The "Articles of Note" entries are intended to point readers to some insightful pieces of writing that may get lost in the wash of louder, immediate news. My "Deep Thoughts" comments are, as usual, obvious observations regarding the articles. The "Deep Thoughts" moniker is an homage to the SNL skits of the same name.
One remarkably illuminating piece was by Katherine Stewart, "The Roots of Josh Hawley's Rage." It appeared January 11 in The New York Times." Because of the blooming, buzzing confusion of the January 6 riot, Stewart's article may not have gotten the attention it deserved.
I'll quote a couple of excerpts before offering my deep thoughts. Pelagius (A.D. 354-418) was a British monk. Hawley was giving a commencement address in 2019:
"Mr. Hawley denounced Pelagius for teaching that human beings have the freedom to choose how they live their lives and that grace comes to those who do good things, as opposed to those who believe the right doctrines."
Later in the piece, Stewart quotes from a 2017 Hawley speech,
"That is our charge. To take the lordship of Christ, that message, into the public realm, and to seek the obedience of the nations. Of our nation!"
Stewart was able to connect the Hawley dots for me in a concise and compelling way. Hawley is just another authoritarian psycho in religious clothing. His response to the irresistible U.S. demographic shift is to impose minority (in this case, white evangelical) views on the U.S. population via sanctioned authoritarianism. As such, Hawley is just a thread (albeit a neon one) in the overarching dynamics of a minority trying to impose behaviors on a majority of Americans.
The philosophical "Deep Thoughts" of Hawley and his compatriots are crudely obvious rationales for excusing their attempts to seek raw power over those of not-like mind. And of course, in their philosophical musings, the people who don't do good things aren't required to share the wealth because they believe the right doctrines.
I think, as we try to understand the GOP and white nationalism going forward, it will be useful to start from the default position that most actions are simply blatant power grabs for a minority group, namely white evangelicals. That perspective clears away many of the rhetorical weeds jamming our analytical mowers.
Bob Dietz
February 23, 2021
