In the age of ethical controversy, it is easy for us to become cynical. I could almost say lose faith in each other. We all need heroes and people to inspire us. There was a time when our ethical standards were formed at home within our family dynamics. These days more people are working and we have allowed the convenience of easy access to shape and influence our ethical standards.
Running a country is a job, and as all of us would want our boss to be ethical at work, we would also hope the ethics continue into their privet life. What presidential candidate has the ethical behavior we would want as our leader!
Newt Gingrich’s past is littered with one bad decision after another. Gingrich was the firstspeaker to ever be penalized for ethical violations with 84 charges against him. His personal life is no better with cheating on both of his former wives. His character is a reflection of one who would do anything to get ahead. This ethical disregard is not fitting for a future President.
Mitt Romney claims to oppose abortion but did not vote to overturn the existing abortion laws and on occasion supports gay rights but won’t promote gay marriage. Romney can’t claim one belief and do another. Not saying the truth is just another form of lying.
Let’s take a look at Ron Paul’s ethical responsibility. If a government official is going to support a paper with their name on it, then they are responsible for its content. He published a group of news letters to his true believers called “The Ron Paul Political Report”. Ron Paul’s newsletter is racially insensitive almost to the point of racist. When he is asked about the incident, he mostly just gets angry, won’t talk about it and storms off. Having a publication is a great way to gather support, as long as nothing is written that can come back at them.
We have been calling ourselves Americans for hundreds of years now. Unless we hold our political officials ethically responsible, we might not make another hundred years. We can make a difference by not allowing our minds to be filled with falsities. Recognize ethics regarding political and social concerns in our leaders.
I agree that Americans should hold our elected officials to a greater ethical standard, though I will propose a counterargument for both of our benefit -- to encourage empathy, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteA politician is a public figure, and subject to the constant scrutiny of the media and the citizenry that they represent. This is a good thing, but it also serves to both magnify transgressions, and cause extreme levels of stress. Even Martin Luther King, according to some not entirely unbelievable sources, was an adulterer (I apparently can't link in the comments, but feel free to check it on my blog). This is one black mark on an otherwise untouchable legacy, and I do not for a moment believe that it makes MLK any less of a leader. Similarly, John Kennedy is another unethical, but very well beloved, former President. I doubt greatly that many people would disregard the benefits that both of these men have brought to our nation due to the ethical shortcomings of their personal lives.
I argue that what is truly important for a president (and to a lesser degree, for a member of congress) is not necessarily ethical fibers stronger than the rock of gibraltar, but a sense of decency that transcends individual transgressions. With enough digging, and under enough pressure, any man, woman, or child will lash out at whatever happens to push their buttons. In a news conference, she’ll say something insensitive because she’s angry that no one wants to talk about the important questions, or perhaps he tried drugs in college and got caught, or she married the wrong man and found out two years too late and one drink too many. What I want from a President is humanity, plain and simple. I want them to have made mistakes in their past because if they haven’t made mistakes then they haven’t learned from them. I want them to have a temper, because if they can’t stand up for what’s right, then what good are they? Ultimately, I believe that the seat of power needs to have a small amount of volatility -- the President’s job is to be the tipping point of the nation and the voice of the people, and someone who’s never lived cannot speak for me.
Ethics are an important part of our lives. They dictate how we should live our lives. They should also dictate who runs our lives as a collective community. I agree with Angela Albright’s blog posting “Who Can We Look Up To” http://www.angelasgov.blogspot.com/2012/03/who-can-we-look-up-to.html, at least in part.
ReplyDeleteYes, one’s ethics is part of the job. At least it is as President of the United States. Who you are as a person dictates whether or not you get to be in the position to run our country. However, I feel that some parts of an elected officials private life, even if they portray them in a negative light, have nothing to do with how well they represent us. Take Bill Clinton for example. Yes, he had an affair, but he also was an excellent President, balanced the budget and put the United States in a period of economic growth, and during his two terms, the American Public was at relative peace. Does Clinton's infidelity make him unfit to lead us? Are our leaders supposed to be without fault?
However, one's ethics in relation to leading a country is a completely different story. Flip-flopping ideas just so that you can stay away from anything too controversial, being penalized for 84 ethics related violations in Congress. These things are far from their private life, where their decisions don't affect us. These are the things we should be looking at during elections. They speak volumes of their character.
So yes, ethics are important, but we can not expect everyone to be perfect.