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Character Matters — Empathy
This article is part of our Principled Voter series. A principled voter asks: Is this candidate empathetic? “Democracy, in its essence and genius, is imaginative love for and identification with a community with which, much of the time and in many ways, one may be in profound disagreement.” — Marilynne Robinson What does it mean to be empathetic? A principled voter supports leaders who seek to understand and connect with those they represent — and not just people who vote for them. Empathetic leaders know their own experiences are not universal, so they make sincere efforts to understand how policies (or their absence) might affect all of their constituents. What is…
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Character Matters — Trustworthiness
This article is part of our Principled Voter series. A principled voter asks: Is this candidate trustworthy? “Trust and truth aren’t the only things that matter in a democracy, but no democracy can survive without them.” — Nancy Gibbs What does it mean to be trustworthy? A principled voter knows that democracies run on trust — and trust flows from honest communication and behavior. When we select politicians to represent us, we expect them to make decisions grounded in fact and act with our best interests in mind. What is at stake? Policy can be temporary, but untrustworthy leaders can do lasting harm. They fracture our confidence in government, institutions, and each other.…
