YES!!! Character Matters

There are those who view this carton rendering as off limits.

They argue that even our politicians have a right to their privacy and that their moral shortcomings and dalliances are a personal matter and none of our business. They see any effort to expose their character flaws as political dirty tricks and partisan politics.  Are we sure of that?

Doesn't it then follow that our lack of knowledge surrounding their character flaws and personal lives somehow benefits us as a nation? How can we be sure of that? 

Isn't it reasonable for us to be concerned about their character once they request our permission to hold the most prestigious offices in our country or sit poised with their finger on the trigger?  Isn't their character and self-discipline key factors in determining their qualifications to deal with the enormous stress and pressure inherent with the responsibilities of holding an elective office? 

We need to know if the person asking for our trust and support to serve is plagued by demons that are out of control.  We should know if they have violated their oaths.  If They have compromised their commitments to loyalty and trust.  If they have failed to honor the most important aspects to the most important people in their lives. 

YES…WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT !!!!!

Our politicians take an oath of office. Are they going to treat that oath in a cavalier or dishonest fashion???  What will their attitude and resolve be toward the adherence of laws that govern their behavior, the laws that apply to our citizens and the laws that govern our foreign policy agreements and international affairs? 

That is legal behavior.

How about moral and ethical behavior – the behavior that is not ruled by laws?  What value structure will guide their decisions and determine their concepts of right and wrong?  Should the country be comfortable with someone who has a history of cheating and lying? Has a pattern of employing misleading and deceitful forms of justification (it all depends what the definition of is, is.) to gain acceptance and save face?

It is difficult to know how keeping character flaws under wraps may have comprised us in the sixties.  Attorney General Robert Kennedy had ordered J. Edgar Hoover to investigate organized crime (the Mafia) on several occasions.  Hoover refused saying it didn’t exist. Bobby had no control over Hoover.  He feared Hoover would leak the information he had on the president’s adultery. We have no idea what other concessions were made to keep that quiet. 

Also, our presidents act as our emissaries and thus project not just a national but worldwide image of America.  Like it or not, these office holders are a direct reflection of how we are viewed by the rest of the world…not just politically but morally.  These perceptions are key factors in determining the level of respect and cooperation we are afforded.

Richard Nixon clearly understood this.  He resigned from office to avoid embarrassing the country with impeachment hearings.  Bill Clinton, on the other hand, was far more aloof and arrogant.  He saw himself as being more important than the office of the presidency.  When asked by a reporter on the White House lawn as Clinton walked from presidential helicopter to the building how it felt to have been impeached, Clinton said; “not bad.”  He showed no shame, no remorse - just an arrogance of being above it all.  In doing so he clearly demonstrated that, he was certainly one of the WORST MEN to occupy the oval office.

Politicians like Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Herman Cain, Newt, Donald Trump, Roy Moore, Anthony Weiner are NOT the victims of political character assassinations or defamation motivated by political partisanship.  They are rather the victims of their own lack of self-discipline, immaturity and reprehensible character flaws.  Both Nixon and Clinton badly tarnished the presidency and thus our nation.  Their self-centered, irresponsible behavior stemming from some very serious personal demons left us with some of the darkest chapters in our history.  

It is true that two of the most decent and trustworthy presidents with the strongest of moral fibers where Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.  It is also true that they have been either routinely dismissed as effective chief executives or vilified as presidents.  It was Gerald Ford who ended the carnage in Vietnam and shut down the Watergate hysteria.  Jimmy Carter’s heart broke whenever a child died of starvation.  The fact that they both served for only one term as presidents may be more a commentary on what we have become as a nation rather than an indictment on their ability to govern.

Character matters and should always be of primary concern when electing our public officials.