Ross Douthat, like the good Christian Democrat that he is, believes that character in politicians matters. Is he right? I would say yes, but not necessarily for exactly his reasons:
- It is common for moralistic commentators to view “character” as a single, unified whole, but real people don’t necessarily work that way. For example, there are plenty of examples of solid, reliable politicians with questionable sexual ethics.
- “Character,” for a politician, is a perception based on the standards of the day. No one expected Louis XIV or Charles II to be faithful to their wives, and they weren’t. That doesn’t mean they weren’t effective kings.
- That said, in a democratic state, the voters are choosing someone to represent their values as well as their interests. Having Donald Trump as the symbol of your country is an embarrassment to the United States, which definitely has an impact on his effectiveness both at home and abroad.
- I can’t help pointing out that Barack Obama’s family life was absolutely spotless, and there were no significant scandals during his administration, but did he ever get any credit for that from right-wing moralizers? Nooooooo! Most of them prefer Trump.