The Bar Is Now: Just Be Morally Sane
The speaker reflects on how their political standards have shifted dramatically, expressing willingness to now support figures like Mitt Romney whom they previously criticized. They argue that basic moral sanity and competence, once considered normal Republican qualities, have become rare and almost heroic in the current political climate.
Summary
In this brief clip, the speaker discusses a significant shift in their political perspective regarding the Republican Party. They acknowledge that they previously disparaged Mitt Romney as a 'religious maniac,' but now express regret over that characterization. The speaker says they would actively campaign for Romney today, reflecting on how much their standards have changed.
The core of their argument is that what used to be baseline expectations for political candidates — basic moral sanity, a desire to be informed, competence, and ethical decency — have become extraordinarily rare qualities. The speaker laments that these traits, which were once considered normal and unremarkable for Republican politicians, now feel almost superheroic in the current political environment. The overall tone suggests deep disillusionment with the direction of the GOP and a sense that the cultural and political landscape has deteriorated far more than they had anticipated.
Key Insights
- The speaker admits they previously called Mitt Romney a 'religious maniac' but now regrets that criticism, suggesting their earlier standards were too ideologically rigid.
- The speaker claims they would actively campaign for Mitt Romney today, a striking reversal that illustrates how dramatically their political calculus has shifted.
- The speaker argues that they did not fully anticipate how severely the culture could unravel, implying their past political judgments were made without appreciation of how bad things could get.
- The speaker contends that basic competence and ethical decency used to be normal expectations for politicians but have now become vanishingly rare qualities.
- The speaker frames a candidate with basic moral sanity and a desire to be informed about the world as something akin to a superhero coming to the rescue, underscoring how low the bar has fallen.
Topics
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