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Good Policy. Good Character. Why Not Both? · Commentary - TJ Meadows

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  Speaker 1: A loyal listener asked me an interesting question yesterday. Which
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  Speaker 1: presidency was worse, Jimmy Carter's or Donald Trump's current term?
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  Speaker 1: It's a question that forces us to consider two important
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  Speaker 1: measures of a presidency, policy and morality. Jimmy Carter was,
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  Speaker 1: by most accounts, a fundamentally decent man. Donald Trump, his
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  Speaker 1: conduct was Rhetoric and treatment of political opponents make that
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  Speaker 1: a more difficult argument. But Carter's presidency was also marked
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  Speaker 1: by significant policy struggles. Stagflation, energy shortages, the Iran hostage crisis,
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  Speaker 1: and a general sense that America was losing its footing.
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  Speaker 1: Trump's policy record? A mixed bag. Tariffs or taxes, the
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  Speaker 1: war with Iran raises serious questions about objectives and an
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  Speaker 1: eventual end. But Trump has also pursued policies worth supporting,
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  Speaker 1: particularly when it comes to reducing government regulation. Consider Tuesday's
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  Speaker 1: announcement that his administration intends to loosen methane regulations on
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  Speaker 1: oil and natural gas producers. For West Virginia's smaller producers,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: especially those operating older, lower-producing wells— Compliance costs can be substantial.
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  Speaker 1: Reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens could keep marginal wells operating, preserve
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  Speaker 1: economic activity, and extend the productive lives of existing assets.
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  Speaker 1: That's the kind of policy decision I can support. But
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  Speaker 1: back to the listener's question. What good is sound public
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  Speaker 1: policy without the character and basic human decency we should
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  Speaker 1: expect from elected officials? And conversely, what good is personal
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  Speaker 1: decency if an elected official pursues policies that leave the
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  Speaker 1: country worse off? Carter's presidency invites one set of questions.
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  Speaker 1: Trump's invites another. Neither policy nor character should escape scrutiny.
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  Speaker 1: And that brings me to what I think is the
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  Speaker 1: most important question. Why should we, as voters, accept a
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  Speaker 1: trade-off between good policy and good character? Whether someone is
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  Speaker 1: running for the local school board or the presidency, both
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  Speaker 1: should matter. So when you step into the voting booth,
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  Speaker 1: ask yourself two questions. Is this candidate sound on policy?
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  Speaker 1: And does this candidate possess the character, judgment, and basic
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  Speaker 1: decency the office demands? We shouldn't have to sacrifice one
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  Speaker 1: to get the other. Perhaps if we stopped accepting that trade-off,
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  Speaker 1: we'd find ourselves with better leaders, better government, and ultimately,
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  Speaker 1: a better country. That's not too much to ask.