Tag: My Dentist

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. But it’s a mistake for Americans to conclude that this is the best we can hope for. 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. 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. The way to get there is to demand high standards of morality, decency, and integrity from those who seek public office. 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.