https://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2012/06/28/americas-political-class-signs-of-hope/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 08:51:53 -0400<![CDATA[Few people, I suspect, have a lower opinion of our current crop of political elites than I do.  In my opinion,  many if not most of the Washington time-servers are preening and venal mountebanks, interested chiefly in safeguarding their own prerogatives. They aren’t public servants but public looters. Year after year, sometimes decade after decade, they batten lavishly at the public trough, typically emerging at they end of their tenure shockingly enriched. I recently stumbled on an observation of Lincoln’s that is pertinent to our political class: Most men, said Lincoln, can handle adversity. If you really want to see a man’s character, give him power.]]>Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:12:01 -0400<![CDATA[Roger Kimball]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-kimball/2012/06/28/americas-political-class-signs-of-hope-n116899