“Character is the only secure foundation of the state.” Those words were uttered by President Calvin Coolidge in a speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on January 17, 1925.
As the 30th president of the U.S. (1872 - 1933), President Coolidge knew and stated clearly what many modern politicians, who suppose themselves more enlightened, refuse to recognize: the most important matter in government is the matter of character.
President Coolidge was not open to letting special interest groups, labor groups, lobbyists, or anyone else push him easily to legislate or create programs. He believed that if there was a reasonable expectation that free people would solve problems themselves, the government should stand aside and let them do it. He believed that people with character could and would solve problems on their own.
Character was the foundation on which Coolidge built when he made major tax cuts Character was the foundation on which Coolidge built when he slashed the government’s budget. It was a foundation of character that helped make his name synonymous with the fast-growing 1920s economy.
Character – moral excellence – was the basis on which Calvin Coolidge refused to participate in the onward march of an ever-growing government. On the basis of character, he actively resisted the same.
Fast-forward to the current political campaigns being waged in the United States, and you find that character plays no part. Not only is it given little mention, it also is given little part in candidates’ lives.
One needs look no further than the opening sentence of Coolidge’s inaugural address to find character. Rather than rant against the discouraging matters faced by his country, as modern politicians are fond of doing, Coolidge said, “My Countrymen, no one can contemplate current conditions without finding much that is satisfying and still more that is encouraging.”
Politicians of character are able to point out positive accomplishments, even when they must be attributed to another leader or a different political party. They waste neither time nor words bashing a politician who is about to leave office. They refrain from bashing their competition. Rather, politicians of character speak clearly and plainly about every positive plan they have for the nation. They focus on making sure every voter understands exactly where they plan to take the nation.
Politicians who exercise character have hammered out their personal convictions. They have the courage of those convictions, and are not afraid to tell the public honestly and fully what to expect of them.
Sadly, the focus in our current presidential campaign has turned not to character, but to eloquence.
Mr. Obama, speaking eloquently, fails to exhibit a concern about his character. He fails to show distress about the character of Congress. He gives no assurance that if he is elected, he will echo the words of Coolidge, “Character is the only secure foundation of the state.” Rather, in eloquent rhetoric, the man who has been dubbed a “rock star” tells us that the only secure foundation of the state is to let government take over every area of life for us.
Mr. McCain, speaking less eloquently, is also silent on the subject of character. He, too, fails to address the great failures of Congress to act on principle. Like Obama, McCain gives no assurance that a government under his leadership would be founded on character.
In Part 2 of this entry, we’ll look at some difference between a government founded on character and a government founded on the thinking of modern politicians.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?