I never imagined I’d have to write an article defending something this basic. But after listening to some of the political conversations happening on the left, here we are.
Yes, the character of our politicians matters. It always has and it always should. Yet there are content creators and writers insisting that character is somehow secondary. To be honest, when I first heard this, my immediate reaction was: WTF? But after sitting with it for a moment, my second thought was even clearer: they’ve simply lost the plot.
I can already hear the objection: What about Trump? What about the corruption on the right? Believe me, I see it too. The self-profiteering and the cruelty are obvious to anyone paying attention. Yes, I’m deeply disappointed that America elected, for a second time, a completely selfish and narcissistic president. But his presidency isn’t evidence that character doesn’t matter. It’s evidence of what happens when enough people stop caring that it does.
But what I can’t understand is the kindergarten argument that seems to be: If they can do it, why can’t we? Is the left really saying, “Let’s get down in the dirt with them”? Is our answer to moral bankruptcy really to embrace a little of our own?
I’m sorry, my fellow Americans, but we can’t. Not if we expect to become something better.
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Now back to what I was saying.
Especially at a time when we’re seeing the consequences of poor leadership play out almost daily. This isn’t the moment to lower our standards simply because others have chosen not to uphold theirs.
And I don’t say this as someone who’s always gotten it right. I, too, was fooled by content creators and “advocates” who condemned the very traits they quietly excused in themselves and their allies.
But this line of thinking is one we should reject outright.
Especially since the left has long defined itself by a commitment to equality and justice. Even when those values have existed more in rhetoric than reality, the argument has always been that dignity, fairness, and how we treat others matters. Those further left would add that systems of exploitation, abuse, and concentrated power must also be challenged.
Which raises an obvious question: if these principles matter when evaluating American politics, why wouldn’t they matter when evaluating the people asking to lead?
I’m also highly suspicious of this happening precisely when more Americans are questioning the political and economic status quo.
Ideas that were once dismissed are now being discussed by millions of people in good faith. Americans are asking why so much wealth is concentrated in the hands of so few. They’re questioning endless wars and corporate influence over our government. They’re starting to dismiss leaders who aren’t serving the public but simply serving themselves.
This should be a moment of tremendous opportunity. If people are becoming more open to rethinking the systems that shape their lives, then those advocating for change have an obligation to meet this moment with integrity.
Instead, some seem intent on lowering the very standards that gave those ideas credibility in the first place. If the left asks people to believe that character no longer matters, we shouldn’t be surprised when they conclude that our movement isn’t offering something different. That it’s simply asking to be the one in charge.
Those telling you to vote for a politician with a deeply troubling record, no history of fighting for working people, and little more than promises of change are also asking you to ignore a predictor of future behavior: past behavior.
So before accepting that advice, ask yourself who benefits from it.
Just like the right, the left has built its own multimillion-dollar political ecosystem. It has organizations to protect, careers to preserve, donors to satisfy, and narratives to defend. If that ecosystem can convince you that character no longer matters, it can continue promising transformation while delivering far less.
In a political climate where saying the right thing is more profitable than doing the right thing, we don’t need more leaders who know how to perform character. We need people who actually possess it.
Character isn’t a distraction from good leadership. It’s the foundation of it. The way someone treats others before they have power is the clearest indication of how they’ll use it once they have it. Because we should have learned by now that power doesn’t change who someone is. It reveals who they’ve always been.
So no, I won’t be lowering my standards. And I hope my fellow Americans refuse to lower theirs too.
We should be constantly questioning our politicians…
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