Pure and simple all the policy ideas in the world don’t matter if I don’t trust you to do what you say, don’t think you have the leadership abilities to do what you plan, or think that you have the backbone to follow through when you are challenged. I know that many people here will choose their candidate based purely on positions, but I don’t think that is true of most of the electorate nor do I think it should be.
We are electing candidates based on what we think they will do in the future, and how they will affect the future of our nation. Past performance is usually a good indicator of how they will perform in the future, but so is our own judgement of what they really plan to do and why they plan to do it. We also need to be confident that they have the intelligence and judgement to make good decisions about problems that have yet to arise. For all of these reasons we need to choose a candidate who has both integrity and ability.
No politician can function in their office if they are entirely pure, but we do need a president who has the basic ability to tell the truth, be true to their principles, stand up for what they believe in, and admit to their mistakes. I demand from my candidate some basic respect for honesty. Honesty about their positions from to tax code to starting a war, honesty about who they are and what the believe in. I also want a candidate who shows a basic ability to follow the rules and keep their word. We are all tired of having a president and congress who think they are above the law, in America no one is above the law and all deserve equal protection under the law. I do not want anyone to be president who doesn’t think that they have to play by the rules that everyone else plays by. I want a candidate who believes in something who has a clear core of moral values that affect their decisions, I would prefer one who has values that I can agree with; equality, liberty, justice, privacy, life. I would settle for one who stands proudly by their values and listens to me when we disagree. I want someone who is proud of what they have done and what they believe in, but no so proud that they cannot admit to a mistake when they have made one. The ability to admit ones errors and rectify them as best as possible is a key character trait for me in selecting a leader.
The other important aspect of character is ability. Do you think that person has the qualities needed to lead, do they have the charisma to inspire? Do they have the intelligence and judgement to decide? Do they have the wisdom and experience to guide them. Do they listen to the advice of smart people of people who disagree with them? Can they negotiate with foreign leaders with the opposition party? Do they comprehend global politics? Do they care about the concerns of voters, and understand how we live our lives. Can they delegate responsibility. No one is going to be great at all of these things, but a president should be able to do all of them to some extent.
I don’t think it is possible to talk about character without talking about values. I think that an elected candidates first responsibility is to their own moral compass then to what they and their constituents are best for their country and their region. To do that they need to have a core of values concerning civic virtues and ethical dilemmas and moral issues. These are likely to root of their policy and often their integrity. Those values can stem from any upbringing. My values lead me to stand for protecting life, respecting privacy, defending the weak, protecting our constitutional rights, respecting the needs of the minority, treating others with respect and honor and defending the civil rights of my fellow citizens. I am likely to choose a candidate whom I feel also agrees with those values. It is likely that if they do we will have very similar policy ideas, more importantly they allow me to make an informed guess about what the candidate will do if elected.
We should be discussing the character of all of our candidates now. It is important for how they will perform in office. If we don’t talk about it now, the Republican nominee and any 527s will not be shy about talking about it later. I have tried to write this in an unbiased way, but I would not be surprised if you have guessed who I am with by what character traits I felt the need to talk about. Hopefully we can admit that character matters and show our character by trying to discuss theirs without rancor.
