Why it’s smart for power-hungry politicians to embrace common sense ethics reforms
While we may be a day late for Halloween festivities, we wanted to devote today’s Hackwatch newsletter to something that really frightens DC’s influence peddlers: a robust ethics framework.
Yesterday we released a whitepaper on how the next administration can help rebuild public trust in the federal government through six common sense rules for creating a transparent ethics regime. While we think the case for strong ethic rules is a pretty easy one to make on the merits (we’re firmly in the “corruption is bad” camp), we also believe that it’s a politically expedient one.
Blueprint research, the Reid Hoffman-backed polling firm, recently released a report on the political beliefs of young men that found that even in an increasingly cynical political culture, young men are particularly jaded about the behavior of politicians. While, on net, 37% of men over the age of 50 agreed with the statement that “nearly all politicians are corrupt, and make money from their political power,” a whopping 57% of men aged 18-29 agreed with the statement. This was the most widely held belief tested amongst young men, even though it was tested alongside statements like “I am proud to be an American” and “America is a force for good in the world.” Those upbeat claims polled 15% and 24% points, respectively, below the belief in widespread political corruption. Even more interesting, the statement that “America has become an oligarchy, not a democracy” polled with net 20% agreement in young men, versus just net 1% among men over the age of 50.
Source: Blueprint polling, No Country for Young Men, Oct. 22nd 2024
This polling shows that the heart of young men’s political beliefs is an idea that the federal government is captured by corporate and wealthy interests intent on shaping political outcomes to their own benefit. Who can blame an age group whose political environment has been so shaped by the unlimited money spigot of Citizens United and Supreme Court decisions effectively legalizing bribery from being a little jaded? But this does not mean that these young men are unreachable, cynical to the point of refusing to engage in the political process. By embracing an ethics framework that not only adheres to the bare minimum, but embraces public scrutiny and avoids even the appearance of corruption, politicians stand a real chance of rebuilding trust and, eventually, winning over this large part of the electorate.
(it would also help if some of the corrupt were occasionally held accountable for their crimes–a task made more difficult, albeit not impossible, by our comically corrupt Supreme Court)
With only a week before the election, there’s little hope that either campaign will shift gears to make this a messaging priority (especially considering the fact that one of the candidates is outright in favor of corruption) but it’s still worth reminding folks in DC that becoming the party of good governance and ethical behavior does pay off (even if it means giving up personal payouts). The next four years are an opportunity for one party to reinforce public trust by marketing itself as the party of transparency and public interests. But to do so requires breaking with the influence machine that has made many in DC so wealthy.
Other RDP Work:
Next Tuesday’s election is slated to be yeat another nail biter. It’s worth remembering that conservative attempts to steal elections and the court’s obvious conflicts of interest are not a new phenomenon but part of a longstanding tradition of unethical behavior.
Corporate Crackdown Successes: The CFPB’s Revival of Robust Consumer Protection
Cracking down on corporate malfeasance is yielding huge dividends for the Biden Administration and the American public. We should celebrate the CFPB’s wins on behalf of the American public.
See our other Corporate Crackdown Successes here:
- Corporate Crackdown Successes: The SEC
- Corporate Crackdown Successes: The Department of Labor
- Corporate Crackdown Successes: The FTC
- Corporate Crackdown Successes: The NLRB
Report: Gas Industry Ramps Up Deceptive Effort to Influence Democrats
The oil and gas industry’s front group, Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, has flown under the radar while attempting to shape Democratic priorities. Our latest report shines a light on their multi-million dollar influence campaign.