In mid-January, the Greater Houston Partnership held its annual meeting. Incoming board chair, Marc Watts called upon members to be more “civically engaged.” He said that business leaders have important values to contribute to the political process. And one of those values is the willingness to compromise. The third value is the willingness to compromise….
In modern politics, compromise is widely regarded as a virtue. “Reaching across the aisle”–working with one’s political opponents, is seen as the paradigm of leadership. But compromise is neither a virtue nor leadership. It is moral cowardice. In any compromise between good and evil, only the evil will win. For example, let us say that…
In an article titled “Why We Need Compromise,” former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton wrote: The responsibility of our politicians is to make the country work, to provide stability and an environment in which Americans can live in freedom and achieve their goals. In a nation as big and diverse as ours, in which people hold…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on March 25, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. Thomas Friedman bemoans the political divisiveness that arose during the debate over health care “reform”. He fears that Democrats will lose seats in November, resulting in more gridlock in Washington. His solution: That is why I want my own…