America's Worship of Politicians Will Only Lead to More Authoritarianism

We don't need another hero.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

I coined a saying awhile back addressing America’s tendency to worship politicians and place them on undeserved pedestals: “Politicians are like hoes. You ain’t supposed to be loving them.”

Unfortunately, this is a saying that continues to be needed as people still seem to be viewing our elected officials as saviors.

If you have followed me on Twitter for any length of time, you know I like to stir the pot a bit. It is not always intentional, but even when it is, it can sometimes lead to necessary conversations.

Over the past decade, I have been concerned about this type of hero worship. The primary reason why is because I see that it is one of several ways that our country will become even more authoritarian than it already is.

This issue came up again yesterday after the news broke about the very real possibility that former President Donald Trump would be arrested based on some exceedingly questionable charges. If you’re not familiar with this development, you can read about it here.

Former congressional candidate Lavern Spicer posted a tweet claiming that “[i]f they lock Trump up, this country no longer exists.”

Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 @lavern_spicer

If they lock Trump up, this country no longer exists.

As I am wont to do, I responded, pointing out the hero worship I saw in that tweet.

I wrote:

Worshipping politicians is one of the reasons why America is where it is today. This type of hero worship makes it so much easier to usher in more authoritarianism.

Jeff Charles, A Respectful Anarchist🏴 @jeffcharlesjr

Worshipping politicians is one of the reasons why America is where it is today. This type of hero worship makes it so much easier to usher in more authoritarianism.

Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 @lavern_spicer

If they lock Trump up, this country no longer exists.

Naturally, this elicited a bit of a backlash from Trump supporters insisting that this is not what Spicer meant by her tweet — even though her words were more than clear enough. One person responded claiming that she was pointing out that America has a two-tier justice system and that it was not worship:

Rudy Beckert @beckert_rudy

@jeffcharlesjr This isn't worship. It's the acknowledgment that we officially have a 2 tier justice system.

But the fact remains: This is an example of hero worship.

I’m sure Spicer doesn’t burn candles in front of a Trump altar while sacrificing goats in his name. At least, I hope she doesn’t. But the notion that the country would cease to exist because Trump was arrested greatly exaggerates his importance to the country.

It is we the people who are essential to the survival of this nation — not a politician.

I’ll take a second here to also note that it is VERY clear to me that the New York district attorney’s office’s actions are flagrantly motivated by politics. This is a brazen effort to prevent Trump from seeking the presidency in 2024. In fact, this is one of those rare moments where I will don a tinfoil hat when I tell you I believe they are charging him with this foolishness to spark another J6 situation. It’s not the first time the left has used the power of the government to attack him, right?

I can say this as someone who does not support Trump. My blood boils anytime the state is used as a political weapon regardless of who the target is.

The reality is that if you think health of the nation is dependent on Donald J. Trump, there is a good chance you might be worshipping him. Yes, what is happening to Trump is yet another example of corruption and a two-tier justice system. But America has had four presidents assassinated while in office and it still survived. What is happening to Trump is not the worst that a president has experienced.

Moreover, America has had a two-tiered justice system since it was first established — and it has gotten even worse. However, it has not been corrupt in the way people think it is today. Many of these folks are only bringing up a two-tiered justice system because they believe the system targets Republicans without going after Democrats.

There is truth to this, especially in 2023. One only need to look at how the FBI has treated people who protested at abortion clinics while failing to arrest a single person for firebombing pro-life organizations too see an example.

But the more pernicious two-tiered justice system lies in the reality that the elites can do whatever they want and rarely be held accountable. They can engage in conduct that would have regular folks like you and I rotting in a cage without having to worry about men with guns and badges busting down their doors.

The fact is that too many on the right are only upset by the corruption in our justice system because it is affecting someone they like and support. When this situation blows over — regardless of how it turns out — their outrage will abate and they will go on with their lives.

I had another response when I expressed this sentiment on Twitter. This user said he can’t “remember the federal justice system being so one sided politically” and that “both [Democrats and Republicans] are corrupt.” He said he hoped this situation will not lead to violence.

Jason @jas_bav

@jeffcharlesjr That may be true, however I can’t remember the federal justice system being so one sided politically. The solution is beyond voting, or legislating. Both are corrupt. I hope it doesn’t come to violence but it may.

I responded by telling him that I am also concerned about violence breaking out. As I said earlier, I believe this is what the left is hoping for so they can use another J6 to attack Trump and conservatives. However, there could be a silver lining. If this opens people’s eyes to the level of corruption in our government, it could motivate more people to fight against the growing authoritarianism that is occurring right under our noses.

But, there is a significant obstacle to us getting to this point.

I believe our most challenging obstacle is the reality that we can never truly fight against authoritarianism and corruption as long as we only get upset when it happens to someone on our “team.”

As much as folks on the right don’t want to admit it, they would not be this irate if Trump had a “D” next to his name. If he were an avowed leftist, they would not be speaking out on his behalf. If anything, they would be cheering it.

The same holds true for folks on the left. Those who are ecstatic about the prospect of seeing Trump behind bars would be crying foul if he was on Team Blue. They would be the ones shouting about how corrupt our government is, and they would be right just as conservatives are for saying the same thing.

The problem is that Americans insist on prioritizing politics over principles. This means we are more concerned with protecting folks on our teams than we are with protecting liberty against authoritarianism.

The bottom line is that if you only care about authoritarianism and corruption when the opposite team does it, then you don’t truly care about authoritarianism and corruption.

This issue will never be addressed until enough Americans become willing to fight against tyranny regardless of the party engaging in it. We have to get to a place where we realize that government corruption is the enemy, regardless of who its target is at the moment.

Holding an allegiance to a party rather than to liberty is the pinnacle of foolishness. If we choose to continue venturing down this road, we will deserve what we get.