Example 1: Political Decency – The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election
On December 13, 2000, Al Gore publicly acknowledged his defeat to George W. Bush following the most contentious electoral battle in U.S. history. The Florida Supreme Court had ordered a manual recount of votes on December 8 due to the narrow margin in that state. However, on December 12, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned this decision, stating that there was no uniform criterion for counting and continuing would violate the constitutional principle of equal protection. This halted the recount, securing Florida’s victory for Bush by a mere 537 votes and, consequently, the presidency. The following day, Gore appeared on television to accept the outcome: “I accept the finality of the result… this evening, in the name of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession.”
Example 2: Lack of Political Decency – The 2021 U.S. Capitol Insurrection
On January 6, 2021, the U.S. Congress convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, which declared Joe Biden the winner. Then-President Donald Trump, without evidence, alleged widespread fraud and called his supporters to march on the Capitol. This led to a violent incursion by protesters into the Capitol and the temporary suspension of the session. Despite the violence, Congress resumed the session that same night and confirmed Biden as the president-elect.
The Crucial Difference: Political Decency
According to various philosophers, including Margalit, political decency can be understood as a minimal moral threshold that any public agent should respect, transcending partisan preferences. It involves mutual recognition and fair treatment of adversaries. It rejects deliberate degradation and systematic defamation.
There’s no doubt that Mexico lacks political decency: arrogance and vulgarity are prevalent in speeches and actions, often to our detriment. The political class frequently resembles a pack of hyenas fighting over a bone. It’s high time to make public life decent: abandon hypocrisy, speak truthfully, stop protecting and instead prosecute corrupt and organized criminals, avoid misrepresenting regression as democratic reform, accept the moral threshold of democracy, and act accordingly.
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: What is the first example of political decency mentioned? A: The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election, where Al Gore accepted his defeat to George W. Bush after a contentious legal battle.
- Q: What happened during the second example of the lack of political decency? A: The 2021 U.S. Capitol Insurrection, where protesters violently entered the Capitol due to then-President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud.
- Q: What is political decency according to philosophers like Margalit? A: A minimal moral threshold that any public agent should respect, transcending partisan preferences and involving mutual recognition and fair treatment of adversaries.
- Q: How does the article suggest Mexico can improve its political decency? A: By abandoning hypocrisy, prosecuting corruption and crime, avoiding misrepresentation of regression as democratic reform, and accepting the moral threshold of democracy.
