The Last Bipartisan Issue in America?
Spend five minutes on social media and you'll come away believing Americans agree on absolutely nothing.
Red states.
Blue states.
Fox News.
MSNBC.
Urban.
Rural.
Progressive.
Conservative.
Every issue is presented as another battlefield in an endless political civil war.
And yet...
Every once in a while, a statistic appears that reminds us we are not nearly as divided as we think.
A recent national survey from the Brennan Center for Justice found that 92% of registered voters—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike—believe corruption is a major problem in American government. Even more remarkably, overwhelming bipartisan majorities support reforms such as stronger ethics laws, greater transparency in campaign finance, limits on self-dealing by public officials, and restrictions on the influence of concentrated money in politics.
Think about that.
Ninety-two percent.
In modern America, it's easier to find consensus on whether oxygen is necessary than it is to find agreement on public policy.
Yet corruption appears to be one of the few issues that still unites us.
That should tell us something.
Perhaps Americans haven't lost faith in one another.
Perhaps they've lost faith in the institutions that are supposed to serve them.
Political scientist Moisés Naím explores this very phenomenon in The Revenge of Power. His central argument is unsettling: throughout history, many assumed the world was gradually moving toward more open societies, stronger institutions, and greater accountability. Instead, power has adapted. Rather than disappearing, it has reinvented itself—using new technologies, new political strategies, and new narratives to preserve influence while appearing democratic.
Power, it turns out, is remarkably creative.
History shouldn't surprise us here.
Corruption is not uniquely American.
Ancient Rome wrestled with it.
Medieval monarchies wrestled with it.
The British Empire wrestled with it.
Modern democracies wrestle with it.
Human beings have always discovered creative ways to place private interest above the public good.
The forms change.
The temptation doesn't.
That's why the Founders never assumed virtue alone would preserve the Republic.
They built systems of checks and balances precisely because they understood human nature.
James Madison famously observed that if men were angels, no government would be necessary.
They weren't.
Neither are we.
Recent headlines only reinforce why so many Americans remain skeptical.
The Supreme Court's recent decision striking down longstanding limits on coordinated campaign spending between political parties and candidates represents another major shift in campaign finance law. Supporters argue the ruling protects political speech under the First Amendment. Critics contend it further expands the role of large donors and weakens safeguards designed to reduce corruption.
Whether you applaud that decision or oppose it isn't really my point.
Notice what Americans themselves are saying.
The Brennan Center's polling found broad bipartisan support for restoring stronger limits on money in politics, increasing disclosure of campaign spending, banning conflicts of interest, requiring stronger ethics rules, and strengthening oversight across all branches of government.
That's extraordinary.
Republicans.
Democrats.
Independents.
Agreement.
Imagine that.
Even recent reports surrounding the allocation of federal grants and allegations that political considerations may have influenced funding decisions—claims that have generated significant public debate—illustrate why public confidence is so fragile. Whether every allegation proves accurate or not, the larger reality remains: many Americans increasingly worry that government decisions are influenced by political loyalty rather than neutral principles.
That perception matters.
Because trust is the invisible infrastructure of every democracy.
Roads crumble when they're neglected.
So do institutions.
Once citizens begin assuming every investigation is political...
Every prosecution is selective...
Every contract favors insiders...
Every regulation benefits donors...
Every election is manipulated...
The damage extends far beyond whichever party currently occupies the White House.
The republic itself begins to weaken.
Here's where I depart from both political tribes.
I don't believe corruption belongs exclusively to Republicans.
I don't believe corruption belongs exclusively to Democrats.
Power corrupts imperfect human beings.
Always has.
Always will.
Give enough authority to any institution—government, corporation, university, nonprofit, religious organization, media company, or political movement—and eventually someone will attempt to exploit it.
That isn't cynicism.
It's anthropology.
Which is precisely why accountability matters.
Transparency matters.
Checks and balances matter.
Independent journalism matters.
Whistleblowers matter.
An informed citizenry matters.
Perhaps most importantly...
Education matters.
Real education.
Not education that teaches students which political team to cheer for.
Education that teaches citizens how to recognize corruption regardless of whose name appears on the ballot.
Education that values evidence over ideology.
Principles over personalities.
Truth over tribalism.
At Aletheia Courses, we often explore uncomfortable books and documentaries because they remind us of a simple lesson history repeats with exhausting consistency:
Democracies rarely collapse overnight.
They erode.
One compromise.
One rationalization.
One exception.
One abuse of power at a time.
The encouraging news is this:
Americans still appear capable of recognizing the problem.
That Brennan Center survey offers something increasingly rare in modern politics:
Hope.
If over nine out of ten Americans can agree that corruption deserves serious attention, perhaps we have discovered common ground after all.
Not Left.
Not Right.
Forward.
Because fighting corruption should never be a partisan project.
It should be an American one.
Our republic has survived for nearly two and a half centuries not because its leaders were flawless, but because each generation has been willing to demand something better.
The question now is whether ours will do the same.
History is watching.
So are future generations.
