For the rigid, tenets, or principles, do not only come first, but that’s all there is: the collection of principles may accumulate, but they, as a group, hardly ever decrease.
For the flexible, a principle is always up for evaluation, results traceable to it, as well as relevant context, decreeing its fate: Always, sometimes, never again a principle.
So when I read this Steve Benen summary of the future of certain current Republican governors, the above is what eventually came to mind:
About a year ago at this time, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) was among the nation’s most popular governors, having been credited with a response pandemic response, and it seemed likely that the Republican governor was on track for a relatively easy re-election campaign in 2022 in his increasingly “red” state.
But as it turns out, DeWine, an old-guard conservative and longtime fixture of Ohio politics, will have to overcome a high-profile rival — from his own party. …
Texas: Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is facing at least one primary challenger, with former state Sen. Don Huffines, a wealthy businessman, launching his gubernatorial campaign last month. Huffines’ principal complaint against Abbott is that the incumbent took the coronavirus crisis too seriously. The state’s primary field may yet grow.
Idaho: Incumbent Gov. Brad Little (R) is facing an intra-party challenge from incumbent Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R), who also kicked off her candidacy last month. As a local report recently explained, “McGeachin garnered national attention last fall over a gun-toting, Bible-holding appearance on an Idaho Freedom Foundation video, in which elected officials criticized Little for emergency health orders over the coronavirus and questioned whether the pandemic exists.”
Georgia: Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has already drawn at least one primary rival, with former state Rep. Vernon Jones launching a statewide bid in April. As a local report noted at the time, Jones “aims to tap into GOP anger at Kemp for resisting Trump’s demands to overturn Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia in November.”
Massachusetts: Incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker (R) hasn’t yet said whether he’ll seek a third term, but if he does, the governor’s popularity may not shield him from a GOP rival. Not only has the state party taken steps to weaken his partisan power, but former state Rep. Geoff Diehl appears to be gearing up for a possible gubernatorial primary. Diehl has complained, among other things, about Baker endorsing Trump’s impeachment in January.
At first, all I could think was that the governors in question had simply not exhibited enough callous incompetence, whether it be in response to the Covid-19 pandemic or the Presidential election. They had to be replaced by far more incompetent, power-hungry amateurs who were better at the anti-abortion jig and the pro-guns polka than the incumbents, who had been ruined by responsibility.
But eventually it occurred to me that, quite seriously, they had not been unquestioningly loyal enough to the first principles of the GOP: Rights before responsibilities, the free market trumps everything, religious institutions don’t have to follow the rules, and never trust experts.
That inability to evaluate principles, to suspend them when they work against the best interests of society in special circumstances, isn’t the mark of the morally flexible, but of the morally responsible. By clinging to their questionable principles, the challengers hope to mark the incumbents as morally suspect, even as they save the lives of the citizens in their care.
It’s the mark of scoundrels and cads, quite frankly, even when they’re trying to torpedo a scoundrel like Abbot.
