Some, in this heated political season, have argued that effectiveness in governance is more important in an elected official than character. Managing an organization the size of the federal government takes a special kind of skill. Experience in billion dollar budgets is more important than personal integrity.
Certainly, elected officials need the requisite leadership skills. But can those skills be divorced from the character of the candidate? Can a good leader reverse course on a promise made to his constituency if it seems to negatively affect his poll numbers? Can a good leader drive an enterprise into financial ruin as long as her own interests are protected? Will a good leader abandon the people he or she has sworn to protect?
Leadership and character are inseparable. Situations in leadership arise all the time that are unexpected and unplanned. Will your candidate address the problem with an objective standard of what is right and wrong? Will your candidate be pragmatic and follow the path of least resistance?
The only way to tell how your candidate will perform when a moral crisis arises is to check his track record. If he or she has been consistent in following an objective standard, support that integrity with your vote. If their decisions are all over the moral map, they are pursuing their own interests first and are not worthy of your consideration as political statesman.
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