What if constant exposure to corruption, greed, dishonesty, hypocrisy, incivility, bullying, bigotry and vulgarity proves to be the catalyst igniting a return to compassion and morality?
E.J. Dionne Jr wrote “the resurgence of a Christian left is most explicit in James Talerico’s Senate campaign in Texas.” Dionne calls it a “return to a politics of morality organized around the injustices of the economic system and an array of related problems: the costs of technological change, the unraveling of community, civil rights, and financial and work-balance issues confronting families.” He cites a number of Democrats running for office who invoke a religiously inspired values offensive in their campaigns: Jon Ossoff, Pete Buttigieg, Josh Shapiro Gavin Newsom.
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy recently published a book in which he argues for a return of traditional values. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear will soon publish “Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country,” sharing his own faith as it guides him to battle corruption and immorality.
It is not a coincidence that all these candidates are Democrats. For the past twenty years the assumption was that “values voters” were conservatives united by their opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Democratic candidates are making a concerted effort to reverse that trend.
Several contemporary surveys compare values for conservatives and liberals. They find nearly universal consensus on values, including justice, freedom, rule of law and individual rights. Polling data from AP-NORC, Brennan Center, and YouGov, among others, find similar consensus, but variations in their interpretation.
Liberals and conservatives differ in how they prioritize specific moral concerns. For example, liberals focus on corruption in corporate influence in government, in the Supreme Court, and in law enforcement. Conservatives find corruption in the bias of mainstream media, in higher education, and in labor unions. Liberal see hypocrisy in public officials who preach equality while using their positions to enrich themselves. Conservatives find hypocrisy among elites who place themselves above the law. The two groups share a sense of disgust and repulsion toward a system they feel is “rigged.”
An organization called Open Government Partnership was formed fifteen years ago with a goal of strengthening democracy through a partnership between government and civil society. Registering beneficial ownership, limiting revolving-door movement for retiring elected and appointed officials, tracking procurement contracting on public portals, and disclosing lobbying and political spending are among the processes that OGP promotes at national and local government levels. Together these objectives address the illicit activities that have separated America from the principles of its founding documents. Is that the beginning of an agenda agreeable to liberals and conservatives?