Character matters when choosing a president

The Republican National Committee currently reports $235 million in their war chest to support the re-election of former President Donald Trump. The Democratic Party, which had a fundraising lead a few weeks ago, reports $212 million on hand to help President Joe Biden continue in office.

Looking at these numbers, it’s hard not to realize that there is a powerful political class in this country that wants their candidate to win. This is not surprising and is nothing new. However, the money raised is staggering and depressing.

What could $447 million do to change the country now for the better? Could the money be used to restart the building of the middle class that has been gutted by COVID, inflation, the changing labor market and lack of attention from the federal government? Could better efforts be funded to protect the country’s borders and ultimately and further address many of the immigration issues we face right now? Why is it necessary to pour nearly half a billion dollars into a presidential election right now? Of course, this money is only the tip of the iceberg at this point. The final price involved in choosing either the former or the current will only be staggering and disgusting.

Recently, a CNN interviewer asked a Republican supporter about the former president’s chances of reelection. He asked the question immediately after a New York jury found President Trump guilty on all 34 felony charges. Personal character was at the heart of the question. Could people trust an individual who was found guilty of a very serious case? Trump’s support comes largely from individuals who did not enjoy the Biden presidency, who feel that Trump has been largely antagonized by the courts and likes him better on the economic front.

On the other side of the political aisle, many voters have forgotten that many years ago, President Biden, while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, practically plagiarized a speech from a British politician and dropped out of the race when his character was called into question. While the president is great in the trenches of a political battle, the question of his willpower is still paramount. If re-elected, he will continue to be America’s oldest elected president. The opposition wants to highlight the dangers of his age and competence, but this is nothing new.

The issue of character is one of the most important components of any election. However, it has been put on the back burner in many of our most recent national elections. Many voters voted for their choice based on the economy or national defense, or what kind of candidate would best help their children in the future. But they didn’t vote so much on character.

Now, we have two main candidates who display shameful characters in many ways. Here, we are not talking about perfection. That’s not character. However, one aspect of showing character is not lying to save one’s skin and admitting past mistakes and being honest. Displaying a deep foundation of conviction. Choosing honor and dignity over personal gain.

Arguably, we haven’t had much of the above from many of our recent presidents. Reagan lied about trading arms for hostages. Clinton lied about having a relationship with a young intern. Some argue that the second President Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. As former President Jimmy Carter languishes in Hospice care, his promise not to lie to the American people comes back to haunt us in an amplified way. As his presidency is reviewed by scholars, his honesty (which seemed odd, but was also necessary in the wake of Watergate), is something that people continue to value.

The merits and demerits of each political candidate are to be judged and voted on by the American people. This is what is great about democracy. The right to choose the best candidate comes to and from the people every four years. A candidate’s character should be very much considered because, after all, a feature of democracy is that the people get the kind of country they want at the hands of the voter.

Social media is unforgiving and manipulative. Every shortcoming of a candidate is exposed. It is up to each voter to look past these things and support the best choice. Perhaps the presidential debates will draw voters’ attention and help each of us make the best possible decision.

Like any presidential election, but perhaps more so than the last one, this upcoming election is significant for a number of reasons. It is simply a shameful and wasteful situation considering the amount of money spent in elections these days, but things will be more harmful and dangerous if we do not elect the right candidate who has the political character and courage to help in times of today. We must not forget to look at the personal character of every candidate running for any office.

A candidate’s character should shine through positively or negatively and should not be relegated to the voter as a secondary condition for how they choose their candidate. How a leader shows their character in their day to day affairs should be a litmus test for us as to how they will lead the country.