The Left's '#BeNice' ethos as a moral weapon that legitimizes bad policy and silences dissent
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "The Tyranny of #BeNice | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." October 31, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that the left has made 'being nice' its main identity, and uses it as a moral club to beat opponents and to make bad ideas look good. He says people feel virtuous about their good intentions, even invoking Christian love of neighbor to shame those who disagree. In his view, this is less about kindness and more about forcing a feel-good conformity on everyone else.
Conclusion
The left's '#BeNice' ideology is not a genuine ethic of kindness but a self-righteous, 'feel-good tyranny' that is used as a weapon against political opponents and lends unearned moral legitimacy to bad policies.
Premises
- The Democratic/left coalition lacks a coherent articulated ideology and is instead unified mainly by the claim that Republicans (especially Trump) are 'not nice' while Democrats are 'nice'.
- Because Democrats are seen as the party of 'nice', objectively horrible proposals gain favor simply by being adopted by that party.
- Adherents of #BeNice derive self-satisfaction from their perceived good intentions and see themselves and their like-minded peers as morally good.
- 'Be nice' functions as a secularized version of the Second Great Commandment, and many on the left (including pastors and parishioners) invoke 'love thy neighbor' as a cudgel against those who reject their pieties (e.g., 'no person is illegal,' 'my body, my choice').
- The author's personal example of a former friend whose pastor supplies 'be nice' platitudes and memes illustrates how this moralism operates in religious communities.
Assumptions
- Niceness as invoked by the left is performative and a substitute for substantive policy argument rather than a sincere moral commitment.
- Policies like 'no person is illegal' and 'my body, my choice' are objectively bad or merely 'pieties', not defensible moral positions.
- Moral framing of politics by the left is distinctively coercive or tyrannical in a way conservative moral framing is not.
- The predicted 'blue wave' and Democratic support are driven by niceness branding rather than substantive policy preferences.
- One anecdote about a former friend and her pastor is representative of broader trends among the left and Christians who lean left.
- Appealing to 'love thy neighbor' to support progressive positions is a misuse of the commandment rather than a legitimate interpretation.