Decades of political scandals have shattered the trust many Americans used to have in their public institutions. Beyond the many inhumane acts done by the federal government, deception and dishonesty have become de facto characteristics of the modern-day politician. But some actions by younger politicians could turn attitudes around.

The recent weeks have seen the exposing of multitudes of lies by newly elected Rep. George Santos, a Republican from New York. Among his many lies, he manipulated both his party and his constituents in a weakening blue district to elect a candidate that they now know nothing about. 

Santos lied about many things, such as the comically useless point that he was a volleyball star at Baruch College, a school he claimed to have attended and graduated in the top 1% of his class from. In reality, he not only did not graduate with such honors but it also seems he didn’t attend at all.

He claimed to be Jewish merely to acquire more support from the large Jewish constituency in New York. As the first non-incumbent openly gay Republican elected to the House, Santos also used this to connect to other marginalized identities, falsely claiming to have lost four employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting. He also claimed his mother was in the South Tower during the 9/11 attacks, but she was actually still in Brazil, again an effort to connect to New Yorkers.

His most egregious lies however are in his financial activities where most of his credibility came from. Santos has lied about his property holdings, claiming at one point to have owned 13 properties. In reality, he lived with his sister and had no property of his own. Santos claimed to work for Wall Street giants Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, doubling their revenue and revolutionizing their sales strategies. That too never happened.

All this evidence and many more instances point to one simple fact: the bar at which we hold our politicians accountable is exceptionally low. None of the information from George Santos is true and most of it was said simply to garner more votes. Luckily, a newcomer in federal politics is giving the American people a light at the end of the tunnel.

Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat from North Carolina, has taken to social media to give his constituents insight into his daily workings within Congress. While social media has long been a tool for politicians in terms of messaging, Jackson has begun connecting more directly with his followers through multiple platforms. 

Jackson has used short-form videos to explain the various workings of Congress, including the process of becoming a new representative upon election, addressing common controversy and providing general information about the day-to-day workings of members of Congress.

In one of the most refreshing videos I’ve seen in a while from a North Carolinian politician, Jackson addressed concerns his constituents have over possible insider trading. The concern is reasonable, as multiple North Carolina politicians have gotten in trouble for using information gained from committee positions to generate wealth in the stock market. 

In Jackson’s video, he not only addresses the controversy and concern many North Carolinians rightly have but goes through the process of explaining how he will actively avoid insider trading altogether. 

In his video, he says, “It’s not enough for me to say I won’t do that because anyone in my shoes would say that,” recognizing he must also explain how he will actively avoid such actions.

He goes on to list and explain the stocks he and his wife own and promotes a bill he is co-sponsoring that would ban members of Congress from trading stocks. These videos recognize the concerns many Americans have with their representatives and display how Jackson intends to dissuade those concerns. 

In a more mild instance, Jackson gave his viewers a story about his first interaction with an unnamed controversial Republican representative. He recognized his mindset going into the conversation was hostile, informed by the news and media he had seen of this person. 

As he conversed with them though, he realized that they have much in common and would be useful allies in addressing the concerns of their respective constituencies. It displayed Jackson’s newfound attitude that would give life to more bipartisan legislation in a currently dysfunctional and divisive Congress.

The transparency of Jackson’s videos is rejuvenating. In an age of increasing deception, corruption and dishonesty, he has found a way to break through the noise and connect directly with his constituency. More politicians, both in NC and in Congress should take note of Jackson’s open conversations.