The last time people spoke so openly against American foundational principles, they seceded from the Union.
In a remarkable clip posted Wednesday to the social media platform X, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia — or perhaps the demon that has taken up residence in Kaine’s soul — described the Declaration of Independence’s core principle of natural rights as “extremely troubling.”
Replies from X users, including Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, should compel Kaine to apologize for his pro-slavery statement. But we probably should not hold our collective breath.
The Declaration of Independence’s second sentence reads as follows:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
That statement defines what it means to be an American. Emigrate to the United States (legally), accept that creed, and you may join the American political community. Nothing — not ethnicity, not skin color, not any other aspect of your identity — defines you as an outsider. If you accept that our rights come from God, and that from these natural rights we deduce natural equality, then you belong.
Incredibly, a sitting U.S. Senator openly rejected that creed.
“The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator — that’s what the Iranian government believes. It’s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Bahá’ís, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities. And they do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their Creator. So the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling,” Kaine said.