The willingness and ability to lie can be a bipartisan condition; there will always be Republicans and Democrats who are prepared to twist the truth. And while I’m well aware of Donald Trump’s tendency toward hyperbolic speech, he rarely tells outright lies. But I’ve come to believe that blatant lying has become a part of the Democrat mindset. They are prepared to do almost anything to get their proposals through. The reason they are so committed to getting their way is that they are convinced that their ideas are superior to anyone else’s.

So, the word integrity has no place in the vocabulary of the Democrats. What is a definition of integrity?

Many Democrats would agree with the first part of this definition: acting according to one’s principles, or the C.S. Lewis statement, “Doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.” The problem for most Republicans is that the “principles” that Democrats live by, or “doing the right thing,” may be contrary to the beliefs of Republicans. For example, a principle for a Democrat might be “equality of outcome” for individuals, which is often ill-defined and unrealistic. But a Republican would likely claim that a principle to live by would be equality of opportunity, where every American is free to pursue his or her goals. As a result, when it comes to defining integrity, Democrats and Republicans (if they are honest with themselves) can’t even agree on the basic principles.

But the definition goes even further. A person of integrity must practice honesty, fairness, and decency. Democrats might try to manipulate the meaning of these words, too, but you can’t tell lies and claim to be honest at the same time. You can’t say you believe in fairness and be prepared to take the wealth earned by one person and give it to another person who has less. And you can’t claim to be decent when you treat those who disagree with you with disrespect and anger.

Integrity also includes living a life fthrough moral action, free of corruption and hypocrisy. We have seen innumerable acts of blatant corruption by the likes of James Comey, Adam Schiff, and VP Kamala Harris.

What are the ramifications of lacking integrity in the federal government? For one, the public comes to believe that no one in politics can be trusted. The lack of integrity is so prevalent that many people think that there’s no point in expecting it. And there’s no point in trying to demand accountability when integrity is not valued.

We do see people in the legislature who are known to be people of integrity: senators Tom Cotton and Marsha Blackburn and Congressman Jim Jordan. These are all people who are respected by both sides of the aisle. They are also prepared to take unpopular positions, even contrary to their fellow Republicans.

Should we give up on expecting integrity from our legislators and bureaucrats? I think we can only hope that those who are people of integrity will influence newcomers to follow their path.

The rest are probably lost to their appetites and demands.

Image: PickPik