Strength of Character and Political Life

Let’s start by admitting the obvious: Thomas Paine was a great thinker, but he never held any high public office .

Having said that, consider how few of those who rise in American politics today think like this.  The precise opposite could be argued, i.e., that making progress in political life absolutely requires one to pander for approval.

It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that there actually are leaders of countries that are fairly inconsequential on the global scene, say New Zealand or Iceland, who live lives according to this principle.  Voters in these countries are generally intelligent and kind people, and the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people leave them alone.

But where there’s a great deal of money at stake, self-interest can’t be far behind.