The Empty Rhetoric at the Summit for Democracy

The event was high on messaging and bereft of substance.

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Nobody likes virtue signaling. Like the 20/20 hindsight of Monday morning quarterbacks and the untrained military counsel of armchair generals, virtue signaling embodies the sneering moral superiority of the lawn-sign wielding, T-shirt wearing, bumper-sticker sporting, do-as-I-say crowd. But the Biden administration has taken virtue signaling to the next level, elevating it as a pillar of its post-Trump “America is back” foreign policy. And the president’s recent Summit for Democracy is only the latest example of a global weltanschauung that is high on messaging and bereft of substance.

First, there should be no argument about the critical importance of democratic governance. It has both intrinsic and strategic value given the escalating battle between the world’s democracies and an increasingly tyrannical and aggressive People’s Republic of China. Second, the wisdom of a coordinating body among democracies—a good guy United Nations—is hard to argue, though clearly difficult to execute. We’ve tried before with the hapless Community of Democracies, and we failed. Nonetheless, the importance of standing with others against the predations of China and its corporate soldiers (think Huawei), the rapaciousness of Vladimir Putin, the menace of Iran, or even the petty threats of Cuba should be obvious. But here’s a spoiler: The Summit of Democracy is not the way forward.

President Biden opened his virtual gathering of 111 nations on last Thursday with stirring words:

We stand at an inflection point in our history, in my view. … Will we allow the backward slide of rights and democracy to continue unchecked? Or will we together have a vision … and courage to once more lead the march of human progress and human freedom forward?

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    “ India but not Hungary?”

    To tick off Tucker…

    All kidding aside, no reason Hungary should have been there but Singapore should have.

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  2. Alex DeLarge

    "the equivalent of a sign on the White House lawn announcing, 'In this house we believe in democracy.'”

    Good line. In fact, that's exactly and solely what this silly event was intended for. So mission accomplished.

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    Victor Clairmont

    So we’re doomed.

    Gotcha.

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      Ed P

      We’re doomed if every time an American President tries to lead the world, the other side of the aisle sabotages it. Thats for damn sure.

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        Victor Clairmont

        Doomed!

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  4. Avatar photo
    Ed P

    I for one would appreciate a conservative voice at least attempting to build helpful institutions

    Because so-called “conservatives” have been tearing down American institutions I cherish for the last several years and now we are a weaker nation for it, divided, with many on your side of the aisle putting their faith in charlatans and autocrats.

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  5. Natty Bumpo

    The Seinfeld allusion seems to fit this non event.

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  6. Susan Huckaby

    This analysis is sub par for The Dispatch. Sometimes the point is to begin to shine a light on issues. I am deeply concerned about American democracy, but it hasn't been Biden that has caused that concern. I'll take his 'non doing' any day over the violent attempted overthrow of a fair and free election and the continued lies.

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    Pat Riot

    It's very, very easy these days to simply lament and do nothing else. There's a *lot* to lament right now.

    But some of us would actually like our country to survive for our children and grandchildren, and would like to read about *solutions* instead.

    I certainly share this writer's concerns, but she offers no *solution* to any of these problems.

    And that itself undermines the article's thesis: that the Democracy Summit was misguided. It seems as though the article just proved that the Summit was... better than nothing since there's no other known solution.

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    BrandonAlleman

    'Nobody likes virtue signaling.' Really? Please fact check this

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    1. Alex DeLarge

      Fact check: false. Most people love virtue signaling. That's why everyone does it.

      "Democracy rocks!! Woo-Hoo. Authoritarianism sucks! We are so awesome! Amirite?"

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        BrandonAlleman

        Pretty much. Even if we all don't like the same players, we all play the game. There isn't much we do as social creatures that isn't virtue signaling.

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          Ed P

          Must say, I don’t know why “virtue signaling” has become such conservative boogey man.

          Its part and parcel of the dumb ideological venom that got us here.

          There is absolutely nothing wrong with praising virtues and communicating that you also participate in them. We could use some more of that in our society that has become much less virtuous over my lifetime

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          1. Alex DeLarge

            I think the idea is that it's a cheap substitute for virtue doing. Also, the virtue signalers are usually doing it to put someone else down as being less virtuous. (See e.g., all your posts about how no one is patriotic but you).

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      2. Avatar photo
        Ed P

        Hey Alex, you can try to bury the Holomodor and killing fields and ethnic cleaning of the Uigers and the holocaust….

        Those of us free people who would like to not be abused by our own leadership cannot afford to forget these even as simpletons like you promote the worlds most tyrannical ad try to make us forget we’re better than that.

        Get a clue and join the right side of this foght please.

        I’ll point out once more to anyone reading here, the only consistency in your posts are that they boost America’s enemies.

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        1. Alex DeLarge

          Xi Jinping may not read the comment section here. So your strategy to advance human rights by hectoring Americans on the internet may require some fine tuning.

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            Ed P

            Welp, many of my countrymen, if I am to believe you are among that crowd, are taking the BS propaganda of Putin and his buddy Donald Trump very seriously. And that propaganda pits you against us and trying to get you to believe we stole the election from Trump.

            Trump and Putin got those goons to attack our Congress and it wasn’t because they hired people to do that. They convinced people to do that with weaponized misinformation and corruption and ideology. Mostly transmitted over these same internets we are using here. And you keep pushing the same bogus nonsense, have been co-opted to be a part of that attack on our country.

            I wish you’d snap out of it.

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      Ed P

      If no one signals the virtues of free governments and free peoples, we’re all totally fucked.

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      1. Alex DeLarge

        Language, Ed. And throwing a party for yourself is not usually effective to make people like you.. If democracy needs better PR, it's only because it's not setting a good example.

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          Ed P

          I’m sorry to offend your delicate sensibilities Alex.

          Perhaps you should virtue signal for authoritarianism some more. Perhaps of you do it politely, many will follow your lead.

          Here in America, I drop the f bomb with intention to denote the seriousness of this. I do not joke in the slightest and my personal commitment to human rights has never waivered. I protested Iraq and Afghanistan and many conservatives called me a traitor for it.

          Welp, I never lost my way. Please find your way back to the noble ideals of our founding and less pushing autocrats and language policing please

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          1. Alex DeLarge

            Your virtue is hereby duly noted.

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    William A Bate

    Sloganeering is fine for political campaigns. It’s expected. But governing requires something more substantial than words alone. “But,” as Ms. Pletka shrewdly observes, “doing isn’t this administration’s mantra. Talking about doing is the Biden thing.” That sums it up nicely.

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    Jason Gibson

    So well written. Especially the use of the word perfervid. the use of a german word was Goldbergesque.

    And so necessary to be said

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    1. Alex DeLarge

      TDIL that "perfervid" means "fervid," with three extra letters. It's a good trick to use an obscure word that your readers have to look up. It makes you seem smart.

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      Narwhal

      I thought it was a bit ranty and lacking in substance.

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