Political discourse leaves no room for casual reactions to leaders. For example: President Joe Biden is nothing like former President Donald Trump. This fact alone elicits a positive or deeply negative response, depending on one’s worldview.
That so much emotion is connected to how politicians are viewed isn’t automatically a bad thing. But far too often, it clouds a larger truth.
We’re seeing this play out right now as our culture responds to the armed, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Watching as Ukrainians risk it all and lose their lives to protect their homeland is, among other things, a piercing reminder of our own liberties. In the midst of a waning pandemic and culture wars, the abundant blessings of freedom and security seem to have been manually diminished. To be sure, America has its share of problems, both small and large. But there is no comparison to be found between murderous tyrants, such as Vladimir Putin, and Biden, which is exactly what some have tried to suggest.
Unfortunately, there no longer seem to be any semantic boundaries in political dialogue. Now, everything must be extreme. Political opponents are no longer Americans who just happen to think differently. Instead, they are threats. And these threats aren’t just superficial and for a season; they are long-lasting and culture-bending. This is why, according to some, the Biden administration and its supporters represent more of a danger than Putin’s thirst for physical destruction of peaceful neighbors.
Needless to say, Biden is not even comparable to Putin for the same reason that former President Donald Trump is not the next Hitler. These delusions are moored in partisan bickering, but never reality. And it’s time they end.
With that said, a few things are true: Biden is a weak, ineffectual leader. But he represents the choice of millions who desperately wanted someone other than Trump. This was never a ringing endorsement. As has been obvious since Biden took office little more than a year ago, not being Trump doesn’t make one a good president. There are numerous complaints that can and should be launched at the current administration and its policies.
But declaring Biden and the Democrats worse than Putin cheapens so much. At the very worst, it reduces the evil Putin has wrought into nothing more than a tool just to spite political adversaries who live next door. “Owning” those across the political aisle should never matter more than honesty. It is entirely possible to disagree with others while uniting against a common foe, especially one bent on a destruction that reverberates.
Attempts to divert attention from the greater evil that is Putin reek of privilege. There is room for sober review of both domestic and international turmoil. That Ukrainians are engaged in quite literally a fight to the death doesn’t mean American problems cease. We can care about Ukraine, high gas prices, and our child’s public school education. Concerns don’t end when another crisis arises.
In short, an attitude that always ranks our woes worse than other countries’, no matter the situation, is a detriment. It neither spurs positive change at home nor teaches empathy as we look abroad. It is lazy and insular, and we must reject it as such.
