Then again, there’s little compassion left in conservatism, at least the kind Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush liked to espouse. To many on the right, there’s one and only one objective these days: to own the libs, to grind them into the dust, even if that means hollowing out your own moral code in the process. That was evidenced in the giddy jig the movement’s current leader performed on Colin Powell’s grave just last week. Former President Trump blasted the war hero as a “RINO,” and sociopathically ended his cruel rant by shrugging, “But anyway, may he rest in peace!”

Earlier this year, when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke of a past sexual assault and hiding during the Capitol insurrection, wondering if she’d live to be a mother one day, right-wing nuts called her a liar, and accused her of needing “coddling.”

Sure, the left has its own cruelty toward Republicans, but not much that approaches quite this level of nastiness, reveling in other people’s pain.

Apparently there are no actual people in politics anymore, just avatars. And unfortunately for Baldwin, he isn’t a victim in this tragedy, but merely an avatar — one that deserves, apparently, to be kicked when he’s down. Why? Because, again, to steal Adam Serwer’s perfect summary of the Trump approach to politics, the cruelty is the point.