Character Does Matter

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Character Does Matter
by Robert Yoho, Columnist and Senior Editor

November 28, 2002

"Eye on Conservatism"

Columnist Robert Yoho For eight long, grueling years, surrogates of the previous administration repeatedly told the country that character didn’t matter. They told us: "It’s the economy, stupid." They told us that the only thing that was important to the country was meeting the budget. Unfortunately, way too many Americans came to believe this fallacy. That all changed on September 11th.

When America came under attack, character suddenly became one of the most important qualities — trumped only by faith — in the life of everyday Americans. A nation of adolescents grew up and quickly realized that character really does matter.

When hi-rise buildings are in flames, then political correctness is a luxury for another day. Suddenly nobody cared if these macho police and firemen were boorish or sexist in their off-the-job behavior. It was character that mattered. It was character that inspired them to rush into the inferno from which others were quickly racing away. It was character that motivated these brave souls to lead many to safety; and it was character that made them comfort the wounded, shield them from danger, and often perish by their sides.

In times of war, character does matter in your Commander-in-Chief. Americans have every right to expect that their president will protect them from attack and not casually enter the country into war. Before the concerns over material costs, our citizens should know that their leader has adequately considered the human costs in a war. When young men and women are summoned to the battlefield, then character supremely matters in your nation’s Chief Executive.

Character does matter when your nation is at war or facing economic uncertainty. There is certainly nothing wrong with money or the desire to earn more. What truly matters is the way you get it. Americans are not interested in a president who vainly states that there is "no controlling legal authority." They want someone to hold CEOs accountable for the financial dealings of their companies.

When you go to invest your money in the stock market, character matters in the financial reports issued by corporate CEOs. You have every right to purchase a stock certificate with the confidence that the reports of corporate earnings are true and accurate. This is especially true of employees whose 401K plans are invested in their companies’ stock plans. Their futures are riding on these funds. Character does matter to them. And when fraud is committed, then each of us must be certain that the powerful will also pay for their crimes

When you go to cast your vote, then character matters in your election officials. Nobody wants to see his vote cancelled out by voter fraud or biased election officials who, in their desire to leave no chad behind, are willing to count every dubious dimple for their party’s favorite and dismiss the ballots of our overseas military personnel.

Character does matter when party officials snub their noses at the state’s election laws and engage in last minute political shenanigans to get one of their guys elected. Moreover, character does matter when you see rogue Supreme Court judges like the ones in New Jersey let them get away with it. These dishonorable, black robed outlaws blatantly abandoned the law to reach their own political objectives.

Character does matter when decent politicians, who tragically die in office, are laid to their eternal rest. Their memorial services should be a solemn time — a place for shared memories of their life and legacy. A little humor is certainly not inappropriate if it richly remembers the one who has passed. But these memorial services should not be turned into a pep rally for the party operatives.

In times of foreign or domestic crisis, character matters. In times of natural disaster, character matters. In times of great decision, character matters. When qualities such as honor, sacrifice, heroism, bravery, fidelity, morality, and trust are no longer ridiculed, then it is not the economy, stupid.

In hardship, our nation has finally learned — or more precisely has seen it brought to our attention — that character truly does matter. And for that change, all Americans should be grateful. ***

Photo of Robert Yoho courtesy of staff files