But politics feels like doing anything to justify exactly those same thoughts, and that is where ideology comes back into the picture. If we do not constantly challenge our views and values and political positions we form as a result of talking to people—yes, people out there, especially the people who are so far outside of institutions like this that come up with these ideas—then we cannot begin to pretend that any of us are any better than deeply dogmatic ideologues. Regardless, even and especially when tested, it will always ultimately be our values as people and as politicians that will allow us to accept or reject new information, to either change our opinions and our policies or not to do so—in fact, that's often the path that is rewarded in politics—and that is why it is so important that we are, in fact, straight up about these ideologies, about our values, our priorities, and the things that we are willing to trade off.