Ted Cruz has come under fire for his refusal to endorse Donald Trump for president.  His critics say nastiness is a normal part of politics and he should set aside the attacks against his wife (and father) because we need to defeat Hillary.  Cruz should sacrifice his values and endorse Trump for the “greater good” of the country.  The problem is that the greater good isn’t the country; the greater good is morality.

If Cruz were to cave in and endorse Trump, his actions would say, “That’s okay, to treat me that way.”  And the larger message is, “That’s okay, to treat anyone that way.  Bullying others is fine.”  He would be taking an immoral position and, at the same time, denigrating his self-respect.

People are all worked up over Hillary’s lack of morality yet unconcerned about the lack of it on our side.  Why is it wrong for Hillary to lie about her emails so she can be president but okay for Trump to lie about his opponents so he can be president?  Why is it okay for Trump to renege on his pledge because he wants to be president but not okay for Cruz because he wants to defend his values?  Why is it wrong for Bernie Sanders to endorse Hillary after he maintained that he disapproved of her but right for Trump to expect an endorsement from someone he viciously attacked?  Why is it permissible to fling slime at someone else and expect his support in return?  Is it okay to walk all over someone else to get what you want?

Character, integrity, and principled action used to matter to Americans.  They should matter.  If a man doesn’t have the strength to defend his wife, what makes anyone think he would have the strength to defend his country?  If a man doesn’t stick up for himself, how will he have the courage to do what is right, even in the face of opposition?

Morality has to come first before politics will improve.  Asking Ted Cruz to sacrifice his values will not save the country.  It will make it worse.  People will see just another politician cave in to doing the wrong thing again.

The reason why Hillary is so dangerous to our country is because she is immoral, and if she is elected, it will be because of a depraved and corrupt electorate.  The future of the country will not rest on whether or not Cruz endorsed Trump.  It will depend on the moral compass of our citizens.

Charlotte Cushman is a Montessori educator and authored Montessori: Why It Matters for Your Child’s Success and Happiness.  She has been involved in the study of Ayn Rand’s philosophy since 1970.