Decorum and a Consistent Ethic of Liberty: Three Quick Thoughts on the Midterms
hugoschwyzer.substack.com
Far wiser observers of the scene have better election post-mortems, so I’ll restrict myself to three observations about yesterday’s surprising midterms. 1. MAGA turns off more folks than it turns on. For the past six years, Trumpworld has insisted that the vulgarity, swagger, and embarrassing preening of the 45th president was part and parcel of his appeal – and deserving of imitation. The GOP turned viciously on its courtly moderates, declaring that civility and decorum were trademarks of “loserdom.” If you wanted to win, it helped to be a fist-pumping boor with an allergy to compromise. For the most part, the Trumpiest candidates with the most appalling manners either failed in the primary (Eric Greitens in Missouri) or they stumbled into the general election, only to underperform expectations and the polls (Don Bolduc and Blake Masters). The takeaway? Character matters (check out the ticket-splitting in Georgia), but so too does basic decorum.
Brovo ! Huglett