Ousting Mozilla CEO Is the Left's 'McCarthyism'

Andrew Sullivan is often an ally to America's left, but he's definitely not cheering over the ouster of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich over his opposition to gay marriage. "This is McCarthyism applied by civil actors. This is the definition of intolerance," The Dish maestro writes in one of several posts decrying the ouster. "It’s staggering to me that a minority long persecuted for holding unpopular views can now turn around and persecute others for the exact same reason," he writes. These people are trumpeting the "illiberal" view that morality trumps freedom, and dissenters must be ostracized.

But Will Oremus at Slate has a much different take. Yes, he says, your political beliefs shouldn't affect your employment. "But this is different. Opposing gay marriage in America today is not akin to opposing tax hikes," he argues. "It's more akin to opposing interracial marriage." That makes Eich unfit to be CEO in a tech industry competing hard for employees. "If you know your boss rated you undeserving of the same rights as everyone else based solely on your sexual orientation, would you feel good about going to work?" (More Brendan Eich stories.)