Voters can forgive without forgetting (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
March 27, 2015
Julian Hayter, a historian and assistant professor of leadership studies, is quoted in an article about our willingness to forgive political leaders.
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“It’s always about, ‘None of us are perfect,’ ” and a tug on human heartstrings, says Julian Maxwell Hayter, a historian and an assistant professor of leadership studies at the University of Richmond. “It’s an age-old political trick.”
Part of the problem is that access to power corrodes willpower, he said. “Sometimes, political office is like throwing Miracle-Gro on people’s character flaws.”
Let’s face it: It takes considerable self-regard to enter the political realm. “Isn’t there an inherent bit of megalomania in people who seek political office?” Hayter asked. “You’ve got to have some ego here.”