When Smart Men Act Stupid

The brainlessness of Governor Rod Blagojevich

By Reb Bradley

The case of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, charged yesterday with trying to sell Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat, will go down in history as one of the most blatant examples of a smart man in power acting like a complete idiot (owing to the fact that his outlandish schemes were all caught on tape).  Political corruption isn't new, but most pundits are dumbfounded by the depth of Blagojevich's greed and his audacious pursuit of a buyer, especially when he was well aware that he was already under investigation. Most cannot comprehend how someone so smart could act so stupid.

The media are already "excusing" his bad behavior by blaming it on Chicago politics - a sad tradition, a culture of patronage: "Government in Illinois isn't about political ideology or helping people," said Christopher Mooney, who teaches political science at the University of Illinois-Springfield. "It's about which idiot brother-in-law are you going to get a job on a road crew because he helped you get into office."  But I say this outrageous behavior stems from bad parenting.

In recent history, we've witnessed some of the most shocking political scandals in American history involving the actions of powerful men, seemingly oblivious of their notoriety, committing outrageous acts most of us would never imagine doing.  Starting with the man holding the highest office in the land - Bill Clinton (his many scandals are all too fresh in our minds); to Sen. Larry Craig's airport bathroom incident (the appeals court rejected his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea just yesterday); to New York Governor Elliot Spitzer's hiring of prostitutes; to Sen. John Edwards and Rep. Tim Mahoney (who professed to be devoted family men) and their extramarital affairs.  And the list goes on.

Human nature, being what it is, the answer seems obvious. Passion makes us all dumb. When it comes to the Seven Deadly Sins, we do and say stupid things when our passions rule us.  So, it may come as no surprise that a man in a position of power like Blagojevich, became blinded by greed. Power alone is an aphrodisiac and can make a man exaggerate his own self worth, which may tempt him to use his power for selfish gain. Blagojevich's problem was compounded by personal financial pressures, which made him feel desperate. Desperation can drive people to commit outrageous acts and take unbelievable risks.

This is where parenting comes in. The behavior of Blagojevich is like that of a spoiled child whose parents did not say NO to him enough. He now suffers from an over-exalted sense of his own importance and is controlled by his greed. His narcissism gives him a sense of entitlement and blinds him to reality. He reminds me of a child, who had deluded himself and gambled when the odds were stacked against him. Children who play fantasy games imagine they can get away with anything. In Blagojevich's mind, he was the hero in his own story, which made him feel invulnerable, and which explains why many of the experts on TV Tuesday night compared him to a gangster in a movie role.

Governor Blagojevich wasn’t that different from any of us in that the lure of greed and power is common to human nature. However, just like Jimmy Stewart showed us in “Mr. Smith goes to Washington,” the temptation of greed and power will be rebuffed by an honest man. Blagojevich’s problem wasn’t just that he was overcome by greed -- it was that he lacked the integrity to do what was right.

Honesty and integrity are character traits instilled in children -- not by schools, not by movies, and not by gun control laws. They are traits given by parents. Unless mothers and fathers take it upon themselves to start modeling and teaching good character, we will see more and more outrageous shenanigans from politicians, and our society will continue to suffer moral decline.

When all the dust settles, the real tragedy won't be that Blagojevich is a fallen role model.  It won't be that a man has wasted his life. What will be awful is if he goes through all of this and does not allow his failure to humble him.  It will be especially tragic if he sees himself as a victim, and doesn't take responsibility for his own actions.  Blagojevich has blown it big time.  However, he does have a choice: he can choose to face the consequences of his actions like a man or he can revert back to the immature ways that got him into this mess in the first place and make excuses. It's not too late for him to do the right thing and show his children he has learned from his mistakes.

Bestselling Author Reb Bradley is not a political expert; he is a parenting expert. As a counselor, Reb has diagnosed and helped thousands of parents transform their lives and those of their children. In 1998 Reb took note of the disintegrating moral fiber of our nation and decided to apply his diagnostic skills to find a cure for what ails our society. In his book Born Liberal Raised Right: How to Rescue America from Moral Decline - One Family at a Time, Reb reveals how American society has grown out of control, because its members were not taught self-control as children. In fact, in his research he discovered that a liberal worldview is a direct outgrowth of various parenting styles. Go here to see Reb on Fox News Channel's Fox & Friends.