morals

This is a bit different than my usual post focusing on economics or political tactics. It's that time of the year to take stock of who we are, why we're here, and how do we live our lives.

Now it's easy to be depressed--we've lost an election, we've all lost tons of money the way the economy has been, and there are plenty of misguided socialists and defeatists just chomping at digging an even bigger hole for our society.  But we all have been given the gift of life, and no doubt, whatever fortune has taken away from us, we all still have many gifts most of the world would be envious of.

I've gotten this unusually philosophical after watching two TV programs last night: former CT Governor John Rowland on FNC's Huckabee  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckabee and the perennial Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life

Seeing Rowland was poignant---I had been deeply involved in his U.S. House campaigns in the 1980's and his first unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 1990. And we were sorta kindred spirits--brash young Reagan conservatives out to make a mark on the body politic.

Mike (who is an excellent host by the way) calmly asked Rowland to explain why he caused his political career to implode in ethical disgrace   http://ctlocalpolitics.net/2008/12/13/rowland-on-huckabee/ . John explained how he failed to be "grounded" and how his "vessel" had been empty and easily filled up by arrogance which was reinforced by a circle of yes men.

I will attest to the accuracy of John's account. The longer he stayed in politics the further he got from his geographic and ideological roots.  Instead of being in a circle of folks who had been with him through thick and thin, his inner circle evolved into people drawn from the permanent government of a state capitol. I'm sure John is not the first --nor the last--conservative Republican who stopped dancing with the folks who brought him to the dance.

And who might have had sufficient gumption to tell him the stuff he was doing--even if other politicians had gotten away with it--was going to make him look like a horse's ass even if the authorities didn;t come down on him.

But my kinda folks were mostly gone.   See, we're just not hip enough.  Gotta "play the game".  Rowland started his career at a pizza & beer joint; his major domo at the end used to own a French restaurant. 'Nuff said.  

Rowland now realizes belatedly that public service ought to be its own reward. Now, he is left suggesting to Governor Blago its time to stop the bleeding and step down.  Based on the Rowland experience, Rod would be well advised to follow this advice. It is going to end badly, so why extend the pain?

Rod Blagojevich evidently became Governor not to serve his state, but to serve himself. I can at least point to the reconstruction of UCONN as a positive, nonpartisan Rowland accomplishment. I fear all Blago has left in his wake is collateral damage to the people who put their trust in him. The difference may be that in Chicago politics, there's no period of disillusionment---the politicians on the way up are already arrogant self-dealers before attaining high office.

After seeing the Rowland interview, I saw It's a Wonderful Life on NBC.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life.  Our political leaders might do well to emulate George Bailey---not John Rowland or Rod Blagojevich.

George Bailey is confronted on Christmas eve with a sudden ruinous financial disaster. We see how throughout his life George Bailey had the opportunity to seek fame, fortune and glamour, yet at every instance chose the path of responsibilty and duty. Now, having made the self-sacrifice to his family and community, he sees himself on the brink of personal ruin.

Thanks to the angel Clarence, George Bailey sees that whatever he has given up personally, his choices--based on a vision of personal integrity--have greatly enriched his friends and neighbors and prevented them from being exploited by the powerful and unethical. At the end he realizes his sacrifices have not been for naught, and he did have a "Wonderful Life".

My Christmas wish is that our political leaders of both parties and all ideological persuasions think about what is really a "Wonderful Life". It's not about how much cash you can cram into your pockets, how much power you can wield over others, or how much glamour and acclaim one can get from the media.

Now I'm not advocating being a chump, a do-gooder or a pushover (that's not Ironman, now is it?) but a "Wonderful Life" is doing the right thing whether it directly rewards you or not. Don't go along . get along. Take a stand and deal with the consequences.  Lose an election before you lose your conscience. Don't sell out your friends. Look at the long term and the big picture, not what is going to get you the fleeting applause of people who like you as long as you are popular. Cause you're not going to be popular forever.

And for politicians, in a crass sense, don't do the same crap you'd barbecue your opponent for doing. 

John Rowland came to this realization too late. Rod Blagojevich isn't there yet . And the rest of the political class in America better figure it out before we find white collar prisons are the nation's biggest growth industry.      

Crossposted with permission of author, from a forum comment at hucksarmy.com. ‘Justgrace’ speaks for us all. It’s about more than a man, it’s about our concerns for our country and its future.

We are not 'self righteous,' fanatics, or bigoted.  We have just learned the lessons of history. When America moves away from the moral boundary stones set by our spiritual heritage, we get deeply and tragically lost. Mike Huckabee has awoken in us a desire to be the somebody, who does the something to make a difference in getting our county back on track. I hope John McCain will give him the chance to influence that many more lives.

I know we Huckabee supporters can get a little upset over the mistreatment of our candidate, and it is important to ask “why?”

Is it because he is such a nice guy, and we do not want him to be mistreated?

Is it because we have spent many of our hours and dollars trying to boost him in the polls, trying to get the word out about why Gov. Huckabee would be a great leader for our country, and so we are upset that our time might have been wasted and our sacrifices have been in vain?

Is it because we see the unfairness of how Mike Huckabee was overlooked by the Christian Right, and scoffed by the left, ignored by the media, and forsaken by the talk-show hosts?

I think the reason needs to be deeper for our support, and I believe in most cases it is. I also think that our disquiet is not motivated so much by anger at mistreatment as it is by anxiety for the future of our country. We are concerned about our children and grandchilden’s future.

Huckabee supporters are deeply concerned with the changes in the United States of America we see, statistics that reveal a decline in almost every area: our schools, our children’s moral training, (rises in) juvenile delinquency, our social problems among the black population where the father is largely absent and the little boys with no father presence in their lives eventually end up in prison. We see the decline, where little girls grow up to be abused and not honored as ladies, where husbands forsake marriage vows, and where now wives are doing the same. Most of the time, it seems no one is home, keeping the “home fires” burning, since we have to (or choose to be) absent as parents. The family is in shambles, the schools often are also, the burden of taxation is almost unbearable, and atop that we wonder just how secure we are from terrorists threats. We see too-little and too-slow a turn-around in abortions and practices where human life is allowed to be cheapened.

Along came a remarkable candidate, a governor from Arkansas, who we saw had been successful in addressing and changing many social and economic issues in his own state. He brought hope to the people of his state through honest, responsible government and an “I care” and “We can do” attitude. He was able to procure our faith in his words, and reawaken our dreams for the America we used to be so proud of. While we still love our country, there is also a regret and deep sense of loss that conservatives see in looking at how our country is declining in many areas.

I think one of the most basic reasons we “Huckabeans” have been captured by the message and the man called Mike Huckabee is because we have been so frustrated and deeply concerned with the direction politics in this country has gone. Now that we have gotten acquainted with this unusually fresh, honest, self-sacrificial, caring candidate, we are not ready to let go of the idea that “he is the man our country needs. He is the man for the season!”

If you will, we see in him the “real change” in politics everyone is talking about; he is the one who understands the wrong direction in which our nation is headed, left vs. right, downhill verses up, and he wants to head it in a new direction: “vertically.”

So when people say, “You Huckabee fans are just disgruntled fanatics,” we know better. Yes, we are frustrated. The path that Gov. Huckabee has taken has not been the easiest, not paved with streets of gold or the accolades of the GOP or much of the press, but it is still a positive, hopeful race. We just don’t know how God in His sovereignty will allow turns of events, but we pray that the time will come soon for Gov. Mike Huckabee to lead this nation forward. We want to give him the chance to lead and put his ideals in place. We want him to follow his dream, and we want to be right there, cheering him on and helping make a change for the good of America and the world.

We conservatives are often people of faith, who are quite distressed to see a nation built on Judeo-Christian principles turning its back on the very things that made this nation great — “faith, family, and freedom.”

These are the standard American principles for which we were historically known, the things for which the Pilgrims, the Puritans, the original thirteen colonies stood and died. These were the principles our country grappled with and rediscovered, even through the dark blotches on our character, for which we have had to make amends — such things as the Salem witch trials, the mistreatment of the Native Americans, and the toleration of slavery in certain states of our country. Even during these dark times of our history, there were good people who did not lose sight of the vision of America as the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Deeper than momentary disappointments of “party” or efforts lost, we have a greater reason for our urgency in praying that our man wins. For the “sake of our country,” we want Mike Huckabee to win the nomination for Vice President and later for President.

To this end we pray often. For the country we love. For our families whom we cherish. For true freedom with responsibility. For the beacon of light America can be to the world.