the Civil War, which forced the free states to help the slave states round up blacks.
It’s always been a lie, a rhetorical tactic. It’s a fake “principle” they trot out to try to stop the rest of the country from preventing them from hurting people, but totally ignore the instant they get the power to force themselves on anyone else.
“States’ Rights” started being a major issue in the Civil War, when the right-wingers seceded from the US rather than recognize the right of states to not have slavery. They’ve always been opposed to states’ rights.
Except when the state wants to regulate firearms.
This is an old story. The South was all in favor of their right to hold slaves; less so when it came to the fugitive slave act.