The fact that the media’s designated anti-Trump turned out to have a lot of the same profound character flaws as Trump is instructive. Some years ago, there was a lot of concern about “normalizing” Donald Trump. But at the time, what worried me was the even more terrifying possibility that Donald Trump is normal. Andrew Cuomo is a dispiriting example.
Not every politician is as despicable as Trump or Cuomo, but politics attracts bad people. It rewards those who have the ability to lie shamelessly and manipulate the emotions of people around them, to be endlessly flexible about their principles and utterly ruthless in pursuing their ambitions.
The opposition to Trumpism should not be channeled toward the search for a benevolent leader who will make government work with perfect effectiveness and beneficence. That quest is doomed to failure.
Instead of investing energy in projecting our hopes and dreams onto public officials, we should be looking to check their power and instead build up the strength of our culture and civil society.
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