This Is Politics, Not Miss America

It’s important to be engaging and friendly; that’s how people latch on to a campaign, and—perhaps foolishly—invest it with their hopes and dreams. For better and worse, we’ve always had a romance about our politics. But I don’t give a tinker’s darn that so-and-so is “energetic” and “nice” and “thoughtful.”

It’s probably because the United States was invested with a relentless optimism as a land of fresh starts from the beginning. We leave behind the rigidities of class and station, the hallmarks of the Old World. But all the veneer doesn’t plaster over bad policies. These Democrats think it’s perfectly acceptable to kill babies in the womb. They think it’s more important that some “sexual minority” hears the “proper” terms and nothing of criticism from those Christian meanie-heads.

It’s not altogether fair, but when I think of a particular sort of left-evangelical white woman, I think of Mildred from Fahrenheit 451. Remember how superficial she was? How she was going to vote for a guy because he was young, and she liked the way he smiled?

I’m not MAGA; you won, and for the moment, I am content to let it occur. But let’s be perfectly clear: you fund the public schools and keep the corporations from destroying the environment and otherwise shut up. I don’t like you, and I never will. Because I know you hate me.

At least incoming Texas Gov. Hinojosa explicitly rejected the label “progressive” because it is one of “culture war.” Admittedly, when I heard that, I started paying attention. The journalist interviewing her was the perfect embodiment of everything I dislike about progressives: the absurd wealth, the language policing, being insulated from almost everyone in “flyover country” and the way we live.

I actually believe in the separation of church and state, so the disagreement isn’t there. Catholics invented it. I’ll wait, while you look it up. Talarico doesn’t. On the other hand, his “church” doesn’t oppose anything that a standard progressive believes in. So he believes in a “faith” that doesn’t do much of anything to change the world or people for the better at all.

We knew the fears about “Christian Nationalism” were mostly political posturing. (There are weirdos and extremists, as there always are. But people should just say they are trying to win an election, or that their faith in humanity or “God” depends on winning an election.) Isn’t that sort of pathetic? I can’t name 10 people I know who have lost faith since last Tuesday. I can easily find the opposite.

I don’t really know if “economic populism” will work. It seems like we’ve had enough populism for two lifetimes. On the other hand, here’s hoping that the Democrats have come up with a non-ridiculous economic message.

By the way, institutionalized abortion, homosexuality, gender ideology and whatever else are still against the moral law, no matter who won. The word “institutionalized” is intentionally chosen to indicate the politics of those things.

Maybe someone can start by asking Hinojosa what she plans to do about the death penalty.

Jason Kettinger is Associate Editor of Open for Business. He writes on politics, sports, faith and more.