Why virtue signaling isn't the same as virtue – it actually furthers the partisan divide
- Written by Christopher Beem, Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State
A sign in a yard listing many virtues – an example of virtue signaling.davelogan/iStock via Getty imagesIn a speech on July 23, 2022, before the Conservative Political Action Committee, or CPAC, Sen. Ted Cruz introduced himself to the audience with the words, “My name is Ted Cruz and my pronoun is kiss my ass.”
In 2019, the...





