The Right Wing and Values

Well, I'm linking to Steve Gilliard (who links to Kos, the original source) on this because that's where I posted a comment.

The posts are all on the Clooney-O'Reilly feud which is going on these days and then on the character of the two men. Steve and his cementers present a number of stories showing that Clooney is a real stand-up guy and a great person. It points up to me a conclusion that I've been coming to for a while now. The right wing talks a lot about values and honor and character as being important, but to a lot of us it has seemed to be pretty superficial concern. As if they don't really care about character, just to talk about it, as if that were sufficient (think Bill Bennett and gambling, or Tom Delay and ... anything).

But the Clooney-O'Reilly spat, along with many other stories over the past several years, are leading me to conclude that the right wing isn't just superficial when it comes to character issues. It's not just that they talk about it as important and then are indifferent to whether character is actually displayed. I think that the leading voices of the right talk about it as important, but then despise anyone who actually displays any of the characteristics of virtue (honor, integrity, honesty, fairness, etc.). To actually have these characteristics is seen as weak and/or stupid.

This is how you get someone like O'Reilly (who sees his staff as sex toys) trying to imply impropriety on the part of Clooney, a man on whom no word of wrong doing has ever be placed. Clooney is an honest man and O'Reilly despises that.