The Problem Is Not The Pathological
Hugh Hewitt > Blog
Saturday, September 5, 2026
There was an fascinating on-line debate this week over the question of whether the far-left will ever awaken to the damage they have wrought. Some think they will be horrified, some think them pathologically unable to ever do so, (HT: Instapundit) I am in the latter camp, but I also do not think the pathological are the issue.
Here’s the money quote:
The thing is, the left won’t wake up. There will be no mass conversion event when all the trans activists, corrupt bureaucrats, and Antifa thugs suddenly snap out of it and rejoin the more sane ranks of American society.
That’s not how pathological leftism works, and to believe that it does is a dangerous fantasy. Concepts like remorse and atonement do not exist in the leftist mindset. For themselves, at least. Remorse and atonement are instead reserved for the real oppressors, namely straight white men and the capitalist system they propagate.
There is a lot of deep truth there. The idea that remorse and atonement are oppressive is real. I have seen it in action. Most importantly it is fundamentally opposed to Christianity. It is perhaps the most dangerous and corrosive idea to ever hit our zeitgeist. But it is pathological. Without getting into a theological or philosophical debate – it does away with the simple idea of committing a mistake. When fully adopted, no one is ever wrong. There is never failure. And as such it brings about the end of success because without failure, there can be no success.
It is natural that the pathological would adopt such a stance – it reinforces the pathology. What is unnatural and truly destructive is that an entire political movement has rallied around the idea. Further that movement is on the verge of, if it has not already, capturing one of the two political parties in this nation. Which means that that party is willing to follow a pathological path for the sake of electoral success. That party no longer exists to make the nation better, it exists simply to win.
And so, those that seek to escape oppression enable it. A party that seeks only to win elections is a party that seeks power for power’s sake.
God save us from ourselves.
And now, the leftovers.
Well, yeah. Obama/Biden so heavily politicized the place, a purge was inevitable.
For eight years I wrote about Article VI of the Constitution. Never thought I would see the day.
The pathology discussed above in action.
And then the usual batch of bad news out of California.
Of course there is fraud and scandal. What’s amazing is that with as much practice as they get, they’re kinda stupid about it.
Even willing to buy off the state’s newsrooms.
Speaking of California stupid.
Quote Instapundit, “Will the last business out of California please turn off the Greta-approved eco-lights?” When it comes to the entertainment business, they earned it.
But as I have said all along – California’s mess is going to be the nation’s to clean-up – the consequences are becoming all too real.
