The following is presented as part of The Columbian’s Opinion content, which offers a point of view in order to provoke thought and debate of civic issues. Opinions represent the viewpoint of the author. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus opinion of The Columbian’s editorial board, which operates independently of the news department.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace was in Washington, D.C., telling a story about how her “fiance” wanted more action in bed earlier that day.
“And I was like, ‘No baby, we don’t got time for that this morning.’ ” To which she added, “He can wait. I’ll see him later tonight.”
The occasion was a Christian prayer breakfast attended by evangelicals.
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert famously vaped in a theater and grabbed her date’s privates. When called out for her offensive conduct, she blamed a “difficult divorce.”
Meanwhile, self-described “Christian nationalist” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene showers the House floor with profanities.
I honestly don’t care who Nancy Mace shacks up with. But it is fascinating to hear her refer to the guy in her bed as a “fiance” as opposed to some random dude. Makes her adultery sound like almost-marriage.
What are these right-wing vixens up to? For starters, they’re advertising their sexual availability. (Tinder never closes.)
And as members of Congress, their forays into exhibitionism provide visibility and opportunities to raise money.
These ladies evidently think that they can get away with dishing this coarseness in public while posing as defenders of old-school morality. You sometimes wonder whether they are mocking social conservatives.
Some evangelicals are quite unhappy about this. They are joined by others who simply want more dignity in the political culture.
The road to right-wing vulgarity was paved with hypocrisy.
Some of the credit goes to Bill Bennett, who long ago perfected the art of unprincipled rectitude. Former education secretary under Ronald Reagan, Bennett has long peddled a highly elastic moral code — depends on which party benefits — while maintaining a face frozen in pious judgment.
In his 1998 book, “The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals,” Bennett piled moral censure on Clinton over his tryst with a White House intern.
And he went after Democrats for not sharing his indignation.
The first chapter, simply titled “Sex,” pounded the pulpit. “In extramarital affairs,” Bennett wrote, “there are victims. In marriage, one person has been entrusted with the soul of another.” If true, that’s bad news for Melania.
Years later, a Fox News interviewer asked Bennett how a man claiming fixed moral views on adultery could support Donald Trump. As the world knows, the former president cheated on his pregnant wife with a porn star and bragged about grabbing women by their genitals.
“I understand how you feel about some of the things,” Bennett responded, miraculously keeping a straight face. “But it may be better to lower your standards on things the guy says temporarily than to lose your country permanently.”
Ah, so he’s using the “fiance” gambit. Branding Trump’s lewd talk as “temporary” make it an almost-character flaw. As for the “lose your country” part, that sounds a bit dated considering how close Trump got us to losing our democracy.
“Sexual indiscipline can be a threat to the stability of crucial human affairs,” Bennett wrote in reference to Clinton. Would someone kindly translate?
Urging voters to look past Trump’s licentious record, Bennett argued, “Think about the economy.” Years earlier, he rapped the knuckles of Clinton defenders for allegedly contending that “what matters above all is a healthy economy.” Actually, the economy was a lot better under Clinton, and the budget was balanced, too.
Look, Bennett has a First Amendment right to make money off hypocrisy. And let the record show, I too disapprove of adultery. But I also regarded Clinton’s misconduct as a private matter to be worked out between a couple and the third party. And I extend that courtesy to Trump, Melania and Stormy Daniels.
Uncomfortable as it may sometimes be, consistency is a good thing.
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