The politics of compromise and conviction

Scott Turner was a Texas House Representative, now serving in the Trump Administration as the Secretary of US Housing & Urban Development (HUD).

- Luke Harris, Tribune News Service

In the Texas House, he talked about “being the best we can,” and espoused high standards for himself and his colleagues; however, in his current position, he has voiced no complaints or objections against the administration or the Republican Party. Perhaps for less cynical reasons than power itself, but to pursue his policies on housing and healthcare, Turner is a brilliant case study for how ambition causes politicians to accept feeble attempts to reason away their beliefs or ethics, always for something greater, something they can achieve with one more step. That “one more step” toward completely surrendering their integrity, confounding their ethical clarity, and adopting whatever means meet their ends. During a keynote address in 2014, he said, "We need servant leaders... People who live by conviction and principle, not by the waves of the sea of what's popular today.” He shared his experience growing up in a poor home, and his father working two jobs.