New class of statesmen emerging
In theory, all politicians are supposed to uphold the rule of law and the constitution.
But those few who dare to actually practice what they preach have been traditionally thought of as outsiders, cast aside as fringe; derisively labelled "strict constitutionalists" or "crazy libertarians"; irrelevant to the realities of the modern world.
There are a handful of politicians that have vastly divergent views on a host of issues, but the thread that brings them together is their vow to uphold the rule of law. Ordinarily, you wouldn't put Senator Russ Feingold, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Ron Paul and consumer advocates like Ralph Nader, all in the same category.
So maybe there needs to be a new category. Maybe those who plan to run for office, those who run on a platform of putting the rule of law first have a more viable chance of winning elections at a time when corruption in government, in all three branches of government, runs so deep and with such impunity.
We always hear that chorus about how Washington will never change. New members of congress promising to change things are dismissed as hopelessly naive. "They don't know how Washington operates, once they get here, they'll change" say political veterans.
But maybe a new class of statesmen is quietly emerging--trumping traditional party line candidates in popularity.
Maybe if your rep or Senator has given up trying to change Washington, it's time to change that rep or Senator.
