Bill Burr Accurately Describes Our Political Divide, By Accident

Comedian Bill Burr represents everything that's wrong with modern comedy. He's neither funny nor thought-provoking, and his so-called bravery amounts to little more than parroting mainstream liberal talking points while taking cheap shots at conservatives. He comes off as a radicalized East Coast curmudgeon. But, just like a broken clock is correct twice a day, a curmudgeon can have moments of sound judgment. Recently, on his Monday Morning Podcast, Burr accidentally stumbled upon a great point with political significance: the relevance of labels changes over time.

The 56-year-old Massachusetts native went on a profane rant about income inequality, political division, and billionaires.

"[There are] people that are struggling out there because of these f**king billionaires. And they got us all arguing, uh, liberal and conservative. Um, we gotta stop doing that, like. I'm so tired of hearing about people going to bed worried about what's gonna happen next week. There is so much f**king money in this country. And there's so much work being done, you know, and if you work a full f**king week at a job, you should be able to pay your f**king rent. You shouldn't have to go out and get [another] f**king job and still be struggling. It's bad for the country. 'Cause then the kids don't see their parents so they're not getting, uh, the upbringing that they need...These f**king billionaires. They need to be put down, you know, like f**king rabid dogs. They're like rabid with f**king greed and just going out and dividing everybody."

“Non-believers to the left, believers to the right.”

Much of this is leftist gobbledegook. Many people are struggling financially because of hyperinflation and poor money management skills. You can't really blame billionaires for that. And trust me, I'm not crawling over broken glass to defend billionaires (well, maybe one). Then, he resorts to violent rhetoric. "These f**king billionaires. They need to be put down, you know, like f**king rabid dogs." It's the same rhetoric that encourages young men to kill health insurance CEOs in cold blood. It promotes more violence against our billionaire President.

All that aside, he makes one solid point. "And they got us all arguing liberal and conservative." The terms liberal and conservative no longer capture the essence of today's evolving political climate.

Unfortunately, the meanings of words shift over time. I say "unfortunately" because when society loses the true meaning of a word, it can warp people's worldview and lead to well-intentioned but misguided actions. Take the word freedom. In earlier centuries, freedom meant doing what you were morally obligated to do. Today, it has morphed into a license to do whatever one pleases. Abortion advocates say women should have the freedom to pursue "reproductive healthcare." No one has the right to kill a baby.

Our modern concepts of liberal and conservative come from the French Revolution of 1789. Supporters of the Revolution, including the atheistic Cult of Reason, sat on the left of the assembly. Saints, priests, and other monarchy supporters sat on the right. This is where our modern political terms "left-wing" and "right-wing" originated.

Non-believers to the left, believers to the right. Keep that in mind.

Over time, political identities evolved. Leftists became liberals, initially advocating for minimal government intervention, while right-wingers became conservatives, prioritizing the conservation of tradition and religious values. As the 20th century rolled around, liberals championed civil rights, social welfare, and environmental policies; conservatives emphasized free markets, capital, and militaristic strength.

John Locke, often referred to as the "father of liberalism," once said, "The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on Earth." William F. Buckley, one of American history's most influential conservative thinkers and a devout Catholic, described conservatism as "the politics of reality."

As the tectonic plates of our political culture shift, the terms liberal and conservative are losing relevance. While there are some differences between liberals and conservatives, there is increasing overlap between the two sides. Both favor big government spending. Neither side adheres to traditional norms all that well. There are just as many right-wingers who are against upholding biblical norms as there are left-wingers.

What terms should we use? Liberal and conservative are still somewhat accurate. I use them regularly. I would consider myself a conservative. It wouldn't be the first title I use to describe myself, but it is a useful baseline descriptor of my worldview. However, there are more effective terms to use. Democrat and Republican don't quite cut it anymore. Republicans—like Mitt Romney and Nancy Mace—often vote in lockstep with the Dems, while Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been warming up to more Trumpian policies.

What about globalist and nationalist? Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Trump has assembled a relatively diverse cabinet of politicians from different parties, backgrounds, and ideologies, with "America First" being the common thread. Cutting taxes, gutting wasteful government spending, and securing the border are all actions designed to put Americans first. On the other hand, his opponents say we need to keep the piggy bank known as USAID going because of AIDS funding in Africa.

But if we're being honest, the most fundamental divide has nothing to do with the ballot box.

Here are a couple of terms I think are the most accurate to describe our nation's divide—devilish or divine. In other words, whose team are you on—Satan's or God's?

Support for LGBT doctrine that obliterates the distinction between man and woman is devilish. God's design consists of man and woman committing to one another and procreating, not two men, or two women, or a lesbian throuple.

Likewise, abortion is not a matter of "reproductive healthcare." It is the willful destruction of life, a modern echo of ancient child sacrifice. The Sixth Commandment is clear, "You shall not murder."

Illegal immigration is a tool of Satan. Many self-styled Christians will point to Leviticus 19:33-34 as an argument for open borders, "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." This is a misinterpretation of Scripture. To sojourn means "to visit." Many of the illegal aliens crossing the border are not seeking temporary shelter. They are not "asylum seekers" as the Associated Press loves to say. Some are criminals and gang members looking for a new permanent residence to wreak havoc. That is an injustice to Americans whose neighborhoods become less safe and more chaotic. Even non-violent economic migrants disrupt labor markets and depress wages for working-class Americans. We have laws for a reason, and they need to be followed. Romans 13:1, "Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God."

Bill Burr is correct about one thing—we should stop using outdated terms like liberal and conservative to divide us. But let's be honest here. Division is inevitable. The question should be, what's dividing us? Is it skin color and gender? Or a reliance on God versus self-reliance? Faith versus secularism? Divine order versus immoral chaos? The true unifying message is that we are all children of our Holy Creator, whom Jesus Christ died for on the cross. And in the end, that is the only label that truly matters.