133. How Should We be Judging Political Candidates?
Today we discuss the tension between social justice and politics by examining whether voters expect too much honesty from politicians or tolerate too much dishonesty. When we hear that a candidate hasn’t accurately presented his background, are we hearing a simple mistake as to the facts or an intentional misrepresentation?
And if it was an intentional misrepresentation, what do we do about it? Balance that misrepresentation with the candidate’s qualities? Reject him outright? How much of a misrepresentation is required before we reject a candidate?
Maryland Governor Wes Moore claimed in 2006 to have received the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan, when he actually received the less prestigious Army Commendation Medal. Other questions arose about how much combat time he had. Oddly, a Bronze Star was awarded in 2024, well after he resigned from the Army. Do these inconsistencies evidence a character flaw and lack of fitness for higher office, or should they be overlooked?
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, who was very popular with those who saw him as a way to help counter President Trump, was able to attribute to PTSD his offensive social media posts and ignorance about a prominent tattoo being a Nazi symbol. Platner’s story seemed to make sense until it didn’t—when credible allegations about sexual assault hit the news.
Now that Platner is out of the picture, the Democratic Party has to examine how virtue, or lack of it, should be balanced against electability, as well the risk that comes with inadequate vetting, and the notion that the “ends justify the means” politics.
