When I watch many right-wing conservative Republicans in action, I can't help but think of my old Sunday-school lessons. Remember the Pharisees, the self-proclaimed pious ones of biblical times who were famous for opposing the love-and-peace ministry of Jesus Christ?
Pharisees have raised their ugly heads in this country many times—remember the witchhunting Puritans? Former Sen. Joseph McCarthy? If you pay attention to history, you do, because fortunately, in our society, these people ultimately are exposed. But in case we have forgotten, let's recall the misdeeds of a few who became so devoted to very limited parts of the law—God's and man's—that they violated the very moral code they used to condemn others: the adulterous and larcenous Rev. Jim Bakker; the weeping, prostitute-ogling Rev. Jimmy Swaggert, who once gave a sermon about killing gay men; the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who talks of love while verbally bashing gays, Jews and Muslims; the Rev. and arbiter of God's vengeance Pat Robertson. There are many, many more.
So we need not look too far to see the hypocrisy of these modern-day Pharisees. Neither do we need to confine ourselves to looking at persons of the cloth.
- George W Bush, our morally superior president, was arrested for drunk driving.
- The red states have a much higher divorce rate than the blue states. Moreover, Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in the country.
- Bill Bennett, the self-proclaimed conservative watchdog of everyone else's morality, was exposed in 2003 as being a high-rolling gambler.
- Dr. Laura Schlessinger, talk radio's moral crusader, posed for porn-style pictures.
- Rush Limbaugh, the ultra-conservative radio talk jockey who called for all drug addicts to be locked up with the keys thrown away, is himself a recovering druggy.
- Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) persecuted Bill Clinton for his infidelities without divulging his more serious transgression, an illegitimate child he did not claim publicly.
- Rep. Helen Chenoweth (R-ID) persecuted Bill Clinton for his infidelities without divulging her own extramarital affairs.
- Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was ruthless in bringing down many of his political foes. Meanwhile, he spent his off-hours having extramarital affairs, divorcing his first of three wives when she contracted cancer, and being reprimanded by the House for campaign-finance violations.
Many more prominent conservatives could be named, but the point is made. While it would be just as easy to compile a list of progressives with feet of clay, the fact is that on the whole, liberals don't push legislating "thou shalt"s beyond extendeing tolerance to all and helping out the less fortunate among us. And progressive leaders, be they Democrat, Green, Socialist or Independent, don't work to take rights away from people.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Nancy
Good article & right on target.
2 - RedTard
The one way to ensure your not viewed as a hypocrite is to not take a stand on anything. I would agree that Democrats do a great job of that.
3 - alienboy
You know, Redtard, there's really no better way to undermine your position than by making hysterical over-statements like here in #2.
You could at least follow the example of some of commenters on these pages, you know, the ones that engage with the issues rather than mere unhelpful name calling...
4 - Dave Nalle
Well, two of the 'right wing conservative republicans' you mention are actually 'moderate somewhat liberal republicans' - Bush and Gingrich - so that whole idea is a bit off.
As for exposing the hypocrisy of the right, the representatives of the left who are in positions of power might have a hard time doing that as much of it is the same hypocrisy they share.
Dave
5 - Maurice
Good article and well presented. I do have to disagree with the following:
"Progressive liberals have been very weak in exposing the hypocrisy of the right".
The examples you presented have been discussed many times and I would argue are common knowledge.
One last thought. I think it is a good thing to try to be moral and to try to set high standards. It is also a good thing to forgive people that fail to reach their own goals.
6 - Dave Nalle
Oh yeah, I forgot to dispute all of your specific charges against individual conservatives. They're mostly wrong or at least poorly thought out.
Do we hold past alcoholism against someone if they've reformed?
Do we judge people for what they do while young and naive and in college?
Rush Limbaugh has never been outspoken in support of the drug war, in fact he's only been known to have mentioned it once on his show.
Bennett's enormously rich and can afford to lose some money gambling - he's not an addict and it's not a crime.
The point you miss in your zeal is that these people are human and have failings, just like everyone else. It doesn't invalidate their opinions, the work that they do or their existence as human beings.
If we can take Teddy Kennedy seriously after drunkenly dropping trow in the living room and drowning a woman then I imagine we can give conservatives a mulligan or two too.
What we need to look out for are repeated patterns of corruption and abuse of power.
Dave
7 - Nancy
Dave, some of us have NOT 'forgiven' Kennedy or forgotten; cowardice or irresponsibility that causes the death of others is not in the same league as errors we all incur as the unhappy result of being "human". Ditto those who have evaded service themselves, yet have the moral zero to send others to death in war, and a war for profit & ego at that.
The point of this whole exercise was & is, that what is unforgivable is that each one of these hypocrites has secretly wallowed in exactly those vices & situations they have publicly postured against (with the exception of Bennett, who I've never heard inveigh against gambling). To do it is bad enough; to do it while ranting against others doing it is the crime, so to speak.
8 - Sean
Will there be a similar article showcasing various liberals howling about the rich not paying their fair share and then highlighting their massive wealth and tax reduction schemes?
Just asking.
9 - Matthew T. Sussman
Author: way to criticize the messengers and not the message.
If you think this was a good article, then you're a liberal.
If you think this was a bad article, then you're a conservative.
Polarize away.
10 - Dave Nalle
Nancy, what makes them better qualified to criticize those vices than personal familiarity with them? And as I said before, Limbaugh has never been outspoken against drugs, and Bush has never been outspoken against drinking in general. Dr. Laura is a hypocrite of massive proportions, though.
Sean, you're dreaming, right?
DAve
11 - alienboy
This hypocrisy is because the whole moral probity is being seriously overdone, whether it be on the right or left.
"George W Bush, our morally superior president, was arrested for drunk driving." DEFINITELY BAD, as it is both extremely dangerous to everyone in the driver's rolling vicinity and a bad example.
"Divorce" = irrelevant.
"Bill Bennett, the self-proclaimed conservative watchdog of everyone else's morality, was exposed in 2003 as being a high-rolling gambler." IT'S OKAY to gamble, it's NOT OK to busybody yourself into other people's lives.
"Dr. Laura Schlessinger, talk radio's moral crusader, posed for porn-style pictures." CONSENSUAL PORN is not a crime for adults but interfering in other people's lives is.
"Rush Limbaugh, the ultra-conservative radio talk jockey who called for all drug addicts to be locked up with the keys thrown away, is himself a recovering druggy." TAKING DRUGS outside of their customary medical usage is not always wrong but telling other people how to live is.
"Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) persecuted Bill Clinton for his infidelities without divulging his more serious transgression, an illegitimate child he did not claim publicly." WITCH HUNTING CLINTON was wrong. what happened in his personal life was between Hilary Clinton and him only.
Rep. Helen Chenoweth (R-ID) persecuted Bill Clinton for his infidelities without divulging her own extramarital affairs. DOUBLE NON-ISSUE
"Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was ruthless in bringing down many of his political foes. Meanwhile, he spent his off-hours having extramarital affairs, divorcing his first of three wives when she contracted cancer, and being reprimanded by the House for campaign-finance violations." You can deduce the appropriate response YOURSELVES.
12 - Scott
"'moderate somewhat liberal republicans' - Bush and Gingrich"
Dave? What? I call bullshit right there.
13 - Dave Nalle
Scott, it's just a fact. You can call it whatever you want, but it doesn't alter reality. Look at their records.
Dave
14 - Scott
Well, to be fair, it's not a "fact." It's your opinion. It's wrong, but that's ok. You'll learn.
15 - Nancy
If you denounce it because you've been there - and have stopped or are fighting it - that's one thing; if you denounce others all the while you're enjoying exactly the same vice, and meanwhile pretending you're not, that's hypocrisy.
And actually, I'd like to see an article that does profile all those ultra-rich (both sides) who pretend to be on the side of the working class & the poor, while in no possible danger of ever knowing what it's like, but is this blogsite large enough to hold them all? Bush, Cheney, Clinton, DeLay, Frist, Kennedy, Kerry ... and the list goes on ....
16 - Nancy
On second thought, it might be better to list those in congress or the WH etc. who AREN'T overprivileged, rich pigs. It would certainly be shorter.
17 - Brian
Dave, I have read many of your posts and you deserve a round of applause. Your comments are sensible and well thought out. Kudos Dave!!!!
P.S. Many politicians, especially on a national level, are disected to a point where their actions fall into personal perspective. Hypocracy exists on both sides of the aisle, and deep down I'm sure liberals must know that.
18 - Dr. Kurt
The comments about Rush Limbaugh may be correct; I'd have to read some transcripts. I do know that he has been 100% guilty of hypocricy on a related issue: he has repeatedly attacked the concept of a Right to Privacy, yet filed suit to keep his medical records (about his addiction troubles) closed based on his Right to Privacy. That is hypocricy, indeed - "I'm against it for you, but for it when it could benefit me." It is also human nature, if indeed such a thing exists.
As a recovering goof-up who helps other goof-ups who want to become decent humans, I can't slag anyone off for making human mistakes. However, power and hubris make for eternal humor, don't they?
"We cannot become old and wise without first being young and foolish."
19 - Eric Olsen
excellent point Dr. Kurt, and I do agree Limbaugh is wildly hypocritical - among he very fe wtimes I have listened to him over the last 10 years, I heard him rail against drug users as law breakers who have no self-control. In light of his oxy issues, that was some serious hypocrisy.
PT, you do a good job of laying out right-leaning hypocrisy, and there is no question a lot of these people tend toward the self-righteous, but surely you are aware that much of the left, especially the hard left, absolutely want to tell people what to do and how to live their lives. What has come to be called "political correctness" has noble origins and goals of social equality and lubrication, but anything other than voluntary enforcement of those strictures is authoritarian censorship.
20 - PoliticalTruths
I agree that some on the left can share the same disease as some on the right with regards to dominating one's life. I am completely against political correctness as I think it is rather hypocritical and actually makes for a weak populace that cannot freely engage. One must be able to freely express themselves and not fear that a few thoughts are made to define the person as a whole. We are much more nuanced as people.
That said, it is the right that shows a complete disregard for all nuances and as such I believe in a lot of ways indirectly responsible for political correctness. I wrote a short article on the issue of what I believe to to be a difference at politicaltruths.info that I believe one must agree with.
21 - Dave Nalle
The left pioneered this idea of dictating how people live, and then some people from that background migrated into the GOP and contaminated it as well.
Perhaps you should post that article you referenced to BC. There are some fallacies in it I'd love to take apart with a larger audience - particularly the fact that you believe all of Bush's patently false religiosity.
Dave
22 - Phillip Winn
Adding a "Liberals are bad" article to balance out this "Conversatives are bad" would just double the inanity.
I am constantly amazed at how normally intelligent people can be so blind to the problems of their own party, while seeing the other party as the epitome of evil. In this case, it's a leftist lashing out at Republicans. On another site I was reading yesterday, it was the opposite.
Amazing.
23 - Dave Nalle
Perhaps we just need an article on the general 'lashing out' phenomenon.
Dave
24 - Mark Saleski
not amazing at all phillip, it's called "american".
25 - Matthew T. Sussman
Or maybe we all want people to live good lives, some more than others, while we are all fallible.
Perhaps hypocrisy isn't such a bad thing after all.