Recent Gallup Polls indicate that 54 percent of those polled believe that the state of moral values in the U.S. is poor. And 83 percent of those polled believe that moral values in the U.S. are getting worse. The most common response as to why this is so is consideration of others. Other reasons include lack of religion, racism, sense of entitlement, and lack of solid family structure. Cable news and social media also focus much more on negative news—murders, break-ins, racial slurs, and altercations, also contributing to a sense of moral decline.
In his inaugural address of 1861, Abraham Lincoln said, “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely, they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” Ronald Reagan said, “America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.”
Today, I see fewer better angels circling the U.S. And our light shines much dimmer now.
In days gone by, cabinet nominees failed to be confirmed by the Senate or withdrew their nominations for what in today’s world would be considered minor infractions.
Zoe Baird, Clinton’s nominee for Attorney General, withdrew her nomination because it became known that she hired an undocumented worker in her household.
Kimba Wood, Clinton’s second nominee for Attorney General also hired an undocumented worker but she did so before it became illegal. Even so, she withdrew her nomination.
Linda Chavez, George Bush’s nomination for Secretary of Labor, withdrew her nomination because it became known that she gave money to an undocumented worker who lived in her household. (There is some irony here as the President-Elect has employed numerous undocumented workers in New York City, Westminster, Philadelphia, Westchester County and Jupiter, FL. For six months, undocumented Polish workers cleared the ground where the eventual Trump Tower would be erected.)
Tom Daschle, Obama’s nominee for Health and Human Services, withdrew his nomination over $140,000 worth of unpaid taxes. (The President-Elect’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, Ivanka’s husband’s father, pled guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, was sentenced to two years in prison, and was pardoned by Trump in 2020.)
Al Franken resigned as senator of Minnesota because when he was a comedian a woman accused him of groping her while a photograph was taken.
In today’s world, nominees and even the President-Elect can have felony convictions, sexual assault charges, conflicts of interest, drug addiction and conspiracy theories galore, and Americans don’t blink an eye. If a presidential appointee can’t get the appropriate level of security clearance, the president can simply override the necessity for having one and hire the person anyway.
So why have our standards dropped so low? Why is America now OK with seriously flawed nominees with questionable backgrounds and ethics?
Some sociologists attribute this laxness in standards to the belief that for many Americans political expediency trumps personal integrity. So, for example, if your main priority is the price of eggs and a secure border, you are willing to settle for less honorable politicians.
Some scholars attribute the growing lack of civility in today’s politics to three occurrences: the gerrymandering of state and congressional districts which creates more “safe” constituencies for each party; the primary voting system that bases candidate selection on the participation of the most extreme partisans; and the campaign finance laws that redirect large campaign funds to extreme political interest groups. These three changes in governance have led to ever increasing polarization of the parties and consequently less civility.
In an editorial for The New York Times, Thomas Friedman wrote about how American politicians no longer feel shame for committing misdeeds. The days when politicians apologize for wrongdoings, do penance, and often resign their posts are long gone. (Matt Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives only because he thought he would be the next Attorney General and then withdrew that nomination which surprisingly was a bridge too far for a few Republicans.)
I know I will be beset by naysayers, but I am embarrassed by my country today. And I’m disgusted by the mean-spirited and downright cruel posts I saw on Thanksgiving Day. I long for the days when we treated our political adversaries with dignity and respect on both sides of the aisle. I want integrity and honesty always to be front and center. I want to applaud acts of kindness. I want all of us to commit to making the world a better, safer, cleaner, more welcoming, and inclusive place to live. I want us to encourage our children and family and friends to show compassion and empathy. These qualities are not weaknesses. They are strengths to be encouraged and celebrated.
Sowing more division and seeking retribution have never been the answers. Searching for common ground is a first step in getting back to the basics of true civil discourse. It starts by finding small areas of agreement, collaborating on solutions to problems, and building upon progress made. (I saw this premise in action when I was the Human Resources Director for the largest peacebuilding nonprofit Search for Common Ground.)
My hope is that as a country we can once more be seen as “better angels” whose “beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.” I fear it will be a long time coming.
Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.
James O. Siegman says
I’d like to applaud Maria Grant’s essay today on the moral fiber of our nation. She points out the dire need for civility., we should all seek to form organizations DEDICATED to civil discussion on the most pressing matters before us. Again. I call for our community to to, as Grant said, follow our better angels and not just seek unity, we should actively CREATE unity and thus respect for one another….we should demand of ourselves….integrity above all and more vociferously demand it from those who hold or seek elected office. Perhaps through such action, we may revive decency across the populace. It seems to me when there is broad recognition that we are all in this together, we may again find the soul of America beneath the detritus of abject indecency.
Maria Grant says
Thank you so much for your very wise words. Much appreciated.
Wilson Dean says
As this article points out so well, the standards many Americans now expect their political leaders to show have fallen so low as to be tragically absurd. It would be tempting to write off the individuals for Cabinet and related positions Trump has nominated as simply a bunch of clowns, but unfortunately it is much worse. They are in most cases spiteful and hateful, obsessed more with seeking retribution against those who have opposed Trump than actually working to develop constructive ideas to improve our country.
There are many of us in this nation who would prefer to have their political leaders demonstrate a high degree of integrity and work across the aisle to find common solutions to our problems. Judging from the initial signs coming from the Trump transition, this is not a priority for the incoming Presidential administration. In the end, those who voted to elect Mr. Trump have opened the door to a very dangerous time ahead when American values and democracy could be significantly eroded.
Maria W. Grant says
Thank you for writing. I agree that we are in for some tough times ahead.
Jim Wilkins says
I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments but share your dismay at our current state of affairs. Unfortunately this phenomenon is not limited to our country and we are but the latest example of a trend toward bigotry and misinformation. Hopefully when the voters get a taste of the upcoming disaster that will surely ensue they will rethink their misguided allegiance to a corrupt convicted felon who has no business in the White House. But that’s where we are
Maria W. Grant says
You make a good point that this degradation in our society is happening throughout the world. Thanks for writing.