Why Aren’t We Shouting the Battle Cry of Freedom?

Last Thursday, when asked whether the constitutional right of habeas corpus could be suspended for prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the United States Constitution. George Bush and John McCain reacted the same way (as usual). They were appalled.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and other Democrats in Congress (and a few principled Republicans, such as Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Spector) did a pretty good job defending the Court. They focused on preserving habeas corpus, protecting the rule of law, and defending our “core values.” But they missed the opportunity to present the progressive position within the strongest possible message frame—the principle of freedom.

Why freedom? It is, quite simply, the most popular political principle in America. This is not merely an assertion; it is the conclusion of a nationwide poll conducted by Lake Research Associates. Why should we be surprised by that? Freedom is the cornerstone of America’s value system. It is the most sacred word in our civic religion. It’s the battle cry that best sums up the reason for our nation’s founding.

But it is also a major stumbling block for progressives, because this word is barely on the fringe of our vocabulary. That is our biggest message framing problem because, as Celinda Lake says, “If we want to compete on values, we have to find a way to use freedom.”

After years of warrantless wiretapping, illegal imprisonments, and torture, we should all be saying the F-word with regularity. No, no, I mean freedom. Why do progressives seem allergic to this word? Why aren’t we shouting the battle cry of freedom?

Maybe we’re afraid. In a democracy, the causes for which freedom is most necessary are almost by definition unpopular. It certainly seems unpopular to defend the rights of criminals, or even suspects. Maybe we look askance at the word because we feel it’s been co-opted by the right wing—like wearing little American flag pins.

But really, we need not be afraid or uncomfortable. Consider the experience of Jon Tester, now a Democratic Senator from Montana. In the middle of his 2006 campaign against 18-year incumbent Conrad Burns, Tester was attacked in a televised debate for criticizing the USA Patriot Act. Here is his reply:

Let me be clear, I don’t want to weaken the Patriot Act, I want to repeal it. . . . What it does is it takes away your freedoms. This country was based on freedom. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have fought and died for our freedoms. Take away our freedoms and the terrorists will have won.

Jon Tester’s defense of the progressive position with the mainstream American value of freedom was both truthful and popular. Let’s follow his example.

Let us make it clear to all Americans that we progressives consider it a solemn responsibility to fiercely guard our constitutional and human rights to freedom. Let’s use freedom as our bully pulpit when arguing that government is out of control. Let’s point out that freedom is one of our most cherished values. Let’s remind Americans that Clarence Darrow was right when he said, “You can protect your liberties in this world only by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can be free only if I am free.”

(For more about freedom, see the author’s recent book Framing the Future. [1])