For a long time now, one of the Left’s revered mantras is that “The personal is political.” This attempt to invalidate the idea of a private, personal life in which one’s affairs are wholly one’s own is seldom properly eviscerated by commentators and analysts in the Right. Yet it’s expressed in virtually everything Leftist agitators and activists say and do. Today it’s focused on prominent public figures who refuse to talk politics, including Caitlin Clark and Patrick Mahomes:

     Remember Michael Jordan’s comment about Republicans buying shoes? There’s a long history of athletes putting as much space as possible between themselves and controversy, and what Caitlin Clark and Patrick Mahomes did this week was no different.
     Asked about the upcoming presidential election Wednesday and who they might be supporting, both Clark and Mahomes dodged the question and instead found a safe space in encouraging people to register and to vote.
     […]
     Athlete involvement in politics is taken for granted these days. James appeared beside Hillary Clinton in 2016 and four years ago helped launch a group dedicated to safeguarding voting rights for Black Americans. Rapinoe was an early endorser of Joe Biden, even jokingly offering to be his running mate.
     […]
     Clark’s Instagram account is now flooded with nasty comments from supposed fans who are upset she liked Taylor Swift’s post endorsing Kamala Harris. Mahomes is getting backlash both from people who want him to disassociate himself from his wife’s (presumed) political beliefs and people angry he didn’t defend them.

     Just in case you think columnist Nancy Armour is sympathetic to Clark’s and Mahomes’s preference for keeping their politics to themselves, here’s how she closes her column:

     Clark, in particular, plays in a league where politics and taking a stand on issues are as fundamental as lock-down defense. When the choice for president is between a former prosecutor and woman of color who is an ardent champion of reproductive freedom against a serial grifter who brags about overturning Roe v. Wade and has a history of racist behavior, it was only a matter of time before the game’s biggest star was asked to weigh in.
     By encouraging people to register and vote, Clark and Mahomes were able to say something without putting themselves on the line.
     […]
     Elite athletes are born with unique physical gifts and singular dedication. Moral courage is something they have to find for themselves, and this week was a reminder that not many do.

     I’d say the columnist’s politics are right out there in front of God and everybody, wouldn’t you? But Armour is supposed to be a sports commentator. Just what does she think she’s doing by encouraging two athletes – both of whom are superstars and unusually wholesome and likable for that peculiar breed – to expose themselves in a way that’s entirely irrelevant to their gifts and how they use them? By the way, does Armour think Americans should vote their consciences, or that they should conform to the preferences of their favorite celebrities?

     I’d like to see Armour’s opinion of Harrison Butker. Did she approve of his stance on subjects closely associated to politics, or did she denounce him for forthrightly speaking his mind at a Catholic all-girls college? Wouldn’t you like to know, Gentle Reader?

     Oh look! Here she is! And mirabile dictu: she disapproves of Butker’s decision to speak his views forthrightly. Clearly, on Armour’s farm, some animals are more equal than others.