sell down the river

Just this week, I overheard someone in Los Angeles, the Liberal Elite Capital of the World, use the phrase “sell down the river” with a blitheness that clearly demonstrated they had no idea of the terrible history and impact of the idiom.

He’s quick to champion the Second and 10th amendments but happy to sell down the river other constitutional priorities such as the 14th Amendment - ironically, one of the greatest of all Republican legacies.