7 Days of Election Week: What Do Morals Have To Do With Politics?

It’s a privilege to even be able to ask this

Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash

We’re voting for a President, not their moral character.

Trump may not be a good person, but he gets things done.

I’ve heard both of these things — and more — said by Trumpers when the topic of candidates’ moral character is broached. Whenever someone voices their distaste for Trump and the things he’s done, it feels like there’s always someone with this rebuttal, or, if it’s on social media, someone lurking in the comments with a statement like this. But is there any truth to it?

The truth behind this statement

In an ideal world, of course we’re voting for a President rather than their moral character. We aren’t here to elect someone on the shortlist for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Well, that might be nice for once, but it isn’t a requirement.) We aren’t here vetting candidates to make sure they’re perfect and philanthropic and have never made a mistake or said something tactless in public.

But this is not an ideal world, and “voting for a President rather than their moral character” is really only possible if the candidates both possess a basic level of human decency and morality.