The Triumph of Evil

Ever since the South Carolina primary, I have been consumed by anger and dismay. That so many good people could have voted for a politician as scurrilous as New Gingrich strikes me as an auger of very rough times ahead.
I am reminded of an observation generally attributed to Edmund Burke. He is often quoted as saying, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Sadly, in South Carolina good people did more than ignore evil: they enthusiastically endorsed it.
As I have previously acknowledged, I am not a religious man. Nevertheless, I have frequently made common cause with evangelicals because we share so many fundamental values. One of these—I had thought—was a belief in the sanctity of marriage. As it turns out, I may have been mistaken.
Years ago, when feminists dismissed marriage as an oppressive and soon-to-be extinct institution, religious folks leaped to the defense of a tradition that they described as essential for the survival of civilized society. At the time, I admired their steadfast courage in the face of liberal ridicule.
Evidently, attitudes have changed. When Newt Gingrich brazenly dismissed his marital failures as the slips of an imperfect human being, evangelicals agreed that this was no one’s business but his. That the man had voluntarily dived into a pool of slime did not alter their opinion that the media should have kept these matters private.
Gingrich seems to have treated marriage as one might toilet paper; that is, as something to be used and discarded as one desires. Once a partner no longer served his needs, he was eager to move on. Not for him the notion that matrimony entails a pledge to remain faithful.
Yet each time that he slipped, he defended himself by claiming that he had discovered religion. I am reminded, however, of the Bible-thumping televangelists who on Sunday morning loudly proclaim their piety, then in the evening prowl red light districts intent on cavorting with prostitutes.
Does anyone doubt that these hypocritical pastors are more concerned with filling their coffers than with providing a model of moral conduct? By the same token, does anyone doubt that Newt’s religious conversions are anything more than a political ploy?
Let us do a thought experiment. Let’s assume that a person has witnessed a murder, and then walks away without any emotional reaction to what has occurred. He/she does not get angry at the murderer, but takes the whole nasty business in stride.
Does this person genuinely believe that murder is wrong? Even if he/she later declares that it is, is this an honest statement of fact? My conclusion is that it is not! People who are not offended by murder do not really think it is wrong. And the same goes for marital infidelity. Those who behave as if it were no big deal don’t consider it a serious moral violation.
For Newt Gingrich, the Ten Commandments are apparently just the Ten Suggestions. Since he is a politician, I find this understandable; albeit unacceptable. For me, it is evidence that he is a slippery toad who does not deserve to be elected dogcatcher.
But when evangelicals adopt the same attitude, I grow frightened. I wonder if this is evidence of a potentially fatal social decadence. Can people who take pride in their moral commitments be so oblivious to corruption and deceit? If so, who is to defend the gates against hordes of self-serving demagogues?
Many of the South Carolina voters seemingly decided to cast their lot with a man they believed capable of out-arguing Barack Obama. I think they were mistaken, but worse—much worse— they had apparently concluded that what is needed is a debater-in-chief, not a commander-in-chief.
Call me old fashioned, but I believe that a president should be a moral role model. That, of course, is not enough. Yet it an essential starting point. I still remember those grammar school lessons about George Washington’s personal rectitude. Back then, I found his example inspiring—and I still do.
Newt Gingrich, needless to say, is no George Washington.
Melvyn L. Fein. Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University