A Few Breaths of Serious Political Air

One month ago, I posted the following on Facebook:

Who can say exactly what in the vast universe of Trump-centric nonsense represented the straw that broke the camel’s back and prompted that online lament? Frankly, it doesn’t matter.

I have neither the ability nor the desire to comment on the vast scope of political inanity that’s come since. My social media platforms have been used very little to that end, and I’m not about to start here nor violate the potential for this to be a more thoughtful venting place.

Abraham Lincoln, Right Makes Might, and the Declaration of Independence

Well, it’s been almost exactly a year since I revived this platform with a tribute on the 165th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address. In retrospect, the content was fitting. As our political culture remains soaked in silliness, I frequently need the edification of the Illinois antislavery politician’s closing words: "

LET US HAVE FAITH THAT RIGHT MAKES MIGHT, AND IN THAT FAITH, LET US, TO THE END, DARE TO DO OUR DUTY AS WE UNDERSTAND IT.

In trying to jumpstart my commentary here again, it’s similarly appropriate to do so on the eve of the 165th anniversary of an impromptu address President-elect Lincoln delivered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, en route to the nation’s capital. There he memorably said, “I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” And here we are, mere months away from the 250th anniversary of that Declaration!

Lincoln continued:

…I have often inquired of myself, what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the motherland; but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. This is a sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence.

That kind of principled statesmanship stands out even more starkly these days, so antithetical to the absurdity that has dominated political debate. Rather than dwell in the contemporary muck, I’ve been looking for bright spots. And there are a few to highlight from the past month.

My First Book Recommendation of 2026

First, I had the privilege of reading In Defense of Christian Patriotism by Daniel Darling. This new book earned my hearty recommendation as a healthful tonic for faithful believers who are unsure how to navigate the twisted world of politics.

For years, I was engrossed in Republican Party politics and fixated on making my mark as a Colorado blogger. (For empirical evidence, scroll through the newly imported archives right here on this site.) I had no doubts about the importance of active political engagement, but lurking within was the ever-present temptation to make it an idol.

Trumpist populism caused me to retreat into political homelessness, including several highly disorienting stretches. I’ve struggled to find the balance between apathy and obsession ever since, which is why passages like this one from Darling’s book resonated with me:

To be sure, it is easy for politics to become an all-consuming idol, especially in a secular age where political power often seems to ordinary people to be the most “real” power, yet I think the net effect of pastors’ encouraging a sort of political Gnosticism is not to keep hyperobsessed politicos from being hyperobsessed but to dampen the civic involvement of good-hearted, faithful Christians.

The volume is far from dense and detached enough from current events that the three most recent U.S. presidents receive one combined mention in 229 pages. All in all, I found the views of this politically engaged Baptist pastor to be compelling. Though I will need more time and rumination to reconcile its conclusions with those of James Davison Hunter’s To Change the World.

If you want to start with smaller doses than the modest treatise on Christian patriotism, the same kind of winsome wisdom is accessible in Darling’s insightful Substack One Little Word.

Helpful Seriousness from Gorsuch and Rubio

Additionally, I found a fresh bright spot in Justice Neil Gorsuch’s eloquent concurrence with the majority in yesterday’s headline Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump Supreme Court ruling:

Regardless of the immediate practical implications, Justice Gorsuch’s reasoning represents a small brick laid on the path of restoring a key Constitutional principle: separation of powers. Whether deciding against Biden’s student loan plan or Trump’s tariff overreach, this kind of principled judicial consistency offers a little bit of hope. (More conversations to come about how to get Congress back on track.)

The third and final encouraging development in the midst of our political moment was Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s momentous speech at the Munich Security Conference. While Jonah Goldberg correctly identifies some flaws in Rubio’s narrative, two-and-a-half cheers for the elevation of Western Civilization as a defensible proposition and our shared heritage with Europe.

For all the Secretary of State’s shortcomings, one could close one’s eyes and imagine a world with him as President, helping to guide our nation through the declining days of Pax Americana.

An AOC - Al Gansee Detour

Contrast Rubio’s speech with the pathetic performance of the Progressive Democrat’s golden child. But wait, you say — why even bring up Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in light of this post’s theme?

Because tomorrow also happens to be the 64th anniversary of the legendary, fictional Battle of Cambria, the centerpiece of my 2017 farcical pseudo-biography, Passion and Purpose: The Rise and Fall of Al Gansee.

Yes, this is a shameless plug. The story of the quirky culinary master turned small-town Michigan Communist dictator — had he lived beyond 2016 — would certainly have incorporated ideological and rhetorical comparisons with AOC. Check it out. You may even laugh a few times, or possibly develop a hankering for some broccoli quiche.

RIP, Al Q. Gansee.

Postscript

What else happened on February 22? The Miracle on Ice, of course (sad for Al Gansee, one of the USSR’s biggest fans). So isn’t it fitting that Team USA has a chance to sweep the hockey gold medals at the 2026 Olympic Games? Cheering for Team USA to triumph flows naturally from Christian (or well, any sort of genuine) patriotism.

It would be a fitting capstone to the Winter Olympics, before more attention returns to spring training baseball….