Santos and Societal Norms

The spectacle of moral degradation endemic among Republican politicians was dramatized this week when George Santos, the newly elected Republican Congressman from New York, apologized for “embellishing” his resumé. Since his resumé was in large measure a fabrication, he lied yet again in saying he had embellished it, a phrase that implies that his representations were substantially truthful. It now appears that he may be prosecuted for defrauding the voters of his Congressional district. That would be healthy development. It’s a sign that society is crumbling when rank dishonesty is shrugged off.