Principles

With the Presidential campaign season in full swing, I feel obligated to comment on a subject I feel many of our national politicians lack- principle. A principle is a law or rule that has to be followed. A man (or woman) must have firm, unchanging principles which he believes at his very core. This is the problem I see with so many of our elected leaders whose opinions seem to ebb and flow with the public opinion. I’m not talking about any specific politician, though this could easily devolve into a partisan pissing contest, but more the politician in general. They seem to lack principle.

Perhaps my opinion is the effect of the 24 hour news cycle, of being constantly plugged in and bombarded with news from all angles- email, Facebook, twitter, cable. You can’t go far without finding someone’s opinion being blasted in your face, usually at a high volume. But underneath all of the bloviating, I rarely get the sense that someone is politicking for the good of the American People. More often, they are out to win, to make the other side look bad and to lord their superior opinions over their opponents. When did it get this way? When did calm discourse and working to find common ground become a relic of the past?

I long for someone with principles and the ability to move beyond party lines to accomplish what those principles stand for. I don’t necessarily have to agree with someone’s ideals to be able to find benefit in their point of view. Too often politics is a win at all cost, loser goes home with nothing game. It’s not a game. It’s our livelihoods. Our tax dollars. Our health care. Our economy. It’s not a set of talking points, and for once I’d like to see someone stand up there and take responsibilty without doling out the blame and pointing fingers. I’m just so tired of “politics as usual.”

Which brings me back to principles. Principles are the foundation on which all other things can be built. A politician with shifting principles, shifting loyalties will never be able to build something great when his foundation is constantly shifting based on the prevailing winds. Someone who stands firm in his beliefs, whatever they may be, will gain the hearts and minds of the people who are so desparate for something of substance.