I may have mentioned this in the past but I’m no stranger to politics. I grew up in a very politically aware family. My grandmother was actively involved in local Republican politics for many years and my father was a ward chairman in the Republican party throughout my childhood. When I was 12, he ran for the county legislature. It was a hard-fought campaign. He lost the election in a heavily Democrat ward of the city. It was heart breaking, as a great deal of effort was put into that campaign. I grew up witnessing the day to day workings of politics.
Before going any further, even though I was raised in a Republican oriented family, the values and policies promoted by the party back then seem to have little relationship to the present state of the Republican party. Over the years I have voted for both Republic and Democratic candidates. Also, I have not been involved in partisan politics since before I went into ministry 35 years ago.
Most of the politicians I encountered were men and women of integrity. They worked hard at getting people elected, helping constituents and serving the common good. These politicians had their own ideas about how things should be done and didn’t always agree on policy issues, but you could usually count on them to do what they thought was right.
In high school we had to read a bunch of books each summer. At that point in our young lives, if we read anything it was comic books, science fiction or young adult adventure novels. These were works meant to edify us, classics that we probably would not have read unless they were assigned for school. One of these books was “Profiles in Courage” by John F. Kennedy.
The book told the stories of ten politicians over the centuries who gave evidence of greatness. They demonstrated courage and integrity in the face of adversity. This book confirmed for me the nobility and high calling of public service.
I may have been naïve at the time, but I tried to keep respect for place of politics in American society, even in the face of the occasional sex scandal or arrest for corruption by some office holder. These miscreants didn’t represent the high calling of political leadership but were exceptions to it.
Over the years I’ve known many politicians. Many were men and women of integrity known many politicians. Many were men and women of integrity, unselfish people who desired to make their community better and had the talent and wisdom to serve the common good. I am proud to have known them and be able to call them friends. A few were selfish and weak, who sought their own benefit and cared little for the common good. They weren’t the majority, but they were there. They lacked moral backbones and pursued their self-interest, which eventually got them into trouble.
Democracy is a notoriously difficult form of government to maintain. It requires compromise, dialogue, dedication to principles, a reasonable degree of honesty, transparency and an electorate that takes its civic duty seriously. It also requires courage to stand up for these principles and enough integrity to seek the common good, instead of self-interest. If we look over the broad expanse of recorded human history democracies account for only a very small portion of that time frame because they ask so much of both the electorate and those chosen to serve in public office. Most people don’t want the responsibility and concern for the common good necessary for a democracy to flourish.
I don’t know exactly how it happened, but we have become cynical about our politicians. We assume that they lack integrity and that by definition politicians are corrupt. Perhaps we have become a nation of narcissists, seeking only our selfish interest, and expect no more of our political leaders than we expect of ourselves—which is not much! Or, perhaps we have seen too many politicians who are easily purchased by interest groups or who lack the backbone to stand up to a corrupt party leader. Perhaps we are just tired of all the scandal and just don’t care anymore. Such cynicism is dangerous because it allows free reign to the corrupt and undermines trust in our political institutions. Political leaders no longer perceive the nobility of politics and come to view it simply as an arena of combat where the winner takes the spoils. There is little motivation to pursue the common good, so they don’t. One result is that our cynicism grows more pervasive.
We only expect the worst from our political leaders, and they do their best to fulfill that expectation. It becomes a downward spiral that undermines our democracy.
St. Augustine lived at the end of the 4th century and the first years of the 5th century. The Roman Empire was entering a period of decline. Its politics were corrupt. The barbarian hordes were regularly sacking Rome and the center of government moved from the ancient city of Rome to Constantinople in the East. Roman society was in chaos and some people blamed Christianity for the decline. Augustine wrote a book to respond to this allegation. The book was called The City of God. In that book Augustine argued that the society in which we found ourselves was the result of our own efforts and values. If we pursued self-interest, worldly power and celebrity, we were building the city of man. This city is built on the values that most people think are important but are trash in the sight of God. If we build a society on the foundation of compassion, respect and pursuit of the common good (all Gospel values), we are building the city of God.
As Christians, we should be building the city of God. This is the path of integrity, courage, honesty and nobility to which every person involved in politics is called. Public service is a wonderful vocation that is directly related to the Gospel and the best qualities of human nature. It is a vocation whose result can be the city of God realized on Earth. It is also a vocation that can be perverted and do incalculable harm, if the one who enters it doesn’t have the courage, integrity or moral backbone to follow the high path toward the city of God.
Building the city of God is not only the responsibility of those who follow the vocation of politics, it is the responsibility of each of us. We must hold our politicians accountable for their actions. If their efforts are oriented only toward the city of man, we must vote them out of office. If they are corrupt, we must see that they are impeached or recalled. We cannot give up or turn cynical. We must constantly demand the best from our political leaders. This is just as true at the local level as it is at the national level.