Out and About (Sort of): American Voter by Howard Freedlander

Sen. Gary Hart, a rising star in the Democratic Party, was running for president in the 1988 primary when a photo of a woman, not his wife, sitting on his lap on a boat became public. He was cheating on his spouse.

The yacht’s name was “Monkey Business.”

Hart’s campaign and political career ended immediately and unceremoniously. He lost public trust.

Rep. Robert Livingston (R, La.) was preparing to become Speaker of the House in 1999 when reports circulated about his extramarital affairs. Like Hart, his political career hit an immovable roadblock. He too was cheating on his wife.

But the political environment has changed for the worse, as Craig Fuller suggested a few weeks ago in his weekly Spy conversation. He is right, sadly, and sordidly so.

American voters have become more tolerant and forgiving. They care little about a public statement of shame. Careers stay afloat. Everyone is entitled to human weakness and temptation, so the thinking goes.

Standards of behavior have diminished.

Former President Donald Trump’s extramarital escapades and crude sexual references have had no impact. His supporters excuse his awful behavior. When he encounters criticism, he and his disciples play the victim card; liberal elites are at fault for their self-righteous attitudes.

His wife says nothing, at least publicly.

My theory about the change in the voters’ moral judgments combines two elements: distrust and partisanship. And a third factor might be an alarming lack of a middle ground and shared values.

Democrats and Republicans, wealthy and non-wealthy, educated and non-educated, white collar and blue collar, affluent suburban and lower-middle class residents—they view each other as enemies, or at least as polar opposites on the socioeconomic scale.

They mistrust each other. Criticism of tribal members is brushed away.

The wagons not only are circled, but they are also ramparts protecting the wrongdoer. Critics are subject to verbal abuse and threats by zealous supporters.

It appears as if morals and ethics are negotiable. No one norm guides us. Your tribe determines right and wrong. Any other thoughts are disregarded, anathema to the unwritten rules of behavior for a particular group.

Puritanical guidelines for appropriate societal interactions matter little to those who assume a transactional approach to life.

Wrap these tribal differences into right-wing or left-wing political positions, and you find it easy to dismiss others’ opinions as biased and thoughtless. And battle lines harden.

What is especially alarming is the erosion of a universal belief system. Remnants remain.

Since 1898, the motto for the U.S. Military Academy has been “Duty, Honor, Country.” Time-honored concepts for West Point—and our country—they signify the best of our attributes, ones to which we should aspire, whether we are leaders or followers.

We should commit ourselves selflessly to our mission and never waver. We should act honorably and respectfully. And our country comes first in and out of combat. Morals matter.

The motto sounds old-fashioned. Some political leaders often put themselves above the country they are supposed to serve. They act corruptly, accumulating money and power at the expense of morality and honesty. They disparage institutions, such as the judiciary.

Honorable behavior is secondary to winning at all costs. Lying is permissible in pursuit of elective victory and character assassinations.

In a speech on March 27, 2024, in Sioux Falls, SD, David Brooks, New York Times columnist and PBS commentator, talked about the dire condition of American society.

He referred to a survey that said that 71 percent of youth believe that people would take advantage of them if possible, and 80 percent opine that most people care only about themselves.

The country suffers from a spiritual crisis, Brooks believes. He proposes a solution.

‘Our every day actions are how we rebuild our country,’ Brooks said. ‘It is not naive to lead with trust. It is not naive to lead with curiosity. It is not naive to lead with genuineness. You will be betrayed. You will be hurt. But it is worth it.’

Should American voters restore a sense of trust and respect, they would view moral and honorable behavior as a signpost for voting and living.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. After 44 years in Easton, Howard and his wife, Liz, moved in November 2020 to Annapolis, where they live with Toby, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who has no regal bearing, just a mellow, enticing disposition.