Thaddeus doesn’t think so. Like most Americans, he believes in honesty, and yet this question plagues him from the beginning of the book to it’s final pages. Can a cause be so important that cheating is justified? Roger Wright seemed to believe that, but he kept it out of sight. That’s what you did in the 1970s or even the 1980s. It’s not that no one cheated in the past, but that if they did they kept it a secret. It was dishonorable. If discovered, it undermined the victory, not the value.
Politics was always a dirty business, but the dirt was kept hidden. Because of that we could all maintain the idea that honesty is a basic American value. We teach it to our children. Cheating is wrong, we say. Lying is wrong, we say. And we try to live up to that standard. Maybe we don’t always make it, but that is the STANDARD. At least, it was.
This is the most shocking election I have ever witnessed, because the cheating is so public. That, of course, is because of the pervasive media and internet coverage. Nowadays, it’s a lot harder to cover it up. That should be a boon to honesty. At last we can extend that virtue to politics, or at least to elections. But instead, the cheaters are doubling down and making excuses; and the country is so divided that winning is more important than anything else.
The Supreme Court just upheld a new voter ID law in North Dakota that specifically disinfranhised Native Americans (because they predominately vote Democratic.) Apparently, voter suppression and racial discrimination are ok by our current standards of honesty and fairness. But that is not OK with me!! It’s not honest or fair or even democratic!
Gerrymandering is rampant and the Supreme Court has not consistently rejected it. This is now widely reported and well known. Gerrymandering used to be a bad word. It was what dishonest politicians did to insure a victory over the popular vote–the antithesis of democracy. Now it’s just what winners get to do. A privilege of power. But this is not ok!! Not for Democrats. Not for Republicans. Not nobody. No nohow!!
Our basic institutions are under attack and need to be restored by a bipartisan or nonpartisan coalition. Gerrymandering and voter suppression are un-American. Cheating is immoral. Honesty is actually a value we all share. We need to renew our commitment to the shared values that made us proud to be American.
If you think I’m wrong about any of this, please respond. Explain to me why gerrymandering or voter suppression are not cheating; or maybe they are cheating but are still justified by something even more important. Perhaps, the value of honesty is overridden by some other value. Of course, if you don’t think honesty is a basic, shared, American value, let me know that, too. On the other hand, if you agree, I’d love to see honesty affirmed. Please talk to me.
