Before 9/11. Before Bush & Obama.

In the Clinton Administration and previous ones, big bills would sit in Congress for months with congressmen, opinion journalists, special interests and the public arguing over provisions and tradeoffs. People would actually watch congressional testimony on CSPAN (there was cable in the 1990s, no internet politics). Now everything is done with all the dealmaking behind closed doors or stuff is hidden behind classified labels to hide it from the public not because it's legitimately secret material.

I think this is why people are so suspicious of insider influence over candidates and corruption in politics now, because when there's no transparency, you HAVE to go on trust because there's no other way to know what is happening in DC.

I'm expecting that when Clinton gets into office you'll see a completely different government than what millennials have become conditioned to. You'll see things being done openly, with debate.

And that's why people like me think millennials delusional and silly for making the election all about character and trust. Transparency makes the need to have faith in politics unnecessary.

You need less faith-based politics when what is happening in lawmaking and treaty negotiation is out in the open. Because then you see what is happening, who is doing what and the public weighs in and public debate shapes legislation and treaties.

That is how politics is supposed to be. This is what is missing, not the ability to trust in politicians. Few people have ever trusted politicians.

When you have to trust politicians so deeply and it means a lot, that really implies you have no transparency and control over what is going on in DC. When that happens, you don't need to search high and low for politicians you think are benevolent and honest. What you need is a public that stops putting up with lack of transparency.

Transparency should be what Clinton talks about to millennials. This is how she can get them to trust her leadership. Because if she is going to be open and allow public debate on her agenda and how it's being implemented, the public is invited in and doesn't have to practice a faith-based politics.