This book is a good read for all Americans. Dr. Long Thompson has set an example for all of us in her remarkable career as politician and academician. In this book, she provides an instructive and insightful perspective on the role character plays in democracy. She convincingly argues that all of us, ordinary citizens and leaders alike, play the crucial role in ensuring fairness, integrity, and transparency to preserve and protect our country.
The Honorable Lee Hamilton
Whether it has been in the political, governmental, academic, or personal world, it was always clear to me that Jill Long Thompson has made the effort to comport herself with the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and character. Now she makes a strong, timely, and convincing argument on why we as a country need to refocus on these standards, and how we can do that. Not only should we expect more from our political and business leaders, but we need to challenge ourselves, in our personal behavior, to do better as well. The future of our experiment in democracy depends on what we decide and what we do.
The Honorable Paul Helmke
The Character of American Democracy is a must-read for every person who values the ideals upon which our nation was founded. There has never been a more urgent time for us to look in the mirror and candidly assess how we are running our country. It is an awesome responsibility we all share. The Character of American Democracy provides us insight and guidance on how do it better.
The Honorable Marcy Kaptur
The Character of American Democracy a must-read for everyone who cares about civility and ethics in politics and public affairs.
Charles Taylor, Managing Director, Bowen Center for Public Affairs, Ball State University
Dr. Long Thompsons book makes a persuasive case for not only the importance of ethics in leadership, but also the critical role that laws and policies play in supporting and encouraging such ethical behavior.
Sam Berger, Vice President of Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress
THE CHARACTER OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACYTHE CHARACTER OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Preserving Our Past, Protecting Our Future
JILL LONG THOMPSON
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
2020 by Jill Long Thompson
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-05042-7 (hardback)
ISBN 978-0-253-05043-4 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-253-05044-1 (ebook)
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Our democracy is not a product but a continual process. It is preserved not by monuments but deeds. Sometimes it needs refining; sometimes it needs amending; sometimes it needs defending. Always, it needs improving.
And character is integral to its success.
THE HONORABLE LEE H. HAMILTON
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN A labor of love, not just because of the topic but because of family, friends, and colleagues who provided insight, expertise, and support.
My husband, Don, has been an incredible partner and gentle critic throughout the writing of this book. As always, my parents, Jean and Roger, and brothers, Mike and Mick, were very supportive, and my cousin Cheryl Franks provided invaluable guidance on the subtitle and cover design.
Ed Feigenbaum, Michelle Livinghouse, Christian Sautter, and Inga Smulkstys were instrumental in helping to establish the focus and parameters for this work. As I wrote the first draft, their early and continued feedback helped clarify both my thinking and writing.
I sincerely thank Idie Kesner, Dean of the Kelley School of Business, for her support of this project. And Gary Dunham at Indiana University Press provided exceptional direction on the purpose and scope of this work. I am very grateful to be a part of Indiana University, an institution and community that, many years ago, provided opportunities that changed the trajectory of my life.
The knowledge, insight, judgment, and support of my friends and colleagues Bonnie Brownlee, Kelly Eskew, Timothy Fort, Bruce Jaffee, Wendy Laguarda, Dubos J. Masson, Mary Meagher, William Meaux, Catherine Noe, Joseph Miller, Richard Painter, Charles Rawls, Mark Sauter, Greg Udell, and Wayne Winston were remarkable. Because their analyses and suggestions were so helpful and constructive, I did not even mind the resulting revisions and rewrites. I also appreciate the support that Clayola Brown provided to this work. Law student Dakota Coates was very helpful in reviewing all the citations for accuracy and clarity, and Michelle Curry provided the technical guidance for preparing and submitting the final draft.
I am very honored by and appreciative of the support of Senator Maria Cantwell, Congressman Lee Hamilton, Mayor Paul Helmke, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Congressman John Lewis, and Secretary Leon Panetta.
This book would not have happened without the help and support of these family members and friends, and I thank them for all they did to make writing this book so enjoyable. I think this work is important to our political process and have made every effort to ensure that there are no errors or oversights. If there are any shortcomings, I accept complete responsibility and want to make clear that my friends and colleagues only improved the final product.
FOREWORD
THE HONORABLE MARCY KAPTUR
THIS BOOK IS A MUST-READ for every person who values the ideals upon which our nation was founded. Liberty. Equality. Justice. For all.
Jill offers a unique perspective on the relationship between ethics and our representative democracy. She makes a convincing case that the democratic process is undermined when either citizenry or leadership engages in unethical behavior. We all have a meaningful role to play in shaping Americas future. In America, every voice matters. The character we demonstrate as individuals will determine how successful we are as a nation.
I have known the author for more than thirty years. How well I remember her commitment to strengthening ethics rules for members of Congress. What I especially like about this work is the clarity with which she presents basic ethics principles and then relates them to democracy and capitalism. I believe that anyone who reads this book will see clearly why conflicts of interest, lack of transparency, and lack of integrity undermine democracy. She also cites research that supports regulated capitalism as the most effective way to ensure long-term economic security that benefits the broad population and not just a few at the top of the income and wealth scales.
There has never been a more urgent time for us to look in the mirror and candidly assess how we are running our country. It is an awesome responsibility we all share.
