Moral Leadership

Despite some suggestions to the contrary, there are many full-throated condemnations of today’s act of terrorism and its white supremacist origins in Charlottesville coming from leaders on the right. From Senators McCain, Gardner (who said “The hate being spewed in Virginia has no place in this country. It’s deeply disturbing and un-American”), Rubio, and Sasse (who said “These people are utterly revolting — and have no understanding of America”) to former Governor Huckabee to Steve Schmidt to Erick Erickson to Evan McMullin (who said “The President’s ambiguity in this moment serves one purpose: to signal positively to the white supremacists whose support he enjoys”) and many, many others, people across the conservative spectrum rejecting the alt-right and any sense that it or its ideology is a valid part of American political discourse. But they shouldn’t be applauded for it.

It is easy to be against white supremacists who attack our fellow Americans.

What is exceptional is that our President equivocated and failed this very simple test of moral leadership. What really matters from these leaders on is what they do tomorrow. Do they continue to renounce the support even tacit and unrequested that the GOP enjoys from this kind of hatred? Do they openly and actively distance themselves from people who might be their voters? Do they set to the work of deradicalization we desperately need? Or do they return to the political calculation maintaining their positions and power and its accompanying silence? These leaders are the answer to rooting this evil out of our society and driving it from our politics, but only if their moral leadership tomorrow is as loud as today’s — and drives their priorities and not just their reactions.