When winning is the thing... the only thing

There is a tendency for most of the population to adopt a sort of "plague on both their houses" at this point in a political season. After all, our legislative leaders are imperfect (as are we all). Our Supreme Court is overtly political (and that may cheer you or appall you). Our state races are filled with candidates who are actively arguing that all elections are flawed (even as they graciously accept the results when they come out their way). 

Politics is a dirty business, and likely always has been.

But there are some politicians and other leaders who have distinguished themselves through their blatant and often gleeful hypocrisy. I copied four grafs from an Atlantic commentary by Peter Wehner, who was once a stalwart Republican, that highlight two of the more egregious offenders, but that began with a more general commentary on trends among a group of Americans who would eagerly claim the title of "most religious" in the country.

Consider just the case of white evangelical Protestants. In October 2016—not long after the notorious Access Hollywood tape was released—more than seven in 10 said an elected official can behave ethically even if they have committed transgressions in their personal life. Five years earlier, only 30 percent of white evangelical Protestants had said the same. No other group shifted their position more dramatically.

From a writing standpoint, this graf may be challenging to immediately comprehend. It takes some careful reading to discern the main point: white evangelical Protestants have gone from 30 percent saying that elected officials can behave ethically despite their personal transgressions, to 70 percent claiming that.

I get it. Christianity is all about forgiveness. It is certainly possible to imagine flawed politicians overcoming their past choices. Some may actually do so. But it wasn't long ago that those super-religious souls considered a person's entire biography when assessing him or her, and they were quite tough on "sinners." The writer then moves from the general stat to a specific example of how quickly some have changed their views.

That was just one way they shifted their theology to align with Trump. Another example: In 2016, Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote, “If I were to support, much less endorse, Donald Trump for president, I would actually have to go back and apologize to former President Bill Clinton.” (Mohler had declared Clinton morally unfit to serve in office.) In 2020, Mohler stated that he would vote for Trump.

Bill Clinton is still waiting for his apology.

I am a fan of that one-sentence graf that serves as the "punch line" for the anecdote. This tactic can be overused, but it's a good idea to encourage student writers to at least know that this dramatic choice is part of the reporter's toolbox.

Of course, politics and religion don't mix easily, and I would guess most right wing radicals, and many run-of-the-mill angry white people, would nod in agreement with one more paragraph:

The right-wing media personality Dana Loesch, when commenting on the allegations that Walker had paid for his girlfriend’s abortion, expressed the view of many on the right when she said, “Does this change anything? … Not a damn thing. How many times have I said four very important words? These four words: Winning. Is. A. Virtue … I don’t know if he did it or not. I don’t even care.”

Think about that. Loesch's completely transactional approach means that, in theory, we don't need humans in the House or Senate at all. Why don't we just go with an online platform that totals our votes and spits out decisions? Why worry about what sort of person is in charge of our foreign policy, or about our social safety nets, or about the rights of "fill in the blank" oppressed group? 

I'm not sure I can say I am feeling all that different about the quality of the candidates right now myself. My overall goal is for Democrats to build a large enough majority to overrule the Angry White People Party. 

I wish I were without sin... but I am not constantly throwing stones at my neighbors.