"The important thing is that we recognize our President's leadership, that he is not saying: I am going to walk away from this. He is saying: I am going to do the right thing"
About this Quote
Loyalty is doing a lot of work here, disguised as moral clarity. Kay Bailey Hutchison frames the moment as a referendum on character, not policy: the President is a leader because he refuses to “walk away,” and he deserves recognition because he intends to “do the right thing.” The elegance of the move is its vagueness. “This” is left conveniently undefined, a blank space large enough to hold a war, a scandal, a budget showdown, an investigation - whatever crisis was swelling the headlines. By refusing specifics, Hutchison invites listeners to supply their own, then funnels them toward a single conclusion: steadiness equals virtue.
The subtext is less about what the President has done than about what critics are accused of wanting him to do: quit, cave, abandon. “Walk away” conjures petulance and irresponsibility, turning opposition into a caricature. The line also performs a prophylactic: if the President is “going to do the right thing,” then the “right thing” is pre-legitimated before it’s even named. That’s not accidental; it’s how political rhetoric buys time and buffers consequences. Decisions that will be controversial are repackaged as tests of resolve, so dissent can be treated as a failure of patriotism or seriousness rather than an argument on the merits.
It’s a classic defense in establishment key: award the leader credit for staying in the room, then equate staying with righteousness. The audience isn’t asked to judge outcomes - only to applaud intention.
The subtext is less about what the President has done than about what critics are accused of wanting him to do: quit, cave, abandon. “Walk away” conjures petulance and irresponsibility, turning opposition into a caricature. The line also performs a prophylactic: if the President is “going to do the right thing,” then the “right thing” is pre-legitimated before it’s even named. That’s not accidental; it’s how political rhetoric buys time and buffers consequences. Decisions that will be controversial are repackaged as tests of resolve, so dissent can be treated as a failure of patriotism or seriousness rather than an argument on the merits.
It’s a classic defense in establishment key: award the leader credit for staying in the room, then equate staying with righteousness. The audience isn’t asked to judge outcomes - only to applaud intention.
Quote Details
| Topic | Leadership |
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