If cleverness has often been a sign of decadence throughout history, the attempt to be too clever by half is an even more reliable marker of cultural decline. And a fondness for complicated rationalization, a proclivity for sophisticated excuse-making, and a tendency toward rushed and forced decision-making aren’t signs of civilizational well-being either.
We’ve seen an awful lot of all these in recent months. So how about some straightforward accountability, some simple responsibility, and some sober deliberation instead?
A member of the House of Representatives has charged that two of her colleagues are guilty of sexual harassment. She should name them, and they should be held accountable. Another has spoken of a congressman summoning a staffer to his residence and exposing himself. She should name him, and he should be held accountable. And it seems that the House has paid millions of dollars to settle sexual harassment lawsuits (see our editorial, “Sexual Coercion on the Hill,”). Which of our elected representatives were bailed out of possible legal trouble by taxpayer dollars? Which of their staff? They should be held accountable. It’s our money. They’re our representatives. We deserve to know what happened.
Meanwhile, Judge Roy Moore won the Republican nomination to stand in the December 12 special election for Alabama’s open seat in the U.S. Senate. He doesn’t want to withdraw despite recent revelations about his past behavior, and the Alabama Republican party doesn’t want to remove him from the ballot. So let’s stop pleading with him to step down. Let’s stop looking for clever gimmicks that would change the date of a duly and legally scheduled election. The voters of Alabama have a choice between Roy Moore and the Democratic candidate, Doug Jones.
There may be an effort to organize a write-in campaign for a third candidate, an attempt which would be entirely legal and proper. But let the election proceed as planned. Let the voters of Alabama choose. Do they face an unfortunate choice between electing a senator who’s an embarrassment or reducing the Republican majority in the Senate? Tough. Life occasionally presents tough choices. Or, in this case, one might say it’s a choice that is tough only if one rates party affiliation more highly than honesty and character. But let the voters make their choice and take responsibility for it.
Finally: Congress is considering a complex tax bill that would reduce some taxes while increasing the deficit. It would be desirable to have an honest discussion on the Hill and across the nation about it. It would be desirable to allow serious hearings, plenty of time for consideration, and a chance to offer and debate amendments. It would be desirable, since there is no looming deadline for this legislation, if this could be an instance of democratic deliberation rather than partisan mobilization. Is it too much to ask the Senate to rescue the claim that it’s the world’s greatest deliberative body from being a comedian’s punch line? Is it too much to ask Congress to feature candid and substantive debate rather than silly slogan-mongering?
Accountability. Responsibility. Deliberation. Are all these too much to ask in the America of 2017?
William Kristol is editor at large of THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
