Empathy is a Superpower

Why MAGA’s attempts to come for Hunter Biden always fall flat.

Hunter Biden’s life is either surreal beyond what many of us can comprehend or completely relatable in a way most of us recognize but wish we didn’t. 

On the one hand, you have the son of a sitting president targeted with false conspiracy theories by Donald Trump and his cronies for more than four years. Trump supporters fully believe that Hunter Biden is a one-man global crime syndicate operating on his father’s behalf. But on the other hand, you have a man struggling with grief and an addiction that completely ruined his life. A family torn apart by that addiction, and a father who loves his son, worries about him, and wants him to be OK.

Trump’s version of Hunter Biden only makes sense if you’re all in on the MAGA Cinematic Universe. The Right has tried again and again to turn false conspiracy theories about Hunter Biden into a scandal, but persuadable voters didn’t care in 2020, and I highly doubt they care now. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, because the false conspiracy theories are so opaque, normal people can’t follow them. Second, because many -- perhaps most-- Americans can see their own family in Hunter Biden’s struggles and the consequences of his actions.

America is a nation ravaged by the opioid crisis, and diseases of despair (suicide, overdose, alcoholic liver disease) remain a public health crisis. Hunter Biden’s story and the details that made the news from his recent criminal trial felt surprisingly relatable. I wasn’t necessarily always sympathetic to him, but I couldn’t stop thinking about his parents, children, ex-wife, and the emotional toll Hunter Biden’s addiction and the trial had clearly taken on them. I suspect I’m not the only one who had this reaction.

Recently, I wrote a primer about MAGA Republicans and their mindset. I implied but didn’t state explicitly that, as a coalition, they’re uninterested or perhaps incapable of empathy. I won’t speculate on what that does to a person’s humanity, but it’s been a continual problem for MAGA politically. Some of their biggest strategic blunders have come from not understanding empathy. The attacks on John Fetterman in the weeks after he suffered a stroke are a prime example of how that lack of understanding causes MAGA Republicans to overplay their hand again and again.

Hunter Biden’s conviction landed similarly. And where voters didn’t care in 2020, it could even help Biden this time. Donald Trump and his cronies have spent years harassing and bullying a recovering addict for fun and sport. All it got them was this trial and constant reminders that Joe Biden desperately loves his son but didn’t do him any special favors for him. Not even their own base found Hunter’s conviction satisfying, which is why the false conspiracy theories started flying fast and furiously in right-wing media and MAGA online communities immediately after the Hunter Biden verdict.

Politics aside, I really hope Hunter Biden and his loved ones are able to move on from this and receive the care and healing they need. Not because of their family or notoriety but because it’s what anyone going through addiction or who has a loved one struggling with addiction deserves.

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ICYMI

Trump’s Second Term (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)

Oliver’s explainer of Project 2025 and how a second Trump Administration would destroy the federal administrative government as we know it is a must-watch and must-share video. 

Pentagon Ran Secret Anti-vax Campaign to Undermine China During Pandemic (Reuters)

This is an unacceptable and repugnant campaign from our military and a chilling glimpse into the future of global warfare and propaganda.

Pulling Back the Curtain: An Exploration of YouTube’s Recommendation Algorithm (ISD)

A comprehensive research report on YouTube and why the recommendations when you log on are trash. It looks at content suggestions based on gender, age, an interest in Mommy vloggers, and an interest in Spanish language news and the rabbit holes users in those categories get sent down.

Um, ICYMI, Elon Musk Repeatedly Asked Employee to ‘Have His Babies,’ Punished Her for Declining (Jezebel)

Apologies because everything about this is gross. But also an important reminder that Elon Musk should not have as much influence and power over American politics as he does. 

Want even more links? Subscribers receive a special ICYMI edition of CARD on Fridays. 

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Blatant Self-Promotion

I talked to LOLGOP for his podcast, The Cause. It’s a quick and insightful listen, and we covered a lot of ground. 

Also, this is probably the best introduction I've ever received: "She has a clarity that comes from more than a decade in national politics and a coolness that comes from either some really good nature or nurture, probably both." Hopefully, I can live up to that!

Thanks so much to everyone who has signed up as a paying subscriber. Your support enables me to put even more time and resources into writing and editing Ctrl Alt-Right Delete each week.

Not a member yet? You can subscribe here. If you’d like an alternative non-Substack route, I have a Patreon page as well. Subscribers to Substack or Patreon receive a bonus post with additional ICYMI links each week.

That’s all for this week. I hope you’re finding ways to enjoy summer. (Even where the heat makes that difficult.) We’ll talk again next Sunday!