I've spent much of the last year warning about the epidemic of political idolatry in our country.
Though this worship of the false god of earthly power is no respecter of parties, there are persistent indications that the progressive left is suffering terribly from its effects.
One of the most visible symptoms of the disease is a flagrant inability to see, perceive, or find fault with anyone that shares your ideology. And even if you subconsciously notice it, your seared conscience prevents you from condemning the conduct lest anyone call you a traitor. Accountability is replaced with justification and whataboutism:
Joe Biden broke the law and abused the powers of his office to financially benefit his family? Who cares! Don't you know Donald Trump paid hush money to a porn star with whom he'd committed adultery?
Kamala Harris boasted about putting young black men in prison for marijuana while laughing about smoking pot herself? Who cares! Mike Pence calls his wife "mother," and won't be alone with another woman if "mother" is not present.
This type of religious tribalism has catastrophic effects on our public character, and it normalizes degeneracy and immorality in the highest positions of the public trust.
Perhaps no other public figure best represents this depressing development in recent years than the troubled First Son, Hunter Biden. A tragic and pitiable character, no doubt crippled from the earliest ages by parental (specifically paternal) negligence, Hunter has chosen to walk a self-destructive path of depravity and criminality.
But rather than face corrective consequence, he has consistently "benefited" from his absent father's rank and position. And when the corruption culminates in a disgraceful, decade-long presidential pardon, fervent progressive religionists expose their complicity by either turning a blind eye, or turning a clever phrase in defense of the indefensible:
Treated worse than an average citizen?
Tell me: how would an average citizen who ran a prostitution ring, persistently refused to pay child support for his illegitimate offspring, seduced his brother‘s widow and turned her into a crack addict, laundered millions of dollars, abused professional escorts, and committed federal gun crimes be treated? Would they receive a presidential pardon? Such a conclusion pours not from the pen of reason and a reasonable observer, but of a religious devotee and cultist.
The inability to call bad people bad, whether for political purposes or not, is the death of any civil society.
Does this ugly trait exist on the political right? Of course. Does it infect even the religious right, who supposedly acknowledge no king but King Jesus? Sadly, yes. But unlike the commentariat's intentional overlooking of the left's worship of political power and the politically powerful, I would argue there's an exaggeration of its existence on the right.
The accusation is well-worn: "Conservative Christians have sold out their Savior to pledge allegiance to a thrice-divorced, adjudicated rapist, and convicted felon." Indeed there may be some who fit that description, but the vast majority of Christian Trump supporters are not those who pretend his extensive moral failings don't exist.
In fact, they have condemned them, sometimes forcefully and with extreme prejudice, while at the same time acknowledging the pragmatic prudence of selecting a cultural ally to fill the country's chief executive seat rather than a devoted enemy. I have questioned that strategy myself, but not because I think those choosing it have somehow grown fond of moral turpitude.
Can the same be said for the progressive left?
The truth is that the character of those appearing on our ballots are a direct reflection of the character of our people. If we want the former to improve, we must all commit to improving the latter.
That begins with a willingness to acknowledge misconduct and guilt, no matter the person, party, or position.
