Jim DeMint of South Carolina congratulates Christine O'Donnell: (emp add)

"I want to congratulate Christine on her remarkable victory tonight," said Senator DeMint. "She came from behind and won this race because of her unwavering support for the principles of freedom. She wasn't afraid to stand up to the establishment and she overcame some pretty nasty attacks.

"I also want to thank the thousands of grassroots conservatives in Delaware and around the country who worked so hard to make this possible. Without their support, Christine would not have been able to do it.

"Now it's time for all Republicans to unite behind Christine so she can go on to win in November. If she is elected, she will join a growing group of new leaders in the Senate who will stand up to the big spenders in both parties and help us take our country back."

There's that word again, "freedom". Last week it was Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom Conference. Plus, there's FreedomWorks behind the Tea Party movement.

And there are many conservative outfits with "liberty" in their name (it was the American Liberty League that fought the New Deal many years ago).

Just like Palin's support for "constitutional" conservatives, it's a linguistic technique that claims ownership of cherished values, even if they don't believe any of it.


posted by Quiddity at 9/15/2010 02:46:00 AM