Redeeming Qualities? Everyone Has Them!

Who would’ve thought that someone involved in politics had a positive outlook on this year’s presidential candidates? It seems that every time the election is brought up in conversation, negative comments are made about both Trump and Clinton. Peggy Noonan surprised me a few weeks ago in her speech about the U.S. presidents’ “redeeming qualities” in relation to this year’s candidates.

Before going to the event, all I knew was her Republican political affiliation. I found myself expecting a critique of Hillary. I was completely wrong in this expectation. Noonan instead spoke gracefully about the last five presidents and her opinion of them. She admired Obama for his portrayal as a family man, Clinton for his cleverness, George W. Bush for his reserve through 9/11, and Reagan for his goodheartedness. Her point in discussing these qualities was that each president could have learned from his predecessors. Noonan also implied that Hillary and Trump should make an effort to learn from these men. Another focal point was that even though a U.S. president may not be well liked, there are always qualities that can be appreciated and learned from. The speech was educational, yet humorous and relevant to the current election.

Although I agree that Trump and Hillary Clinton could benefit from studying the past president’s mistakes and accomplishments, I am saddened that the U.S. has to search for “redeeming qualities” in a president at all. Shouldn’t a president have many qualities appreciated by citizens, since he or she is elected by the people? How did our country end up with the most hated candidates of all time? Although I appreciated Peggy Noonan’s wit, positivity, and confidence in our country’s ability to function with anyone in the white house, I can’t help but yearn for a day where conversations will be about who to vote for and not about choosing the lesser evil.