In a February 2025 interview with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk called empathy “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.”
The annual American Values survey from the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that there was a 30 point partisan gap between Democrats and Republicans when asked if they agreed that empathy is a foundational moral value for a healthy society; 84% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans. Among those RPPI classified as Christian nationalism adherents, a mere 42% agreed while in every other religious group, at least 66% agreed. PRRI President and founder Robert P Jones said in a statement, “As Christian nationalist leaders attack the sentiment of empathy, a disturbing ‘empathy gap’ has opened, separating Republicans and white evangelicals from most other Americans.”
That “empathy gap” was on display with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s newest campaign ad attacking Democrat rival Dr Amy Acton, featuring Acton’s estranged mother Donna Arthur accusing Acton of lying. The ad does not mention that the two have been estranged since 1978 when Acton was 12 and was removed from her mother’s custody after her stepfather was charged with raping her. It does not mention that Arthur stayed married to the stepfather until his death in 2004. No matter. Ramiswamy has doubled down and has refused to take down the ad. JD Vance piled on, first saying, “It’s not my concern,” adding, “I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans whining more about that advertisement than they are about what Congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America.” And of course, not to be outdone, President Donald Trump chimed in saying, “Who wouldn’t use such an ad? I would, it’s called ‘hitting paydirt.’”
Your Republicans and Christian nationalists at work.
Ramaswamy’s attack ad is an exemplar of the rot at the root of this Republican/Christian nationalist party that values cruelty over humanity, callousness over empathy, power over all; despicable, typical, and the epitome of un-empathy. As Jones rightly notes, it is not representative of “most other Americans.” This is not who we are or what we want our country to be, which is why this is not just a mid-term election. It is a referendum on our humanity. We can change this. We can stop this. We can VOTE. And that, Sir, is what we call hitting paydirt.