One hates to appear cynical and to discourage participation in the process, but there’s a reason why politicians may make better leaders than people who rise to lead movements - baggage. Politicians will have been careful to leave few traces of ‘dangerous thought’.

I was listening to Marketplace the other day, and they were discussing a problem that can pop up when a company tries to diversify its public face. A makeup/hair/clothing company (can’t recall which) had hired a hijab-wearing Muslim woman as one of their ‘spokesmodels’. They were roundly applauded for this, until it turned out that the woman in question had openly expressed some pretty negative opinions about Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinians. The woman and the company parted ways.

The thing is, people have opinions. People have histories. People have weaknesses, including the desire for fame, that can lead them astray. And your opposition is always looking for a reason to attack.

So what do you do? On the one hand you don’t want your opposition dictating who your leaders are. On the other, if you’re not careful and don’t take it seriously you’ll end up handing them the gun to shoot you with.

The problem I see now is that we are trying to be on the side of the angels. We end up having to be purer than the driven snow. The Right? They don’t care. We’re the ones saying (for example) sexual harassment is a problem, not the Right, so when one of ours is accused, defending them comes across as hypocrisy. The Right? They don’t give a shit in the first place.