Commentary: In its clumsy way, the Trump Administration keeps yanking down curtains that expose black mold and cracks in the walls of our republic. This deterioration preceded the inauguration of Donald J. Trump.
There was a flash of scandal last month when Politico ran a leaked State Department memo, addressed to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, pronouncing that values such as human rights should be used as a club against strategic adversaries while allies who are repressive (such as Egypt, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia) should get a pass.
In response to the memo’s author, a former Obama Administration official sniffed, “He utterly misses the elemental fact that America’s moral authority is one of our main advantages in the world, and that it would disappear if we apply it as selectively as he advises.”
One might ask that Obama official how America’s moral authority was bolstered by shielding American torturers and war criminals from accountability, laundering the Honduran coup, helping Saudi Arabia destroy Yemen, or pinning a medal on Henry Kissinger.
The Tillerson memo was not a radical departure from previous administrations of either party. We have backed repressive regimes to serve our strategic aims and consistently turned a blind eye to human rights abuses by American officials or allies.
This description of foreign policy "realism" was uncomfortably stark. Systems of power favor rhetorical ablutions about democracy, freedom, and security. If the public is presented with too explicit a picture of what is being done in their name and with their resources, there could be resistance in our streets and workplaces as well as the ballot box.
Meanwhile, there are signs of a growing appetite for decency among the governed that transcends partisan boundaries. The President’s approval ratings are at such lows it is implausible to dismiss them as partisanship. The Trump Administration is unpopular with many staunch conservatives.
One such conservative, Bret Stephens, recently wrote in the New York Times: “Conservatives may suppose that they can pocket policy gains from a Trump administration while the stain of his person will eventually wash away. But…Trump is empowering a conservative political culture that celebrates everything that patriotic Americans should fear: the cult of strength, open disdain for truthfulness, violent contempt for the Fourth Estate, hostility toward high culture and other types of ‘elitism,’ a penchant for conspiracy theories and, most dangerously, white-identity politics.”
The desire for decency, preceding disputes about ideology, values, or policy aims, has the potential to unite us. Suppose we took ownership of our political culture, and changed not only who we choose for public office but our own interactions. Suppose we treated citizenship as a public office. Suppose we demanded decency in policy as well as politics.
The sensation following the Golden Globe Awards over a rousing speech by media magnate Oprah Winfrey misses the point if it is mere gossip about Winfrey running for president.
If Ms. Winfrey decides to enter politics, that is her right, but what we need is not a new political savior who embodies decency and optimism on our behalf. Winfrey’s best contribution to politics might be a positive influence on our conversations at home and at work.
Like social progress, the demand for decency must move from the ground up.
Algernon D'Ammassa writes the Desert Sage column for the Deming Headlight and other area papers. Share your thoughts at adammassa@demingheadlight.com.