PUBLIC AND POLITICAL MORALITY

What is Public (And Political) Morality:
Public morality refers to moral and ethical standards enforced in a society, by law or police work or social pressure, and applied to public life, to the content of the media, and to conduct in public places.*
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It may also be applied to the morals of public life. Political corruption, or the telling of lies in public statements, tarnish not only individual politicians, but the entire conduct of political life, whether at local or national level. These are fairly universally regarded as blots on reputations, though in some cases there is a grey area between corruption and legitimate fund-raising. Whether the private lives of politicians are a public morals issue is not a matter of agreement, internationally speaking; the existence of an extramarital relationship of a Prime Minister would in some countries be considered a revelation well within the sphere of the public interest, while in other countries it would be considered quite irrelevant.*


John McCain is turning out to be a great influence on American culture as can be seen by the following quotation:

McCain seems to be the only member of Congress who insists on holding hearings and working toward compromise before passing major legislation. This would seem to be the very elemental prerequisite of good government — like a doctor seeking a diagnosis before performing surgery — but McCain appears to be the only member, or at least the only Republican, willing to risk unpopularity to insist upon a basic respect for our sacred institutions.

Second, McCain is one of very few Republicans willing to stand up for the American story. Human beings can be rallied around one of three things: religion, tribe or ideals.**

I would say, however, in the months following the quoted article, Senator John Flake is also turning out to have redeeming values.  For awhile Senator Bob Corker looked to be a third example; however, when his inconsistency was pointed out in the news that he had said he would not vote for a tax plan that had a penny of debt and then voted for the tax plan, he has shut up.   He told Pres. Trump that he now understands the unfairness of the press.  Unfairness?  They were just reporting the facts. Flake  is not running for reelection.  Corker wasn't going to run for rreelection, but news is that he is reconsidering that may account for his silence.

David Brooks, whom I feel is a great conservative moralist, discussed the Big Burn of 1910
When you look back at that era, you are struck by how many civic institutions were founded to address the nation’s problems. Not only the Forest Service, but also the Food and Drug Administration, the municipal reform movement, the suffrage movement, the Federal Reserve System, the Boy Scouts, the 4-H clubs, the settlement house movement, the compulsory schooling movement, and on and on. Four amendments to the Constitution were passed in those years.***

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_morality
** https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/opinion/the-essential-john-mccain.html
*** https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/opinion/america-civic-organizations.html