--- id: 20210701_politicians_failed_miserably title: BLOG - Politicians Have Failed Miserably category: Biblical Life Counsel predicted_narrative_arc: cultural-diagnosis-to-biblical-remedy sentiment: Convictional emotions: - Concerned - Hopeful - Challenging keypoints: - Political views are being treated as the measure of a person's personality and worth - Pew Research (2019) documents deepening partisan judgment of the other side - Judging people by politics is a societal dead-end - Proverbs 3:5-6 calls for trust in the Lord rather than partisan self-reliance - Personal practice of David's wisdom is Dean's proposed path to national healing summary: > Dean Rush argues that Americans increasingly treat political views as the basis of personality and worth, citing a 2019 Pew survey on partisan hostility. He warns this is a dead-end road for society and points to Proverbs 3:5-6 as the corrective — trust in the Lord, not our own understanding — challenging readers to live David's counsel personally because politicians have failed miserably. tags: - blog - policy - politics - pew-survey - partisanship - proverbs-3 - trust-in-god - national-healing - biblical-wisdom - dean-rush sycophancy: 0 truth_score: 8 entropy: 3 sample: false consent: owner_approved agent: blog created: '2021-07-01' updated: '2026-09-08T00:00:00Z' vault_stage: 07_CODEX headwaters: BLOG prefix: BLOG enrich_status: ok enrich_blockers: [] enrich_method: manual pipeline_filename: BLOG_2021-07-01_politicians-have-failed-miserably.md source_kind: blog_article proposed_topic: Wisdom lane: Wisdom voice: desk active_voice: desk voices: - desk routing_source: carbon corpus_topic: Wisdom content_status: active date: '2021-07-01' share_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/politicians-have-failed-miserably source_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/politicians-have-failed-miserably site_category: Policy archive_month: 2021-07 description: > Dean confronts partisan judgment of persons and points America back to Proverbs 3:5-6 — trust God, not political self-understanding — as the path toward healing when politicians have failed. --- # Politicians Have Failed Miserably **Author:** Dean Rush **Original post:** [deanrush.net/blog/politicians-have-failed-miserably](https://deanrush.net/blog/politicians-have-failed-miserably) **Archive month:** July 2021 · **Site category:** Policy > Voice note: Everything under **Dean's article** is Dean's original prose (lightly cleaned of HTML/image artifacts only). Sections marked **Biblical foundations**, **Scholar sidebar**, **Takeaways**, and **First-time learner** are enrichment for Asker / first readers — not Dean speaking. --- ## Biblical foundations (preface) Dean names a cultural wound — treating political affiliation as a verdict on a person's worth — and answers it with Scripture he already quotes: trust the Lord, not your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6). The enrichment below does not replace his argument; it shows the wider biblical frame that makes his counsel coherent for someone opening a Bible for the first time. | Dean's claim | Scriptural undercarriage | | --- | --- | | A person's worth is not their politics | Humans bear God's image (Genesis 1:27); favoritism is forbidden (James 2:1–4) | | Partisan self-certainty is a dead end | "Lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5); "there is a way that seems right to a man" (Proverbs 14:12) | | Healing requires reliance on God | Paths made straight by knowing Him (Proverbs 3:6); peaceable living where possible (Romans 12:18) | | Leaders have failed; the people still have a calling | Do not put ultimate trust in princes (Psalm 146:3); pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2); walk humbly (Micah 6:8) | --- ## Dean's article ### When politics becomes a verdict on the person In recent years the American citizenry has formulated the perception that another person's political views provide the basis of their personality and worth. I recently discovered a survey done by the Pew Foundation in 2019 which is revealing. Here is the result of their survey: ![Pew Research chart from Dean's original post](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/10/PP_2019.10.10_state-of-parties_0-02.png?w=640) *(Original survey graphic linked from Dean's post; Pew Research Center, October 2019 reporting on partisan attitudes.)* > **Scholar sidebar — Image of God vs. partisan scorecard** > Scripture locates human worth upstream of ideology. Genesis 1:27 teaches that male and female are made in the image of God — dignity is received, not earned by tribe. James 2:1–4 rebukes the church for seating the rich and shaming the poor; the same logic condemns ranking neighbors by party. Jesus' warning in Matthew 7:1–5 is not "never discern"; it is "do not play God with a brother's identity." Dean's opening diagnosis sits squarely inside that biblical anthropology: politics may describe preferences; it must not define persons. ### A dead-end road — and a brighter course The survey confirms the fact that we are going down a dead-end road. If we, as Americans, cannot accept people for who they truly are rather than judging them by their political views our society is in trouble. I see a bright future and a way to change the course of the current thought process with the wisdom that a guy named David relayed to us. In Proverbs 3:5 he says: > "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and… Do not rely on your own understanding: In all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight." (CSB) > **Scholar sidebar — Proverbs 3:5–6 in full context** > Dean cites Proverbs 3:5 and continues through the "paths straight" promise, which the CSB (and most English Bibles) places in 3:5–6. The Hebrew thrust is relational, not merely intellectual: *trust* (rely on), *with all your heart* (undivided allegiance), *do not lean* on your own understanding (refuse self-sufficient cleverness), *in all your ways know Him* (acknowledge / be intimate with Yahweh in ordinary paths), and *He will make your paths straight* (remove the crooked obstacles of self-guided living). David here is not offering a campaign slogan; he is prescribing a posture. Dean's application — that national healing might begin with that posture — matches the proverb's scope: "all your ways," including civic ones. ### The failure of politics — and a personal challenge Reliance on God might bring healing to our nation. **Politicians have failed miserably.** **I challenge you to try living David's idea in your own life.** > **Scholar sidebar — Failed princes, remaining responsibility** > Psalm 146:3 says, "Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save." That does not abolish civic duty; it relocates ultimate hope. Paul still urges prayers "for kings and all who are in authority" so that believers may live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness (1 Timothy 2:1–2). Micah 6:8 keeps the citizen's feet on the ground: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God. Dean's blunt line — politicians have failed — is paired with an equally blunt remedy aimed at the reader, not the Capitol: live Proverbs 3 yourself. That is classic biblical order — reform of the heart before reform of the square (cf. Matthew 23:25–26). --- ## Takeaways 1. **Worth before worldview.** Dean refuses to let political affiliation become a measure of personality or human value. 2. **Data confirms the drift.** He points to Pew (2019) as evidence that partisan judgment of "the other side" has hardened into a cultural habit. 3. **Dead-end diagnosis.** A society that cannot accept people for who they are — apart from party — is in trouble. 4. **Scripture as course correction.** Proverbs 3:5–6 is not decoration; it is Dean's proposed alternative operating system: trust God, refuse self-reliant understanding, know Him in all ways. 5. **Leaders failed; disciples still act.** The failure of politicians does not excuse personal inaction. Dean's challenge is local and obedient: try living David's idea. --- ## First-time learner ### What is Dean saying in one sentence? Stop grading people by their politics; start trusting God with the understanding you usually reserve for your own side. ### Why does he quote Proverbs 3? Because the disease he names is misplaced trust — trusting partisan "understanding" to tell us who is good and who is worthless. Proverbs 3 relocates trust to the Lord and promises straightened paths when we know Him in *all* our ways, not only private religious ones. ### Key verses to read with this post - **Proverbs 3:5–6** — Trust, do not lean on yourself, know Him, walk straight paths. - **Genesis 1:27** — Human worth comes from God's image. - **James 2:1–4** — Faith and favoritism cannot share the same pew. - **Psalm 146:3** — Do not put ultimate trust in princes. - **1 Timothy 2:1–2** — Pray for leaders even when leadership disappoints. - **Micah 6:8** — Justice, mercy, and humility as the believer's civic posture. - **Romans 12:18** — So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ### A simple practice (Dean's challenge made concrete) For one week, when you feel contempt rise toward someone because of their politics: (1) refuse the verdict on their worth, (2) pray Proverbs 3:5–6 aloud, (3) ask what "knowing Him" would look like in that conversation before you speak. ### How this feeds Ask Dean This post is seed material for questions such as: *How should a Christian treat political opponents? What does Proverbs 3 mean for public life? Why does Dean say politicians have failed?* Answers should keep Dean's voice primary and use the scholar notes only as supporting biblical scaffolding.