Author Chris Gould, in his Aristotle: Politics, Ethics and Desirability, made the rather sage observation that, “the best promises forever seem to be made by amnesiacs.”  Politics has frequently been measured as the distance between what a politician promises and what is ultimately delivered.  As voters themselves move all over the political map, those seeking their approval make ever more outlandish vows in order to secure their trust, and often fail to complete them.The more this goes on – the over promising and under delivering – the more that essential ingredient of trust slips away from our democracy.  We have reached a stage in the modern era life where politics itself has escaped the very democratic system it was supposed to guard and empower.   The generation that endured the deep disillusionment of Watergate and lost faith in democracy's institutions, its ideals and its pragmatic ability to find commonality, never recovered.Canadians. who endured years of Senate scandal, eventually grew to distrust and ignore the Upper Chamber, with many calling for its abolition.  Even Justin Trudeau's efforts to reform the Senate have so far failed to restore it to a place of respect, and perhaps more importantly, effectiveness.  Trust has yet to be rebuilt.Europe is currently walking a perilous tightrope as old institutions fall into disfavour, political leaders make outlandish claims, and citizens themselves collectively retreat from the comity that once spoke of a more hopeful future.  Current French elections are only the most recent example of the creeping era of democratic distrust.Throughout democracy's history were numerous unorthodox figures and statements that frequently served to spice up debate and make the news more interesting.  But many of today's current leaders are, like Nixon, willing to undermine the very integrity of constitutions and revered political practice in order to achieve their ends.  For them it is not enough to win; they must trounce the system, drain the swamp, get the voters to detest government itself, if they are to retain their popularity.  In Harvard University Law Professor's Jack  Goldsmith's view, it is now becoming the normal for a political leader to claim that “lawful is awful.”All of this willingness to push beyond the limits of law and common sense has left the average citizen with the sense that nothing is politically sacred anymore – not common purpose, compromise, personal integrity, even law itself.  The goal posts keep moving.  The rules keep morphing.  The characters keep changing.  Yet, in all of it, little seems to be getting done.  For all the talk of democratic reform, little changes.  Lofty statements on the need to radically challenge the encroachment of climate change remain largely empty.  Poverty remains stubbornly present and damning.  Calls for political parties to cooperate on our greatest challenges have yet to successfully tear down the walls of animosity between them.It's the political equivalent of catch and release: use whatever bait it takes to hook the fish, but once it's in the boat, toss it back into the water.  Do or say whatever it takes to get the vote, even if it means undermining democracy itself, and then govern as though the only thing that matters is political survival.Founding figures in both the United States and Canada launched their precarious experiments in democracy in the belief that only a commitment to high standards of human behaviour and respect, along with maintaining the abiding trust of citizens, could guarantee the success of their efforts.   It is becoming more evident that we are failing in that quest across the board – politicians for making promises that they sensibly can't make, and citizens for continuing to vote for those moving more and more to the extremes.  Abraham Lincoln understood this well enough to say:“Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”Politicians around the world are going to have to work exceedingly hard to regain the trust of the voters and that will mean making sensible promises and working in collaboration to achieve them.  And citizens must begin the process of finding and building on the common ground that was once the most expensive piece of public real estate, but one we are increasingly in danger of losing.Glen Pearson was a career professional firefighter and is a former Member of Parliament from southwestern Ontario.  He and his wife adopted three children from South Sudan and reside in London, Ontario.  He has been the co-director of the London Food Bank for 29 years.  He writes regularly for the London Free Press and also shares his views on a blog entitled “The Parallel Parliament“.   Follow him on twitter @GlenPearson.