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Barrett Confirmation Is a Rebuke to Radical Left


By Nathan Williamson, Capitalist League
 
Last week’s confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court represents a win for those that believe “America is Good” — as canonized in Claremont Institute Chairman Thomas Klingenstein’s highly acclaimed viral speech bouncing around social media. 
 
The fact that Justice Barrett was so vehemently opposed by anti-American radicals only exemplifies Klingenstein’s comments that:
 

“[The BLM-Democrats] want reparations, endless affirmative action, genuine socialism, open borders, hassle-free abortions, gun confiscation, transgender everything, and they want destroy, or radically restructure, those institutions that teach the values and principles that undergird the American way of life:  family, education, religion and community life. From their perspective, these things are necessary in order to turn America from a bad country into a good one.”

 
This fact was readily apparent in the way far-left Senators like Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris sardonically questioned Barrett on issues ranging from gun control to abortion and healthcare. The anti-American radicals simply can’t stand the idea of a Supreme Court that would uphold the Constitution. 
 
Barrett’s confirmation represents a stunning blow to the radical 1619 Project, a cornerstone of the movement to cancel America. The narrative that proponents of 1619 (including Senator Harris) push is that America is systemically evil and broken at its core. They do this by ignoring our steady progress in expanding individual rights to every American and focusing the entirety of our foundation on the reprehensible institution of slavery.
 
But Justice Barrett is unapologetic in her love and admiration for America. In her first speech after President Trump nominated her to the high court, she stated:
 

“If the Senate does me the honor of confirming me, I pledge to discharge the responsibilities of this job to the very best of my ability.  I love the United States, and I love the United States Constitution.”

 
She spoke of her personal successes, how lucky she was to have the opportunities she did, and of her family, describing her seven children as her “greatest joy.” Her story is one that shows the beauty of America — she is truly an inspiration to people across the country. 
 
In nominating Barrett to the Supreme Court, President Trump perfectly summed up the stakes we face as a nation:
 

“Rulings that the Supreme Court will issue in the coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment, our religious liberty, our public safety, and so much more. To maintain security, liberty, and prosperity, we must preserve our priceless heritage of a nation of laws.”

 
Justice Barrett doubled down on her pro-American sentiments during her swearing-in ceremony, closing her speech by saying:
 

“It is your Constitution that establishes the rule of law and the judicial independence that is so central to it. . . I love the Constitution and the Democratic Republic that it establishes, and I will devote myself to preserving it.”

 
The values Justice Barrett represents are values that Americans clearly believe in. Faith, family, and service to others have always been deeply held in this country. Those are good values — strengthened by a good nation.
 
This is what makes Justice Barrett popular among Americans. According to Politico, more than half of the country supported her confirmation while just a quarter opposed her. That approval rating jumped from initial polls suggesting 37% of the American people supported her only a month earlier. Given her last month in the public eye, is it any wonder her popularity spiked?
 
Judge Barrett made it difficult for anti-American activists to sell the people on the idea that America is bad. And as Klingenstein stated in his speech:
 

“To lay the foundation for the revolution, the BLM-Democrats must, above all else, do two things.  First, they must convince us that America is racist.  And sexist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamaphobic, and all the rest.  In other words, the revolutionaries must convince us that America is bad.  If they convince us that we are bad then, out of guilt, we will accept their revolutionary policy agenda. The second thing the BLM-Democrats must do, is silence those who say America is good. Shutting up dissenters is the key.”

 
Justice Amy Coney Barrett has already served as a great dissenter in the case that anti-American activists are making: that America is fundamentally bad. And for those of us who see how great America is, their inability to silence her should be taken as a great victory.
 
  


Nathan Williamson is a Director at the Capitalist League. His op-eds have been featured in publications including the Washington Examiner, Issues & Insights, and RealClearMarkets.