Wha-h-h-h? This has to go down as one of the stranger non sequiturs from a pundit of national standing. Responding to a study that concludes that burgeoning multiculturalism threatens national unity, David Broder takes solace in the fact that 34 years ago, the American body politic booted Richard Nixon from office.
In his column of today, One Nation No More?, Broder comments on the study, E Pluribus Unum, recently released by the The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.
The study's opening paragraphs set the tone:
In a nation that celebrates its diversity, we need to remind ourselves that we are also part of “one
nation indivisible.” Parents of school children, regardless of background, agree.
In too many ways, current attitudes sanction dual citizenship, multilingual ballots, and bilingual instruction rather than English immersion. Instead of one America, there are voices for many Americas, or even no America at all. Few would intend this result, but it may be the inevitable consequence of citizens not being able to communicate in a common language and placing other loyalties above their allegiance “to the flag and the republic for which it stands.”
To support his assertion that the study's "degree of pessimism seems unwarranted," Broder first points to the involvement of young people in this year's campaigns and various good works, then curiously concludes:
I have not worried about the fundamental commitment of the American people since 1974. In that year, they were confronted with the stunning evidence that their president had conducted a criminal conspiracy out of the Oval Office. In response, the American people reminded Richard Nixon, the man they had just recently reelected overwhelmingly, that in this country, no one, not even the president, is above the law. They required him to yield his office.
That is not the sign of a nation that has lost its sense of values or forgotten the principles on which this system rests. And that is something worth celebrating on more than the Fourth of July.
So the fact that Richard Nixon was forced from office in 1974 is the bedrock upon which Broder dismisses the threat multiculturalism poses to national unity in 2008? What can I say beyond "say what?"
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.




















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Few would intend this result...
July 3, 2008 - 13:56 ET by wizardjrWant to bet?!!?
Totally clueless or what?
July 3, 2008 - 20:29 ET by needleDavid Broder is truly a remarkable man. Practically anybody as clueless as he would ordinarily fail to make it to half his age simply due to problems crossing a street. Any yet there he is, holding down an important position on the Washington Post, probably on account of his excellent and intuitive analytical skills. <sarc off>
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
Broder evidently
July 3, 2008 - 13:56 ET by bigtimerBroder evidently understands absolutely nothing about what America is and stands for...but then again no one expected anything less from the likes of Broder do they?
He has always insulted my intelligence...
He is over-bearing and beyond arrogant.
I have never been able to stand him, but of course with the leftist msm of all venues he is one of the Deans of knowledge...oh yes, the wise one...
Figures doesn't it....
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Nixon was not forced from
July 3, 2008 - 13:59 ET by mattmNixon was not forced from office. He was advised to resign, and he did - as he should have.
But there's no guarantee that he would have been removed from office if he had fought back, and had the support of his Party.
If he had a more Clintonian ego, he might have fought it out and turned tables on the Dems, making them look like the slimebag hypocrites they are.
It was the Republican
July 3, 2008 - 17:57 ET by MidAmericaIt was the Republican leaders who went to Nixon and told him he had to go. Democrats never throw one of their own overboard for wrongdoing, they celebrate them and the media covers for them.
Of course there is one democrat that was thrown overboard, Joe Lieberman. Criminal behavior the democrats can live with but supporting George Bush on Iraq is not tolerable.
MA... You are exactly
July 3, 2008 - 18:05 ET by bigtimerMA...
You are exactly right...and of course the msm of all venues were leading the way...the repubs are still terrified of them...it makes me sick...they bow to them.
...when are they going to get a back-bone.
I do not mean all of them, but the majority cater to the leftist msm and the msm knows it.
Recent times....Trent Lott is a perfect example in various ways...I don't feel like going through all of it, but is was maddening how much he bent, during the Clinton administration was bad enough...on and on...when are they going to learn?
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Yeah... I think one of
July 3, 2008 - 18:35 ET by MidAmericaYeah... I think one of the reasons that the dems took over in '06 is because the republicans in charge didn't want to be in charge any more. They'd rather go back to just sniping from the behind the tree line instead of standing up and leading.
That is the problem in one sentence.
July 3, 2008 - 14:05 ET by JTP"In a nation that celebrates its diversity, we need to remind ourselves that we are also part of “one
nation indivisible.”
Stop "celebrating" and just "be".
The more one addresses ones race or religion the more "divisive" we are.
What Nixon has to do with this is not clear no matter how long I hold my breath or squint my eyes.
The 2ND Amendment exists to secure the rest
I agree -- this is an
July 3, 2008 - 14:37 ET by lotrI agree -- this is an idiotic non sequitur.
Sounds like the man may have Alzheimer's. There is absolutely no connection -- this is an editorial from 1975.
And what of the crimes of Bill Clinton? He skipped over that.
July 3, 2008 - 15:17 ET by BritcomApparently the liberal/MSM mindset is, all Dems are saints, and all Republicans are Satan.
---
Sen. John McCain (2003):
"...I am proud to say that I was born in your country.&
I'm not sure it's a non sequitur,
July 3, 2008 - 16:31 ET by SlicksterI think it maybe more of a case of another moronic leftist babbling gibberish when confronted with the truth. It's easy to imagine him picking his nose and staring blankly at the interviewer.
Senile ol' coot!!!!!!
July 3, 2008 - 19:41 ET by Mr. Kafir"Israel and Palestine should have their countries taken away from them, put in timeout, until they can prove they can get along." - balboa, ignorant bastard, 3/17/08
Red meat
July 3, 2008 - 20:44 ET by needleDavid Broder was commenting of some serious liberal myth-defying information concerning multiculturalism. The fact that he was able to bring himself to say any of this is astonishing. You might consider his comment about Nixon a non sequitur; but I would say that it was some red meat he threw out to distract and placate his usual audience.
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
Broder forgot something.
July 3, 2008 - 21:26 ET by bktHe said, "In a nation that celebrates its diversity, we need to remind ourselves that we are also part of 'one
nation indivisible'.”
I think he's referring to the Pledge of Allegiance, and that part goes, "One nation, UNDER GOD, indivisible..."
American Suicide
July 3, 2008 - 23:50 ET by kilrodAmerican Suicide?
We know Dick Lamm as the former Governor of Colorado. In that context his thoughts are particularly poignant. Recently there was an immigration overpopulation conference in Washington, DC, filled to capacity by many of America's finest minds and leaders. A brilliant college professor by the name of Victor Hansen Davis talked about his latest book, "Mexifornia," explaining how immigration - both legal and illegal was destroying the entire state of California. He said it would march across the country until it destroyed all vestiges of The American Dream.
Moments later, former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm stood up and gave a stunning speech on how to destroy America. The audience sat spellbound as he described eight methods for the destruction of the United States. He said, "If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that 'An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.'"
"Here is how they do it," Lamm said: "First, to destroy America, turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country." History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar, Seymour Lipset, put it this way: "The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy." Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, and Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficult times with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans."
Lamm went on: Second, to destroy America, "Invent 'multiculturalism' and encourage immigrants to maintain their culture. Make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal. That there are no cultural differences. Make it an article of faith that the Black and Hispanic dropout rates are due solely to prejudice and discrimination by the majority. Every other explanation is out of bounds.
Third, "We could make the United States a 'Hispanic Quebec ' without much effort The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. As Benjamin Schwarz said in the Atlantic Monthly recently: "The apparent success of our own multiethnic and multicultural experiment might have been achieved not by tolerance but by hegemony. Without the dominance that once dictated ethnocentricity and what it meant to be an American, we are left with only tolerance and pluralism to hold us together." Lamm said, "I would encourage all immigrants to keep their own language and culture. I would replace the melting pot metaphor with the salad bowl metaphor. It is important to ensure that we have various cultural subgroups living in America enforcing their differences rather than as Americans, emphasizing their similarities."
"Fourth, I would make our fastest growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass, unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population I would have this second underclass have a 50% dropout rate from high school."
"My fifth point for destroying America would be to get big foundations and business to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of 'Victimology.' I would get all minorities to think that their lack of success was the fault of the majority. I would start a grievance industry blaming all minority failure on the majority population."
"My sixth plan for America's downfall would include dual citizenship, and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity over unity. I would stress differences rather than similarities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other- that is, when they are not killing each other. A diverse, peaceful, or stable society is against most historical precedent. People undervalue the unity it takes to keep a nation together. Look at the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that they belonged to the same race; they possessed a common Language and literature; and they worshipped the same gods. All Greece took part in the Olympic games. A common enemy, Persia, threatened their liberty. Yet all these bonds were not strong enough to overcome two factors: local patriotism and geographical conditions that nurtured political divisions. Greece fell. "E. Pluribus Unum" -- from many, one. In that historical reality, if we put the emphasis on the 'Pluribus' instead of the 'Unum,' we will balkanize America as surely as Kosovo."
"Next to last, I would place all subjects off limits; make it taboo to talk about anything against the cult of 'diversity.' I would find a word similar to 'heretic' in the 16th century - that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking. Words like 'racist' or 'xenophobe' halt discussion and debate. Having made America a bilingual/bicultural country, having established multiculturalism, having the large foundations fund the doctrine of 'victimology,' I would next make it impossible to enforce our immigration laws. I would develop a mantra: That because immigration has been good for America, it must always be good. I would make every individual immigrant symmetric and ignore the cumulative impact of millions of them."
In the last minute of his speech, Governor La mm wiped his brow. Profound silence followed. Finally he said, "Lastly, I would censor Victor Hanson Davis's book "Mexifornia." His book is dangerous. It exposes the plan to destroy America. If you feel America deserves to be destroyed, don't read that book"
There was no applause. A chilling fear quietly rose like an ominous cloud above every attendee at the conference. Every American in that room knew that everything Lamm enumerated was proceeding methodically, quietly, darkly, yet pervasively across the United States today. Discussion is being suppressed. Over 100 languages are ripping the foundation of our educational system and national cohesiveness. Even barbaric cultures that practice female genital mutilation are growing as we celebrate 'diversity.' American jobs are vanishing into the Third World as corporations create a Third World in America - take note of California and other states - to date, ten million illegal aliens and growing fast. It is reminiscent of George Orwell's book "1984." In that story, three slogans are engraved in the Ministry of Truth building: "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength."
Remember, only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Soldier