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Richard Epstein discusses the rise and fall of the ACLU, including its heroic efforts during desegregation and the Civil Rights movement, and its less than heroic metamorphosis into a partisan organization overrun by identity politics.
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I don’t know that I appreciated the ACLU’s rigorous stand for the first amendment, etc , earlier in their history. One could say that at least they were consistent. Now, of course, one can see that the seed of their present hypocrisy. It was doable to support Nazi free speech when they thought that their were so few. It was positive to stand up for Communists because they were on the ‘correct’ side of history even if they didn’t agree with communism per se. When it really becomes difficult to stand up for rights, that’s when they are not to be found. Sad (as someone tweeted).
My impression is, the ACLU liked supporting Nazis so that they could present them as the true face of American conservatism. Real conservatives they tried to avoid helping.