By Reardon "Sully" Sullivan

The Empty Politics of Platitudes

It’s election season and if you’re like me, you are getting bombarded with overused platitudes offered as new ideas, wisdom or comfort, but that come across as insincere drivel often gas-lighting voters.

Platitudes sound wise but mean nothing — they’re how politicians avoid hard truths.

I am tired of trite phrases such as: “Hardworking families deserve better.” “We need to come together,” “The system is broken,” “ We need to fix a broken system.” Democrat candidates like Marc Elrich (who has been in local government for 20 years), and Will Jawando and his slate that have been in office for several terms continue to gas light voters with a blow torch. Look in the mirror guys… you created the issues and have no idea how to fix them.

1. Take Wes Moore’s recent announcement that his administration will be laying off over 500+ workers while recently saying that they will be hiring separated federal workers. Does this guy know what he is doing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm7A8x1aBmo

2. Marc (no jobs) Elrich goes around the County touting that Montgomery County has low taxes and is “open for business” however local businesses are fleeing to Northern Viriginia due to excessive regulations. Why not eliminate excessive regulations?

3. The County Council voted to enact rent control to make housing more affordable, not understanding that rent control would stop development of multi-family housing. Eliminate rent control.

4. The County Council unanimously voted the draconian measure to eliminate gas heating to “achieve our climate goals.” Who wrote these climate goals without understanding the limited availability of power on the grid? How many people really want to give up the possible option of gas heating?

5. My personal hero, Will Jawando, has gone on record to defund the police and put female products in boys bathrooms. I can’t make this up. Platitudes and non-sensical, draconian laws to achieve a false utopia have become the currency of political speech in Montgomery County. They let candidates sound compassionate without committing to a position that makes life easier for the citizens, sound bipartisan without taking the risk of reaching across the aisle, and sound strong without having to act in a way that only supports the small number of people that vote.

Platitudes thrive because they are comforting. Who doesn’t want unity, prosperity, or fairness? But when everyone uses the same words, those words lose their meaning. A promise to “fight for working families” means nothing if it isn’t paired with a clear plan. A vow to “fix the system” means little when a candidate can’t say how /what to fix and is especially egregious when these are the candidates that supported the laws or did not stand in the breach against the crazy.

Political platitudes are a disguise, they make empty space sound full. They fill speeches, ads, and palm cards with noise that gives the illusion of depth. I am saddened when I hear the label “racist” or “racial equity” when a person is losing a discussion or defending poor behavior in the name of “Democracy.” But voters are smarter than that. They can tell when they’re being sold slogans instead of solutions… or are they?

Public trust in government has declined not just because of scandals, lack of transparency and gas-lighting, but because of language. People no longer believe politicians mean what they say, because so often, they don’t. When every issue is met with the same hollow reassurance, citizens stop listening and start disengaging contributing to the low voter turnout. Politicians defend their use of broad, feel-good language as a way to inspire. But inspiration without honesty is manipulation. Real inspiration comes from clarity and from the courage to say what’s true, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Platitudes don’t just waste airtime; they waste opportunity. They block meaningful discussion, replacing tough questions with soft answers. When leaders say, “We just need to come together,” it sounds unifying, but it avoids asking why we’re divided and what we must do to bridge that divide.

I offer that our political system depends on intellectually honest disagreement, not the polite kind where everyone nods, but the real kind where ideas clash and solutions emerge. Platitudes are the opposite of that. They smooth over conflict when what we need is courage.

The cure for platitudes is not cynicism; it’s authenticity. We need leaders who speak plainly, even imperfectly. Saying “This won’t be easy, but here’s my plan” carries more moral weight than any slogan. So does admitting uncertainty.

I offer that voters don’t want more smooth polish like Will Jawando. They want action that will make their lives better. They want leaders who respect them enough to speak with clarity, to argue with substance, and to lead
with conviction.

Until politicians trade platitudes for truth, our County will keep losing residents, businesses will flee, our children’s test scores will continue to drop, and our tax base will diminish.

I echo the thoughts of Adam Pagnucco in his September 12'th article (https://montgomeryperspective.com/2025/09/12/is-gus-bauman-right/ ). We the voters have the final word over the politicians. Voters must take the time to research who the candidates are and visit their websites.  Ask them the hard questions, demand answers and VOTE. That’s the path to a better place for Montgomery County and Maryland.

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Reardon "Sully" Sullivan is the Chair of the Republican Party in Montgomery County, MD - the MCGOP. He can be reached at [email protected]