Calling Out Politicians who do the Right Things

Charlie Rangel.  Mark Sanford.  Mark Foley.  Maxine Waters.  It seems like a month cannot go by without some prominent elected official being accused of wrongdoing in their official conduct or personal lives.  Some may say it is the sign of the times and others might chalk it up to human nature, but regardless of its causes, it is a sad reality that happens all too often and leads to further voter distrust, disgust, and worst of all, apathy.

As is the case of most reporting, news often centers on the negative.  In fact, a recent study done observes that people tend to be drawn psychologically more toward negative and threatening stories than those that are positive.  This would certainly explain the political media’s unending thirst for any hint of impropriety or corruption.

The vast majority of politicians receive very little news coverage.  Why is this the case?  Some possible explanations might include, 1) they are better able to hide their indiscretions from others, 2) they are uninteresting personalities who rarely stand out among their appears, or 3) politicians who do the right thing just make less interesting news.

In reality, all three of these possible explanations, plus others I have not considered, may be the case.  But I would like to focus on the last point.  Although our country has been through some rough recent times, the fact that our nation remains a Republic and that many of our freedoms, though severely threatened, have not fallen completely tells me that there have to be people who do the right thing.  There have to be elected officials who vote on principle, who honor their marital vows, who will not put themselves in the position to gain personally by a vote or action in office.

Just this week, there was a story of two American Majority alumni who, in their capacity as County Commissioners, are standing against a tax increase in Washington County, Minnesota.  While all too often principled stands like these are ignored, it is nice to see that these Commissioners are getting press for their actions.

What about all those politicians who have remained committed to their spouses and those who have raised children with integrity and who are productive citizens?  Sure you hear about Elliot Spitzer and David Vitter, but how often do you hear of men who are committed to their family and their faith like Geoff Davis who currently represents Kentucky’s 4^th district in the House and has six children and used to serve as a volunteer chaplain for nearly a decade.

As much as it is important to focus on calling out people who abuse public office, it is just as important to praise and affirm politicians who are doing the right thing.  Take a moment and think about the politicians that you admire.  When’s the last time you thanked them for voting the right way, or being a role model of integrity?

We’d love to hear about some out the politicians in your area who are doing the right thing.  Feel free to “call them out” in the comment section below.