Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Sam Rocha

Home
Catholic
The New Moral Minority (And Why SCOTUS Arguments Are Nonsense)

The New Moral Minority (And Why SCOTUS Arguments Are Nonsense)

Last updated on: October 11, 2016 at 2:30 pm by Sam Rocha

The New Moral Minority (And Why SCOTUS Arguments Are Nonsense) 2016-10-11T14:30:47-05:00 Sam Rocha

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Jeremy Bentham, father of utilitarianism and the patron of present politics. (Image by Matt Brown, obtained at Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonmatt/3968759766)

I came into political consciousness during the 90s. Rush Limbaugh’s moral testimony against the character of Bill Clinton made an enormous impression on me. In July I wrote a lengthy account of the development of my political conscience where this is detailed in full. This formation led me to consider myself part of the “moral majority,” an idealism that led me to reject George W. Bush in favor of writing in Alan Keyes in my first ballot.

While many think my politics have changed drastically since, especially in my rejection of the narrative of Limbaugh, Keyes, and the 90s moral majority, I find it mostly intact at a more fundamental level. Accidents have changed, sure, but the substance remains. Since the leaked Trump Tapes, I feel anew a great deal of the sentiments of the 90s, feelings which inoculated me, and continue to preserve my opposition, against Hillary’s candidacy.

The moral majority is long gone if it ever was real to begin with. In many respects it only thrived in opposition to Clinton, despite his economic bona fides. For me, the moral majority lost the moral high ground when Bush became its alternative.

As I write, I am listening to Fr. Pavone’s perverse and scandalous defend and double-down of his endorsement of Donald Trump, comparing Trump to Paul and Augustine. He literally says “I am not voting if someone passes a moral test.” This is a damning example that can be multiplied a thousand times over at this point to prove that there is no moral majority anymore. These sad culture warriors are the new utilitarians, repeating the same corrupt arguments used by those who defended Bill Clinton in the 90s.

In their hatred of the Clintons they have become Clintonians.

There is a new group emerging in this political season, in the crater formed by the total loss of the moral majority. The new moral minority is a mixed group ideologically speaking. It is a small group of voters who refuse to vote for Trump or Clinton on principled grounds.

···

The new moral minority is largest and most notable on the right. There are many lifelong Republicans and proud conservatives who know exactly what lies in store for them in a Clinton presidency. They have no illusions about anything good coming out of a Clinton presidency for themselves; they understand that the third party option is dead on arrival. Yet, still, these principled conservatives cannot be bought by fear of a Clinton election. The are not afraid of Trump; that would give him too much respect. They are willing to accept the consequences of dying on their feet rather than voting on their knees. They are committed against Trump knowing that this opposition will possibly destroy the entire political apparatus they have invested and believed in.

Whatever one thinks of their specific platform of principles, no one can deny that these are real and serious principles. These conservatives have nothing to gain and everything to lose but are willing to make the sacrifice to preserve their dignity, leaving that testament to future generations.

There is something heroic about this particular side of the new moral minority yet they mostly suffer in silence and contempt from their former political allies and friends who lack their courage. May we never forget them. May people like Robert George, George Weigel, Anna Navarro, David and Nancy French, and so many more be looked upon with a well-earned respect by all people of goodwill.

Those who lump them with Trumplicans, saying that Trump is their fault, should be ashamed. No one risks more than they do now. All they will preserve is the dignity of their righteous conscience.

···

There is also a sizeable new moral minority on the left, although I am not sure how new it is. I would consider myself a part of this group, in part because I cannot share in the honor and tragic glory of the ones named above. This group would not agree in the details with the group named above, but, like that group, these ones cannot support Clinton, even facing the nuclear threat of Trump. Some of these were Bernie supporters who, unlike their candidate, cannot be reduced to consequentialism and souless pragmatism. Others opposed Bernie as well.

Unlike their rightist counterparts, these folks are to be found working in small coalitions of tiny political parties. On the mostly Christian Left you can find them in the Solidarity Party and on the mostly Secular Left you can find them in the Socialist Party. Anarchists can be found roaming around here as well. I count many of these people as friends. People like Derek Ford, Chase Padusniak, and many others.

These types are on a fools errand, and are sometimes unable to realize it. Real politik is not our strength. But the idealism of their politics prevents them from casting a fear-laden ballot against Trump. They will not be scared into suffrage. They are not able to abandon their principles for preventative reasons. I would distinguish between the first group and this one, but surely they are a part of what I am calling The New Moral Minority.

···

There could be more late arrivals to the new moral minority. A few are holding out, in both directions, because of the Supreme Court Justice nomination. Allow me to dispel that rationale here in closing, in three points.

First, the moment when you enter into a trolley car situation and are prepared to pull the switch, you are going to lose a principled moral argument in the future. In other words, if you are willing to make an exchange of any kind, even a good bargain that you think you’ll win, you’re losing moral traction and credibility, which is hard to regain. Stick with Trump and gone is every moral argument in politics for a generation.

Second, this is terrible bet to make. Why is it so terrible? Well, there is no historical precedent for the party nominating a justice getting what they want from that justice or of the justices being the one’s the party said they would be during the campaign. On the right, it was a Republican-appointed majority that made Roe v. Wade the law of the land in a 7-2 vote and Republican darling Ronald Reagan wrote this about his nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor:

Writing on the day he nominated Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court, Reagan said: “Already the flack is starting & from my own supporters. Rite to Life people say she’s pro-abortion. She declares abortion is personally repugnant to her. I think she’ll make a good Justice.”

If conservatives think that Trump is somehow more reliable than Reagan, then I have some land to sell them. If leftists think Clinton will do something to slow down neoliberalism from the bench, I have land to sell them too.

Thirdly, Supreme Court appointments are not unilateral. Sure, a lot rests on the president, but the basic rule of democracy applies here as well: no one gets what they want. So this is a calculus made on variables that are not accounted for.

Join the movement! Become a part of The New Moral Minority!

Political Theology

Previous Post

September 27, 2016

3 New Things Trump Told Us in the First Debate

Next Post

October 25, 2016 Raymond Arroyo and EWTN Reject Solidarity Party and Interview Trump

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category aesthetics audio class notes conversation Education En Español Interviews jazz jazzhop link Liturgy Music Nonsense pastoral philosophy phenomenology Philosophy philosophy of education photo Poetry Political Theology quote Race regular Schooling Uncategorized video Weekly Apocalypse

Select a Month June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city is known as the Holy City, sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Athens Cairo Rome Jerusalem