Fairness. Openness. Sincerity. Candor. These are traits despised by the jaded professional politicians in Washington.
That’s why Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina caused a stir when he said Democrats won several recent legislative victories because “Democrats have some ideas people back home seem to like.”
For the partisan hacks in Washington, folks who see every problem as something they can blame on the other party, Sanford’s remark was unthinkable. Blasphemy. Sanford is a Republican after all. But he isn’t supporting the position of the Democrats. He’s supporting the democratic process and the right of the people back home to have their voices heard.
Sanford went on to say: “I would rather see outcomes I don’t like as a result of an open and democratic process than outcomes I do like that result from a closed and non-democratic process. And while Democrats had some ideas people like right now, no one has a lock on ideas. I believe debate on the U.S. House floor based on a meritocracy of ideas favors Republicans in the long run because I think Americans want limited government.”
More than a partisan, Rep. Sanford is a man of principle who has limited his time in Washington to three terms. If more congressmen trusted the American people and the democratic process like Sanford, we citizens could have a whole lot more trust in our elected officials.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.