Look how many millions of people are underemployed or have lost

The words of Lindsey Graham, “Look how many millions of people are underemployed or have lost their jobs. The last thing I'm going to do is play politics with their future,” rise as a cry against indifference and vanity. In them, we hear the ancient truth that leadership is not for the games of the ambitious, but for the shelter of the suffering. To lose one’s job, to be cast into the shadow of underemployment, is not merely an economic wound but a wound to dignity itself. Graham reminds us that such pain must never be treated as a pawn in the contests of politics.

The ancients knew that the measure of a ruler is not found in feasts or conquests, but in how he defends the weak in times of famine. To play politics with the livelihood of the people is to mock the very reason why power was entrusted to the few. Leadership is a sacred duty, not a stage for rivalry. The cry of the hungry worker, the weary father, the anxious mother—these should weigh heavier on the heart of the leader than the fleeting applause of the crowd.

History provides us with clear witness. In the years of the Great Depression, millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes, and their hope. Some leaders sought to maneuver for power, to exploit despair for their own gain. Yet others, like President Franklin D. Roosevelt, rose with the promise of a “New Deal,” not as a ploy, but as a covenant to restore work, dignity, and stability. Had Roosevelt merely played politics, his words would have been hollow. But by seeking real relief, he gave new breath to a nation on the edge of despair.

Graham’s words, therefore, carry a warning wrapped in compassion: let not the fate of the many be the bargaining chip of the few. To trifle with the future of those in need is to tear at the fabric of trust that binds a people to their leaders. For when leaders treat suffering as a weapon in their games, they forfeit the right to be called guardians.

Let this wisdom endure: true statesmanship is not found in clever maneuvering, but in steadfast care for those who stand on the edge of ruin. Jobs are not numbers on a ledger; they are lifelines for families, the hearthstones of homes, the vessels of dignity. To guard them faithfully is the highest calling of those who govern. To betray them for ambition is the darkest form of folly. Let the generations remember this, and choose leaders who serve not themselves, but the future of their people.