When it comes to political discourse, I fear the idea of mature, thoughtful discourse has been replaced with stir-up-the-base statements, regardless of the speaker’s political loyalties. Consider this statement from the acting chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in response to a recent SCOTUS decision that didn’t go their way:
“The Supreme Court ruled in favor of scam artists and dishonest corporations, leaving average Americans to pay for illegal behavior,” acting FTC chairwoman Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said in a statement. “With this ruling, the court has deprived the FTC of the strongest tool we had to help consumers when they need it most.” [WaPo]
A former Chief Counsel to Senator Schumer (D-NY), from the acting chairwoman’s statement you’d think this decision, disastrous for her and those consumers she’s to protect, was the product of a polarized SCOTUS voting along political lines in yet another bitter legal battle, sure to be subjected to biased legal opinions from both ends of the political spectrum.
Ah, no:
The Supreme Court unanimously held Thursday that the Federal Trade Commission overstepped its authority by going to court to force individuals and companies engaged in deceptive business practices to turn over billions of dollars in profits. …
The case is AMG Capital Management v. FTC.
When it’s 9-0 (or possibly 8-0, as I’ve not been able to find an explicit statement that Justice Barrett participated, although I see it was argued on January 13, 2021, which would include Barrett), and the decision is delivered within a couple of months, it seems reasonable to suggest that perhaps this wasn’t a hard decision, which, in turn, implies that the harsh, derogatory language of Slaughter was unjustified.
And that’s known as stirring the pot.
I recognize that Slaughter was appointed to the FTC in 2018, so Biden is not responsible for her position. Still, it seems to me that someone saying she “… builds consensus for a progressive vision …” should pay attention to the President’s stated intention to return civility to the national conversation.
Remarking that SCOTUS is allied with scam artists is neither accurate nor civil. And I think that’s regrettable. Especially for Slaughter.
