Senator and presidential candidate John F. Kennedy gazes upon the crowd after his speech in Ohio.
Please credit “Sven Walnum, The Sven Walnum Photograph Collection. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston”

John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage highlighted eight U.S. senators who defied party pressure and public opinion to do what they believed was right.

Today, in stark contrast, we face a political landscape where courage has been relegated to the history books, and truth is too often replaced by rationalizations. A reckless president is dismantling the norms and values that have upheld American democracy for nearly 250 years.

Where is the country’s moral center—when truth-tellers are punished and enablers are rewarded; Where is the country’s moral center—when fear keeps good people silent and ambition blinds others to the damage being done—when deception drowns out truth, and too many in power trade principle for personal gain?

What makes this moment especially dangerous is the normalization of unchecked power. The very institutions entrusted with protecting our democracy—none more so than a party in Congress who have not merely grown timid; they have surrendered their duty in silence.  Paralyzed by fear, partisanship, or personal ambition, they refuse to confront the threat. In doing so, they abandon not only political principle, but the public trust they swore to uphold—weakening the very framework that holds our democracy together.

Yet amid this crisis, there are glimmers of hope. Former Representative Liz Cheney, who prioritized the Constitution over party, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who continues to challenge the reckless actions of an unaccountable president to uphold democratic principles—both exemplify the moral clarity and courage our times demand.

What’s at stake is more than policy. What’s at stake is the foundation of our republic: the rule of law, and the principle that no one—not even a president—is above the Constitution.

This is not a battle between parties. It is a test of principle.

Democracy is not self-correcting. It depends on the integrity of those who govern and the vigilance of those they represent. Without accountability, it erodes. Without courage, it collapses.

In this moment, we don’t just need leaders—we need new profiles in courage: individuals willing to put country before party, truth before convenience, and conscience before career. That was the spirit Kennedy honored in 1956—and it is the spirit we must summon again today.

History is watching. So are our children and grandchildren. They will ask what we did when the country was tested—not just what we believed, but how we responded.

It is not too late. But the clock is ticking.

We must raise our voices. Attend town halls. Write our representatives. Speak out at school board and city council meetings. Support institutions that uphold the rule of law. Defend the truth. Vote—not out of habit, but with urgency and purpose.

“A man does what he must,” Kennedy wrote, “in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures—and that is the basis of all human morality.”

Let that be our legacy—not regret but resolve.