Politicians must pay a price

It isn't enough to walk the talk.

To be credible, the walk must be costly.

Nothing is easier that "virtue signaling" when it can be done cheaply. That is why it is meaningless. 

There is a reason for initiation fees for clubs and "hell week" hazing rituals at college fraternities. The intent is to prove commitment. The newcomer is becoming a member, not a customer. 

Sometimes the price of membership is costly, as in the case of Catholic vocations and vows of poverty or celibacy. Catholic vocations aren't a gig. They are all-in commitments. In the Christian story, God proved his commitment to human salvation by having his human incarnation tortured and killed--John 3:16. Sacrifice proves something.

I sometimes give campaign advice to local politicians considering a run for office. They present me with their proposed campaign themes, which typically display high-minded virtues that are intentionally general and inoffensive. It makes sense to them. Their idea is to communicate both their good intentions and desire not to offend. Who could object? I typically tell them their campaign material is worse than worthless. Assertions of being honest, fair, and reasonable simply prove the candidate is capable of politician-talk. No one believes or remembers it.

Liz Cheney staked her ground. She was an eyewitness to an effort to overthrow an election. She had determined that Donald Trump planned and directed it. She says it was dishonest and unconstitutional. Republican leaders condemn her. She was booted from leadership in her party. She just lost an election in her home state. She is now on Americans' mental map with a brand. She paid a price for her beliefs, which makes her credible. Republican critics understand the power of her paying a price, so they are minimizing it to try to undermine her. They are saying she will become a well-paid TV commentator and then will run for president. 

There is insincere virtue signaling, too. On Monday Trump told the Department of Justice 

Whatever we can do to help, because the temperature has to be brought down in the country, If it isn’t, terrible things are going to happen.

We understand the purported virtue ("Whatever we can do to help") to be more likely a thinly-veiled threat ("terrible things") than a genuine offer to lower the temperature. He was bargaining with the government, telling them to go easy, or else. There was no sacrifice. Empty words. We look to actions, not words, to try to determine real intent.

The political rule of thumb is simple, and true for all parties and beliefs. If the purported virtue words benefit the speaker, then they are presumably insincere. If your own team attacks you for it, and you stand by your position and take heat for it, then it is maybe sincere and memorable. Politicians are best defined by the criticism they get from allies. Bill Clinton's "Sister Souljah" moment came when he criticized a Black hip-hop artist. She suggested Black gang members stop killing each other and start killing Whites for a change. Clinton said it sounded like she sounded like a Black version of David Duke, a Ku Klux Klan leader. Some Black critics pounced on him. Clinton got credibility as a centrist, willing to denounce inflammatory racism from his "home team."

I don't suggest that candidates for local office take unpopular positions. I do urge them not to be afraid to take positions that they sincerely believe and which will generate sharp criticism. Locally, Alan DeBoer, a former Republican state senator, took a courageous Sister Souljah-type stand against a position taken by the local Republican Party. It recently made a formal resolution denying the validity of the 2020 presidential election and called Joe Biden illegitimately elected. DeBoer got widespread credit for courage and good sense, but he stood alone among other local GOP leaders. Republican officeholders ducked their heads and let the resolution stand un-refuted. The respect DeBoer gained came with a price of being the GOP outsider. The price he paid validated the respect he got. 

I advise candidates not be afraid of criticism. Be right on the facts and hope that someone is foolish enough to criticize you for your position. Standing up to criticism shows you mean it.

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