In this midterm-election year, Republicans and Democrats are running markedly different campaigns at every level of government.
Republicans are generally campaigning on policy: public safety, border security, taxes, energy, economic growth, parental rights, and the cost of living. Democrats, by contrast, too often appear to be building a political narrative intended to evoke an immediate emotional response from everyday voters: Trump is bad; Republicans are dangerous; America is irredeemably flawed.
A campaign built largely on fear and resentment may energize a crowd, but it cannot sustain a nation. It is difficult to run on policy when there are no clear underlying principles—no moral or ethical pillars—upon which to stand.
Too much of today’s political rhetoric is fueled by contempt: contempt for Israel, for law enforcement, for the military, for successful people, and for the free-enterprise system itself. Capitalism is casually recast as colonialism or exploitation. Personal achievement is treated as evidence of privilege rather than a result of work, sacrifice, ingenuity, or risk. Hate and envy are powerful political forces, but they are destructive ones.
Consider some of the major political messages of the past years. Lyndon Johnson offered the Great Society. Ronald Reagan spoke of America as a “shining city upon a hill.” Barack Obama promised “hope and change,” though Americans were often left asking: hope for what, and change toward what? We were told, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” Those promises did not survive contact with reality.
We have also lived through a succession of manufactured crises and political alarms—from the anxieties surrounding Y2K to climate predictions and the politicization of COVID. Serious problems deserve serious attention. But public trust is weakened when leaders use fear as a substitute for candor, competence, and workable policy.
Great nations have a story to tell. They are built on the legacy of heroes: men and women of integrity, character, determination, courage, and accomplishment. When those qualities are no longer valued in public life—especially in government—we risk ceasing to be a great nation.
This election season presents a real crossroads. One path leads toward division, fear, resentment, and ever-greater dependence on political power. The other leads toward hope, merit, responsibility, opportunity, and enlightenment.
We need leaders who can lead us down the second path—people who have demonstrated throughout their lives a commitment to virtue, productive work, service, and genuine accomplishment. A college degree, a J.D., an M.D., or a Ph.D. is not, by itself, an accomplishment. Those credentials are tools. They become meaningful only when paired with hard work, thoughtful risk-taking, humility, and service to others.
As voters consider candidates from both parties and at every level of government, we should ask a fundamental question:
What does right look like?
Is it right for a city official to accept campaign money from a developer seeking favorable zoning changes? Is it right to accept large contributions from lobbyists or corporate interests while voting on matters that directly affect them? Is it right for a senior military officer to move immediately from decades of public service to a corporate board such as Raytheon or Boeing, where influence and access may carry enormous financial value?
These questions are not partisan. They go to the heart of public trust.
America needs to recover an understanding of what “right” looks like. Every one of us needs heroes, regardless of age, background, or station in life. When we elect men and women who see public office merely as a means to an end—wealth, status, influence, or power—we endanger not only our civic virtue but also the liberty and self-government entrusted to us.
This election season, voters should be wary of any political narrative that cannot stand on a moral predicate or an ethical pillar.
We should demand more than slogans, fear, and partisan resentment. We should demand policy, character, accountability, and leaders worthy of the country they seek to govern.
