Democrats: "Americans Have Too Much Freedom"

Just over one-third of Democrat voters think Americans are too free, according to a poll released on Friday by RealClearPolitics (RCP).

The survey found that 34% of Democratic voters believe Americans possess “too much freedom” compared to 14.6% of Republican voters. Although an overwhelming portion of U.S. voters believe that freedom of speech protections are beneficial, 52% of Democratic voters believe it is important “that the government be able to censor users/content on social media platforms it feels threaten national security.

Let freedom ring?

Be informed, not misled.

The concept of free speech dates to the 5th century B.C. in ancient Greece and was codified in America’s founding documents on Dec. 15, 1791, with the ratification of the Bill of Rights. The 45-word First Amendment prohibited Congress from “abridging freedom of speech, or of the press,” and has been long understood to include any branch of government.

Believe it or not, a recent poll from RealClear Opinion Research found that one-third of registered Democratic respondents feel Americans have "too much freedom to speak freely."

The poll, released this month, surveyed 1,000 individuals. Of those interviewed, 377 identified as Democrats, 369 as Republicans, and 255 as independent or "other."

The survey found that 34% of Democratic voters believe Americans possess “too much freedom” compared to 14.6% of Republican voters. Although an overwhelming portion of U.S. voters believe that freedom of speech protections are beneficial, 52% of Democratic voters believe it is essential “that the government be able to censor users/content on social media platforms it feels threaten national security.”

Is that really about "national security," or is it about activating policies that most  Americans would not approve of if they knew and understood the impact of the policy?

Is it really about silencing opposition?

Or defeating political opponents?

Over half of Democratic voters also believe that government censorship ability takes precedence over “social media users being able to post content they feel are in the national interest,” according to the poll. In contrast, one-third of Republicans hold this belief.

Additionally, approximately 75% of Democratic voters believe the government should censor “hateful” social media content, according to the poll.

This means if you disagree with the transgender movement and its barbaric trans surgeries, disagree with the activist's so-called "redefinition" of marriage, disagree with the abortion agenda, the replacing of education with social indoctrination in public schools, or believe in biblical principles and values with which the Left disagrees---you are expressing "hate." 

And "hate speech" cannot be allowed, and Democrats believe that the government should censor speech.

That isn't the America our Founders envisioned.

James Madison, the drafter of the first 10 constitutional amendments, originally drafted a more fiery version of the First Amendment, one that included its underlying rationale: “The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.”

That's powerful.

Real Clear reviews the history of "liberals" who held more to free speech than the current "progressives" do and concludes, "But times change. And notwithstanding the controversial current push by social conservatives to denude public school libraries of content they dislike, the new RealClear Opinion Research poll is the latest to document the gradual change that has taken place on the left when it comes to this free expression." Here are some of its findings:

• Republican voters (74%) and independents (61%) believe speech should be legal “under any circumstances, while Democrats are almost evenly divided. A bare majority of Democrats (53%) say speech should be legal under any circumstances, while 47% say it should be legal “only under certain circumstances.”
• Nearly one-third of Democratic voters (34%) say Americans have “too much freedom.” This compared to 14.6% of Republicans. Republicans were most likely to say Americans have too little freedom (46%), while only 22% of Democrats feel that way. 
• Although majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree the news media should be able to report stories they believe are in the national interest, this consensus shifts when it comes to social media censorship. A majority of Democrats (52%) approve of the government censoring social media content under the rubric of protecting national security. Among Republicans and independents, this percentage is only one-third.
• Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to favor stifling the free speech rights of political extremists. 

Which brings us to this: Biblical Christians are already often labeled as extremists if we publically share our biblical beliefs on a number of social issues. There is pushback even if certain Scriptures are read or quoted publicly.

Self-censorship.

Before policies of actual censorship are in place, self-censorship often begins.

According to a recent study, people of faith in historically Christian countries are self-censoring their religious beliefs at an increasing rate.

The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, in collaboration with the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America and the International Institute for Religious Freedom, recently published a case study titled “Perceptions of Self-Censorship.” Evidence from interviews showed that individuals in France, Germany, Mexico, and Colombia are afraid to share their religious beliefs outside their private lives.

Much of this self-censorship stems from the fear of retribution, loss of employment, or discrimination by the government or at their place of work. The study notes:

In Mexico and Columbia, Christian individuals remain silent about marriage, identity politics, bioethics, and morality out of fear of legal sanctions

In France, any form of religious expression beyond the private sphere is treated with suspicion

In Germany, the word “evangelical” sparks negative connotations and is entirely avoided by those in public life.

I believe we are at this threshold in America under current leadership.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal about censorship, Dennis Prager was asked, "How do we deal with censorship?"

He said this: 

"I think the only honest answer is that one side has to prevail and make its arguments so powerful or suppress the other so effectively that there is a unity in either bad ideas or a unity in good ideas. That is the reason for the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal. It's the reason for PragerU, it's the reason for talk radio. We are trying to win the public debate. What is unique is not that. What is unique is that for the first time in American history, a serious percentage of Americans think it is okay to censor the other side, to use the current term, to cancel the other side. And I know why the left wants to do this..... There is no example in history of the left not suppressing speech, and they do it because they cannot win arguments. They can only win by suppression. And that is what we are seeing now with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Google, et cetera. Wherever possible, and certainly at the universities, they censor the other voices. If we were allowed free expression, we could unify a great many Americans around the great ideas that made America. And I call it the American Trinity, the three ideas found on every coin, liberty, (foreign language), in God we trust. There is no other country in history that had those three as its mottos. And that's what we're fighting for. And that's what they're fighting against."

Takeaway

The historic American solution to this wave of censorship and cancel culture is to promote more speech. We should encourage people to live out their beliefs and express their convictions. America was founded on the promise of free expression of religious beliefs for all. Our nation is built on the principle that we can assert our views even if the government or others do not agree. More speech, not less, is the solution.

Be Bold. Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Faithful.