Last week when I wrote about two paragons of vice-signaling, there was a quote I wanted to use that defined conservatism and fit the situation perfectly, but I couldn't lay my hands on it when I was writing the post.
Well, I came across it today, so here it is. The examples I gave in my earlier post — of Madison Cawthorn, who was driving almost 25 miles per hour over the speed limit without a valid drivers license, and Mark Meadows, who voted from an address where he did not live, while assisting a man who claims his political opponents have rigged an election and are voting illegally — are perfect examples of the world view it describes.
It was written by a composer named Frank Wilhoit*, originally as a comment in response to a 2018 blog post:
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.
I think I originally read it on Jason Kottke's site, but I've also seen it quoted on Twitter at various points.
As I said earlier, if this belief in protected in-groups is your political world view, there is no hypocrisy, because the law exists to protect the in-group. It fits perfectly with might makes right.
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*The quote is sometimes misattributed to a political scientist with a similar name, Francis Wilhoit, who died eight years before the comment was posted. But it was the composer who wrote it.
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