Politicians and Politics

We saw a rather interesting debate as a country during this past presidential election. The two candidates clashed on almost every issue. The public saw plans presented, policies debated, and political philosophies disputed. But there was more than just that. There was a clash of character. The war hero vs. the Chicago politician. A man praised for his patriotism and integrity vs. a man questioned because of his associations and moral positioning. In a fairly literal sense, Americans had to ask themselves which was more important: the politician or the politics. Was it better to elect a good man or simply any man with good ideas?

Now, I am not saying Obama's ideas were or are good for the health of this country. But the polls show that on average, Americans think they are. The point is, America chose what it believes to be good politics over perhaps a truly worthy politician. I think that was a huge, terrible mistake. You don't think that's the case? Just think back to how venomously the media opposed any investigation on Obama's character. They refused to even raise questions about his past, his personal life, or his true nature and character. They just focused on his ideas, his plans, and all that change and hope rhetoric; all while downplaying John McCain's honor, integrity, and heroism. And worst of all, we let the media do it.

One thing has been clear in my incomplete study of our founding fathers. They worked so hard to design a political system with so many checks and balances just so that we could elect good, honorable men into office and let the system take care of the politics. They believed so deeply that this country had to be led by men full of integrity that they literally denied the president of more power than any other political system devised. They didn't want greed to take root in any public office and knew that the voice of the people would solve political issues.

Of course we need competent, smart, professional leaders. We need them to have the expertise that individually we may not possess. But we need them to be good men above anything else. We need them to be honest, selfless, and full of integrity. In reality, the President just doesn't have enough power to implement most his plans, ideas, or politics on his own. It was designed that way for a reason. The President does, however, have enough power to do terrible damage and bring disgrace to his office, our government, and this country.

So many people dismissed arguments against Obama if they had to do with his associations (both personal and professional), his deceit, and his social voting record (among other things) because none of those things were supposedly very important. I think time will tell a different tale. I think those things are of the greatest importance when it comes to putting together a government that actually cares about the people, gets the job done, and maintains an approval rating above 9%. Personally, I don't think we ever going to see real change until we decide that a good man is infinitely better than just a (supposed) good idea and start electing public officers accordingly.

What do you think?