OPINION:
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer chastised President Donald Trump for his “petty campaign pledge” of building a border wall — and bam, that’s what’s wrong with today’s batch of elitist politicians.
Campaign pledges aren’t “petty.”
Pledges, in general, aren’t “petty.”
A pledge is just another word for a promise.
And those who make promises shouldn’t break them.
Schumer, in a speech on the Senate floor that came after his widely reported White House meeting about border funding with Trump and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, condemned the president for saying “he’ll hold parts of the government hostage,” and possibly shut down government, all “for a petty campaign pledge to fire up his base.”
The fact Schumer’s so open about condemning pledges only shows his own penchant for deceptiveness. Pledges aren’t supposed to be tossed to the side, cavalierly issued during campaign season, then quickly forgotten post-election.
That’s what’s wrong with the political ruling class in the first place.
They make promises — they break promises.
They vow to voters in the lead-up to elections one thing — they turn backs and go their own ways, do another thing, once they take office.
They forget their pledges.
Schumer may think promises to voters are “petty.” But most of the rest of America doesn’t.
Most of the rest of America — the principled types, anyway — see Schumer toss aside pledges as petty and think, wow, there goes a guy with low-to-no morals. There goes a guy who doesn’t mind lying to get his way. There goes a guy who has such a cavalier attitude toward truth that he doesn’t even notice how despicable the labeling of pledges as petty.
Pledges, dear politician, are never, ever “petty.”
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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