What we should expect from public officials

If you haven't heard, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent veto message of a bill sponsored by a legislative detractor contained a four letter epitaph apparently aimed at that specific legislator. Here's NPR's report:



What drives my commentary on this, however, is the response written by Prof. Jack Pitney at Claremont McKenna College in the National Review. His conclusion is that,

Nobody should expect elected officials to be perfect in their private lives. But we can expect them to behave like adults in their public lives. By pulling a stunt that would land a junior-high-school kid in detention, the governor has flunked this standard.

I agree that this is a bad reflection on the Governor's character, and his ability to govern, but want to disagree with Pitney's argument that we should not expect elected officials to be exemplary in their private lives. While perhaps perfection is a high standard which none of us are able to attain, we should expect a standard from public officials that is higher than the average individual on the street. Because of their position of influence on governmental decisions and their role as examples for the rest of the citizenry, we should expect a higher standard of excellence from those we choose to represent us.

A person's private life may not be public business, but it is often a reflection of that individual's relationships with other leaders and officials, their honesty and integrity in holding public office and their dealings with others, as well as their ability to handle situations that may arise in the act of governance. Voters who have little information about the actions and decisions that a candidate for office would take can often use the behavior and character of that individual in their private affairs as relatively good indicators of the candidate's ability to govern. A candidate who lacks civility when dealing with his or her own family, friends, or even campaign staff will likely lack the civility and character necessary to interact with other public officials. In Minnesota in 2006 it was Democrat Mike Hatch's character and aggressive behavior in calling a reporter a "Republican Whore" that indicated to voters that he was not suited for the governor's office. Private character is still character and many of the same attributes displayed in private carry over into the public life and the public official's ability to accomplish legislative and executive roles.

A public official, however, is more than just a legislator, an executive, or a council member. He or she is also a representative and an example for the rest of the community. Edmund Burke described his qualifications for public office not in terms of his policy positions, but rather explained in his speech to the electors of Bristol that his election was a result of the voters' "good opinion [which] has carried me to this happy point of success." Even when representation is about representing views and opinions it is also about the type of example these leaders are setting for our families, our children, and our community.

A public official's private behavior is more than his or her own. It is both an indicator to the public of his or her ability to accomplish legislative or executive tasks in an efficient and positive manner and an example to the rest of the community. As a result, we should expect exemplary behavior from our public officials in their public and private lives.