that they, and they alone, had the right to speak for "the will of the American people."
I haven't heard a single Republican say any such thing.
This took different forms: "the American people have spoken," or "you (Democrats) are ignoring/imposing your views on the American people" or "the American people have sent a message,"
Those aren't different forms, they are entirely different statements.
Of course, the American people have spoken, and in November 2008 elected a Democratic White House and Senate and House of Representatives.
After the Democratic presidential candidate talked about fiscal responsibility. Which is the exact opposite of how he has operated as president.
Also opinions change over time.
The idea that the minority party represents the "will of the people" (not some of the people, but "the people") is the seedling of a totalitarian mindset. In this mindset
Nonsense. The party that was the minority in an election could be more popular now, or whether or not it is, could (and does) come close to the opinion of the general population on a specific issue.
ideas are not to be discussed, and opposing views are not to respected. What matters is that they alone have truth, they alone are metaphysically connected to the "mind of the people" can interpret their will, and because they have truth and speak for the people, others represent a threat and must be silenced and stopped.
That's a better description of the Democrats views on opinions about health care than it is of the Republicans. |
