I went to the dentist the other day to get my teeth cleaned. Between scraping and rinsing, we talked about the current state of affairs in the country. He knows that I write and teach about these issues and asked me what I thought.
I told him that I am concerned there is a threat to constitutional democracy in the United States, and that this is not a partisan issue but a question involving the rule of law and limits on power. My dentist responded that he is about ready to give up — as far as he’s concerned, all politicians are shady and there’s simply no use in trying or hoping for anything better than what we are seeing.
I believe that is a serious mistake — and exactly what corrupt politicians count on. Elected officials excuse their own failings by falsely suggesting that all politicians are corrupt.
We can give in to cynicism, throw our hands up in the air and give up. Or we can demand more.
In fact, we have a choice. We can give in to cynicism, throw our hands up in the air and give up. Or we can demand more.
It’s perfectly understandable why some American voters are ready to throw in the towel. President Donald Trump’s White House constantly finds new lows — consider revelations from Bob Woodward’s new book, which reportedly describes Chief of Staff John Kelly calling the president an “unhinged…idiot” who has “gone off the rails” into “crazytown”. On Wednesday, the New York Times published a opinion article from what it says is a senior Trump administration official who claims to be “working diligently from within to frustrate parts of [Trump’s] agenda and his worst inclinations.”
These and other reports don’t exactly inspire confidence in Trump or elected representatives. But it’s a mistake for Americans to conclude that this is the best we can hope for. We can easily think of recent presidents— from both major U.S. political parties — who maintained high standards. The “No drama Obama” administration was generally distinguished by its lack of scandal. George H.W. Bush’s presidency was typically marked by competence and principle.
My point isn’t that you have to agree with Obama or Bush’s politics, or with every decision they made (I certainly don’t: I wrote a book criticizing Obama’s approach to presidential power). Neither of these two former presidents is perfect, but neither can they be dismissed as shady and corrupt.
Other elected officials in both parties are worthy of respect. Senator John McCain’s funeral made this point clear as mourners from both sides of the political aisle praised McCain as setting an example when it comes to support for constitutional democracy.
Most people have morals and want to do the right thing. Most of us aspire to be good people and do our best to treat our family and friends with respect and love. Most of us would never accept in our daily lives and personal interactions the kind of bullying, personal insults, and crudeness that we see every day from Trump and elsewhere in politics.
Why not apply our personal standards to politics?
Why not apply our personal standards to politics? This does not dictate a specific partisan outcome; we must demand high standards from all elected officials. That said, Trump and his supporters represent a singular threat. As the conservative Naval War College professor Tom Nichols notes, Trump’s Republican party has become a cult of personality, willing to excuse all of Trump’s dangerous traits so long as they can maintain power.
Let’s imagine a time after Trump, a time when both Republicans and Democrats reject what Trump stands for. The way to get there is to demand high standards of morality, decency, and integrity from those who seek public office. These values should be a basic threshold we expect of all politicians. We don’t have to accept the moral cesspool currently washing over us. In demanding more from elected officials, we are also demanding more from ourselves: we are insisting that we do not accept a flawed status quo and that we do not give up.
Chris Edelson is an assistant professor of government in American University’s School of Public Affairs. His book, “ Power Without Constraint: The Post 9/11 Presidency and National Security ,” was published in 2016 by the University of Wisconsin Press.
