Do Ethics and Politics Mix

One of the recurring issues in politics, whether it be at the local, state, or national level, is the question or accusation of ethics violations. In simpler times, most of the offenses now called “ethics violations” were called something a little more appropriate: lawbreaking. Nonetheless, times change and so do the terms we employ. I’m willing to grant that some of these ethics violations probably stem from a simple lack of knowledge or a lack of understanding of the relevant rules or laws involved. Let’s face it; the legal code in the US has become so complicated that even lawyers need to specialize to understand a particular area of it. So, even though you still here the phrase “ignorance of the law is no excuse” thrown around from time to time, I’m not going to outright condemn every person in politics accused of an ethics violation of malicious intent. That said, the simple magnitude and frequency of these ethics violations does beg the question: Do ethics and politics mix?
Before attacking that question directly, it might help to recall the old saying about politics being the art of compromise. I bring it up because it goes to the heart of the question. Ethics, as most people conceive of it, is about the possession and execution of principles. Whatever those principles may be, we more or less expect people to stand by them. That everyday people utterly fail in this challenge as often as politicians (though with less fanfare) might make for an interesting piece down the road. Compromise, though, is exactly the opposite of our general conceptions of ethics. Compromise is all about surrendering our (with hope) deeply held convictions to greater or lesser degrees in the hope of achieving a functional outcome. This is what politicians do: all the time.
To achieve anything in politics is to agree to things that go against your stated beliefs to achieve some of your stated goals. This is what riders on bills are all about. A whole bunch of people who, individually, would probably never vote for these things, agree to do so if something they want gets tacked onto it.
So, to the question “Do ethics and politics mix,” I’m forced to say, “No, probably not.” There are undoubtedly some politicians out there who courageously voted their consciences for one glorious term, accomplished none of their stated goals, and were soundly ushered out of office for more pragmatic and effective representatives. However, when push comes to shove, politicians are morally compromised by very nature of their jobs. So while we may shake our collective heads when politicians come under fire for ethics violations, we should never be surprised. The step from an ethical compromise that is required to get what you want in a legal way and one which is illegal is very short. Moreover, the line between them, when you compromise all the time, has to become blurry.
Maybe, when candidates are interviewed or fielding questions, instead of asking them what they stand for we should ask them, “How much of this are you willing to throw to the side?” At least then we’d know what to expect.