The Post-Hypocritical Era

For years Republicans’ most entertaining characteristic has been their hypocrisy.  With a major portion of their ethos depending on public defense of a set of values that people in positions of power are inherently unlikely to maintain, they are doomed to be ousted often as hypocrites.  Democrats, on the other hand, less likely to represent religious that demand public declarations of virtue, are never so ludicrous.  You can call Bill Clinton many things, but he is not a hypocrite because he has never told other people how to behave.  There have been so many too-good-to-true moments among Republicans: preachers blasting homosexuality and then getting nabbed with a male escort; stentorian proclamations of the importance of family values from men engaged in illicit affairs (along with the beautiful example of Sarah Palin nattering about abstinence except for her own daughter); members of congress blithering about the stimulus while receiving funds for their own districts. And then they make the talk-show rounds either to repent or to explain why they were not in fact hypocrites, protracting the fun. 

But it looks as if Republicans have found a way of obviating future charges of hypocrisy: refusing to acknowledge the concept of hypocrisy altogether.  If you don’t recognize anything wrong with saying one thing and doing another you effectively neutralize the accusation. 

The Oklahomans are voting on STATE QUESTION NO. 759 LEGISLATIVE REFERENDUM NO. 359 which seeks to make affirmative action, defined as discrimination (presumably against white guys), illegal - except when to refuse affirmative action would result in the loss of federal funds.  Part 3 of the “State Question:” Affirmative action is allowed when needed to keep or obtain federal funds.” This is the equivalent of Ryan going yes, as a matter of fact it is perfectly true that lobbied for and managed to get stimulus funds for Janesville which resulting in growth for the town and that I am now campaigning against the stimulus.  What’s your point?  Ryan of course contorted himself trying to show that he was not in fact a hypocrite, because the charge of hypocrisy remains embarrassing for him.  But it looks as if this won’t last long. If the Oklahomans are any indication, we are on our way to a post-hypocritical world where we  no longer paper over uncomfortable gaps between our words and our actions: because such gaps will no longer be considered uncomfortable.     

Romney, the Republican Body Politic

“This inartfully stated dirty liberal smear is a truthful expression of Mitt Romney’s political philosophy and it is a winner.” Jon Stewart (in reference to Fox’s reaction to the 47% video)

Odd that the conservatives all hate Romney when he is such a beautifully representative “body politic” of their party, incorporating each of its squabbling factions into his arms, stomach, legs, etc.  Just like the medieval image, his arms are the barons, Ayn Rand’s “makers,” the legs are the small business people, and the stomach represents the tea party nutcakes and religious crackpots along with the “takers” too stupid even to recognize themselves in the characterization.  The different sections all have some hideous platform plank that they need to hide from the educated public while at the same time secretly signaling its presence to their own followers (that they want to put an end to Medicare and Social Security; that they want to cut all funding to the arts; that they promote biological illiteracy).  In other words, the Republican body politic is incarnated in Romney chuckling with his rich friends about the moochers and then getting back in front of the camera to drone on about personal responsibility setting us free.  It would take a skill far beyond what any normal person is likely to have to pull off such duplicity while appearing to be direct and honest.  That’s why kings spent so lavishly on ritualistic entries instead of going out to speak among the masses.

 I don’t understand why Republicans don’t just admit that what they have created together is precisely Mitt Romney and go from there.  Surely this “body politic,” that is, a shell built precariously over a set of incompatible groups all snuffling at the same trough, is better than the McCain version, a still visibly human face extended over those same factions, stretched to cracking and in extreme pain.  It was humiliating watching McCain’s humiliation at serving as the head of that body politic.  At least watching Romney is not humiliating.  The Republican party has found its perfect expression.