Op-ed by Paul Hill Jr.
Across America, a pattern has emerged that can no longer be dismissed as political noise. Politicians make shocking public statements — minimizing rape, excusing violence, or rationalizing coercion — and yet these same individuals continue winning elections. Even more troubling, they push policies that strip health care, raise costs, damage public education, and destabilize communities, including many of the very people who support them.
These comments, often widely circulated online, are not coming solely from fringe figures. They come from elected officials at the state and federal levels — lawmakers with direct power over budgets, healthcare systems, and social policy. Their rhetoric is not accidental. It reflects an ideological worldview that treats women’s autonomy as negotiable and public well-being as secondary to rigid doctrine.
A core feature of this worldview is the elevation of ideology over people. Wrapped in slogans such as “small government” or “family values,” these policies routinely harm women, poor families, and communities of color. Cuts to Medicaid, rollbacks of reproductive rights, attacks on public education, and efforts to weaken public services are not unintended consequences — they are part of a long-term strategy to shift power upward.
Many of these policymakers come from insulated backgrounds. They enjoy private health care, secure communities, and wealthy donor networks that protect them from the harms their decisions create. They are supported by corporate interests that profit when public institutions are weakened and privatized.
Yet the more complex — and often more painful — truth is that these politicians remain in power because a significant portion of the electorate keeps them there. Many voters harmed by these policies continue to defend and support them, driven by propaganda, disinformation, resentment, and cultural loyalties. For some, identity politics matter more than economic survival; belonging to a political tribe outweighs the reality of rising costs, shrinking services, or the loss of health coverage.
This political dynamic thrives on division. Culture wars — over gender, sexuality, race, and bodily autonomy — become a smokescreen that distracts from economic policies hurting the very voters these politicians claim to champion. Outrage over social issues becomes a tool to conceal the deeper erosion of public health, education, and community well-being.
The challenge we face is twofold: leaders committed to maintaining power at any cost, and supporters shaped by misinformation and grievance. Understanding both is essential for building a political future grounded in truth and human dignity.
In our current era, clarity is not optional. It is a civic responsibility. We are called to speak truthfully about who is causing harm and why; to understand the political and cultural forces shaping these decisions; and to work toward leadership rooted not in fear or division, but in the protection of justice, dignity, and the well-being of all people.
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Paul Hill Jr. is executive director emeritus of East End Neighborhood House, founder of the National Rights of Passage Institute, and a long-time resident of East Cleveland.
