In his insightful book Integrity, Yale Law Professor Stephen L. Carter writes: I look forward to the day when we as voters will say, “I agree with So-and-so on most of the issues, but I could never vote for somebody who would say this or do that in order to win.”
Instead, we make excuses for our candidates, justifying ourselves for giving them our votes because the other candidate is worse.
Maybe that makes sense, maybe not. But what is the effect on the culture we live in, on us and on our children when standards of public discourse disappear?
We may not be able to change the system, but we can commit ourselves to not letting the system change us. Maybe that sincere commitment will set in motion the groundswell that will restore dignity and civility to our society.
What commitment are you going to make today?
You can only vote for who’s on the ballot – and that requires two things
1) the people who control who they want on the ballot let you on the ballot
2) you have to want to be on the ballot
Number 1 is a massive gating challenge … and really in this day and age, with the media take downs, the stripping of any privacy, the lies that will get told about you … why would anyone offer themselves up for public office?
As a result we have what we have.
No argument here, John. It’s been obvious for a long time that any candidate worth voting for has either given up or become irretrievably corrupted by the time he has a shot at high office. Without an engaged and informed electorate driven by the Kennedyesque calling to ask not what your country can do for you, that’s not likely to change.
But what do I do with my vote, since that’s the only thing I control?
Yonason – My mother used to say “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” It’s a good expression to remind us to pause before we unleash that speech bubble behind our lips. Thanks for your message, here.
Thanks for the note, Jeff. There’s also an expression: If you don’t have anything nice to say, say it in Yiddish. But your mother’s is far more appropriate for the times we live in.
Thank you, Yonason. It’s so easy to be overwhelmed and/or desensitized to the hate and rhetoric and incivility. I appreciate your message very much today. Personal integrity is a topic that we need to discuss more these days.
Absolutely, Melissa. And the lower verbal standards drop, the more aware we have to be. Thanks for the note!