A message from Loretta Lynch

Last week Senate Democrats posted an important message from former Attorney General Loretta Lynch (video below). Here is the text:

I know that this is a time of great fear and uncertainty for so many people. I know it’s a time of concern for people who see our rights being assailed, being trampled on, and even being rolled back. I know that this is difficult, but I remind you that this has never been easy. We have always had to work to move this country forward to achieve the great ideals of our Founding Fathers.

It has been people, individuals who have banded together, ordinary people who simply saw what needed to be done and came together and supported those ideals who have made the difference. They’ve marched, they’ve bled and yes, some of them died. This is hard. Every good thing is. We have done this before. We can do this again.

Here is the video.

Lynch’s brief message does not incorporate all seven types of ambiguity to which William Empson famously devoted an entire book, but it is highly ambiguous. Whose rights are being assailed and tramped on and rolled back? Who is assailing and trampling and rolling back? Ah, the uses of the passive voice.

If they and, I guess, we have marched and bled and died before, “we can do this again.” What you mean “we,” kemosabe? Well, I can guess, but what is “this”?

Snopes to the contrary notwithstanding, I’m going to go out on a limb. I’m going to say that Senator Tim Kaine’s son Linwood Kaine got the message.

Via John Sexton/Hot Air.

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