No party is immune to the arrogance of power

A few days ago, I was contemplating Paul’s letter to the Philippians when a verse jumped into my mind like a catchy earworm: “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5).

It has been there ever since, like an advertising jingle.

I believe this is one of those special earworms I have experienced many times before. They can be scripture, songs or simply a thought—or some combination of the three. Quite frankly, they usually feel a little crazy and sometimes become a bit obsessive.

But those obsessions have driven me to do things I never would have dreamed of doing without them. The one that drove us to Carly’s Law immediately comes to mind as one of the better-known examples. It played out in public before a good number of people, but there have been others during my political career. The same force also drove me throughout my law enforcement career.

I kept it mostly to myself, but age, experience and retirement have helped me recognize it and care less about whether people think I might be a bit eccentric.

I have been reluctant to speak publicly about this because everybody’s spiritual perception and experience is unique, like a fingerprint or DNA. I have spent my whole life trying to understand my own spirituality, and the main thing I have learned is how little I know.

That is why I feel woefully unqualified to impose my thoughts on the matter on anyone else. Attempting to make human connections across spiritual borders can create fear, resentment and animosity unless the connection is welcomed by everyone involved. I do not need to cross borders without permission, spiritual or otherwise.

So, what does all this spiritual stuff have to do with politics?

Everything.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle formerly known as Saul of Tarsus wrote, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

As I became more attuned to the spiritual aspects of politics, my attention shifted away from individual policy details and toward the health of the political system producing them. That does not mean good policy is unimportant. Good policy is the product of a healthy political system. But there were many people far more qualified than I who were focused on developing policy, and I did not think very many were looking at what I was seeing.

A hostile political environment is unlikely to produce sound policy. Oppression breeds resistance, and the resulting conflict can stifle creativity and innovation. Those qualities thrive in a cooperative environment and help produce practical solutions and sound policy.

In a perfect world, there would be no power struggles, oppression, suffering or persecution. Everyone would be clothed in love and devoted to the truth. Everyone would cooperate for the common good.

Sadly, the physical world we live in has never been perfect and never will be, so here we are.

It would be wonderful if political parties were unnecessary, but I recognize why they exist. Human beings are self-centered, arrogant and hungry for power in varying degrees. Political parties exist to collect, concentrate and exert that power.

When one party gains too much power, it does not become more responsible. It continues to consolidate and concentrate power until public officials become puppets of the party rather than servants of their constituents’ best interests.

As far as I can tell, the most important function of a political party in a two-party system is to keep the other party from becoming too powerful.

When I left the honorable profession of law enforcement for the more nefarious world of politics, one of the things that attracted me to the Republican Party was the absence of what I like to call “the arrogance of power.” That arrogance had permeated the Democratic Party after more than a century and a quarter of one-party rule.

It was sad to witness the same thing happen to the Alabama Republican Party in only 16 years.

During my career as a criminal investigator, I worked a number of cases that taught me to recognize the arrogance of power as a spiritual force that can corrupt the souls of those who wield power. Resisting it requires the spiritual maturity to bring one’s ego under control—or someone else willing to do it when we cannot.

There are few things that feed an ego like winning an election and few things that bring it down to size like a loss or an unexpectedly narrow victory.

I no longer have a taste for partisan politics and would rather try to entertain folks than proselytize them. However, I cannot unknow what I have learned over many years in the political world.

I feel a moral obligation to share it with those who want to listen, regardless of political affiliation. Lately, it seems that more Democrats than Republicans have been interested in my observations, at least publicly.

And that is OK. I get it.

It is that truth-to-power thing, and the majority holds the power.

There are many good people on the ballot this year in both parties offering themselves for public service. I only hope more Alabama voters will get to know them as people instead of accepting the caricatures depicted by their adversaries.

As the 2026 general election campaign gets underway, I am impressed that the Alabama Democratic Party has the best slate of candidates it has fielded in several decades, and that is good for our state.

Nothing will help the Alabama Republican Party resist what I see as its greatest temptation more than the credible threat of defeat at the hands of a strong, vibrant Democratic Party—or serious independent or third-party candidates.

Perhaps that is why Paul’s call to moderation has stayed with me.

Moderation does not require us to surrender our convictions. It requires enough humility to remember that no party, no leader and no voter is immune to the arrogance of power.

I intend to grab my popcorn and watch the show from my perch mostly outside the fray. But I will also do what I can to be a friend to whoever I can, whenever I can—and to tell the truth as I see it, no matter which party holds the power.