When the news of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death hit social media, the political ramifications of the loss were so overwhelming that I just kind of shut down. I saw what was coming, and I was afraid. I had no kind or helpful words to describe the outrage and injustice of it all. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I also knew there would be something crass and profane about jumping right into yet another dead-end partisan debate, when the appropriate, necessary thing to do was to mourn the passing of a great mind and a source of inspiration to millions of Americans.
The story of RBG is remarkable. Like Thurgood Marshall, she will go down in history as one of the greatest Supreme Court justices to have ever served our country. As I reflect on her legacy, what I’m dwelling on most right now are those small yet profound nuggets of wisdom about dissent and disagreement:
- “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
- “Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.”
- “Every now and then it helps to be a little deaf… That advice has stood me in good stead. Not simply in dealing with my marriage, but in dealing with my colleagues.”
In the past week, I have read repeated assertions from progressives that it’s time for Democrats to become more ruthless. These arguments are hardly new. My wife and I often have this debate about the need for Democrats to “get tough.” Now, with the passing of RBG, her legacy, and with the very real danger that her achievements may be rolled back, fear and anger are fueling renewed calls for ruthlessness to become the animating principle behind Democratic strategy and tactics.
Writer Paul Waldman recently expressed it this way in an opinion piece published by The American Prospect:
“The appropriate response to this moment of peril is for Democrats to focus on power in the same way Republicans do: acquiring it and using it to solidify their hold on it at the same time as they wield it to advance their substantive agenda. To be clear, that doesn’t mean being unethical—not at all—but it does mean being ruthless and unashamed….
You might ask whether nurturing your anger and pushing your representatives to become more ruthless is the best way to honor the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who devoted her life to increasing the quantity and quality of justice in the world. But justice sometimes requires the right argument spoken in a quiet but firm voice, and sometimes it requires understanding how to get power and what to do with it. That’s where Democrats have so often fallen short—which helps explain the position they’re now in. If they want it to change, they’re going to do something different.”
However, aggressive diplomacy is not the same thing as ruthlessness. To be ruthless is to be without pity or compassion. It is President Trump’s defining quality. To knowingly and ruthlessly nurture anger in the interest of gaining power, all out of fear of loss, is not at all in line with the wise counsel that RBG bestowed to us. In the immortal words of Yoda, “this is the path to the dark side.” It’s straight-up Darth Vader. Indeed, it would be better to be a little deaf than to be so incited by fear and loathing that we lose our head, and our purpose.
Ruthlessness is not the answer. We need an alternate phrase for the kind of fighting spirit needed to confront the lies, deceit, and indecency of Trumpism. I call it fierce ruthfulness. It is the courage to fight, tempered by care and compassion. It is the conviction, so clearly championed by Notorious RBG, that skillful persuasion is the true seat of power.
