My sister wrote something on her blog that made me think a bit. Here's what she wrote:
How I feel about politics in general...and why I had a hard time voting
Richard Armour once wrote: "Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong."
Saul Bellow wrote: "Take our politicians: they're a bunch of yo-yos. The presidency is now a cross between a popularity contest and a high school debate, with an encyclopedia of clichés the first prize."
Plato wrote: "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber." (AMEN!)
Nikita Khrushchev wrote: "Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river."
T.S. Eliot wrote: "An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry."
(Note that I don’t even necessarily agree with the ideologies of all of the authors of these quotes…but I agree with what they’re saying! I’m just sayin.)
And here's the comment I left on her post:
Hmmm...I saw this in your email the other day and had thoughts but didn't have time to write them to you. Guess I'll do it now. I guess I still believe in the good in people. I definitely feel that there are politicians who are in it for power and prestige. But I also think, at least hope, that there are politicians who are in it to make changes for the good. (Just now realizing how ironic it is that I write this when this is the argument so many made about Obama and I didn't like him. Having a sketchy past, though, is kind of an indicator of a person's character in my mind.) Working with some legislators opened my eyes to how hard of a job it is. You're constantly battling between what you want, what your constituents want, and what your fellow legislators want. You always have to watch what you say, who you talk to, where you go. Someone is always going to hate you, no matter what you do. You have to dodge the media all the time, but still try to do what you think is right. This is why I've liked Bush for all of these years. I think he's a good man with the country's best interest at heart (I honestly do feel this way). Anyway, I know people hate politicians because they make promises they can't always keep. But you never know what obstacles will arise that will destroy your vision (the promise made) until after you're elected (true, some people might just be lying to get elected). There are so many things to think about when trying to lead a state or a nation or a city. To get one thing, you have to take from somewhere else. And then people get mad and don't want you in office anymore. So you try to please them, but still do what you think will be the best thing, etc. So, it's cyclical. To sum up, I'm trying to have faith that there are good people out there that want to make changes and are willing to go through Hades to do it. So the stereotype of politicians sometimes bothers me.
(I didn't post this on her comment, but I will here)-- I also got so frustrated with people before the election that would talk about how they didn't like either candidate. When I would press and ask why, no one could give me good reasons. If people had a problem with John McCain, they would use phrases they had heard on tv like, "It'll just be 4 more years of Bush's failed policies," when I know no one could give me a policy that they opposed. Ugh. Then, if pushed further (saying that they should research the issues so they really knew where they stood), the people I talked to said they didn't have time or interest. I don't get it. Don't fight against something you don't understand. I majored in polysci, but know almost nothing about state and national politics. But I had to research to find out which candidate I thought would be the best leader of our country.
So there...I'm done my rant now.
I want to know how YOU feel about politicians. Do you agree with me or my sister?
3 comments:
I love the Saul Bellow quote. LOL. I think that much political speech is cluttered with meaningless cliches, but I don't blame that just on the politicians. After all, how else can they deal with voters who judge them for things like their names (one student of mine claimed Obama was a Muslim terrorist, and supported her claim with his middle name: Hussein!) or slips of the tongue or soundbites that the public seems to want and the press has exploited? I agree with you (and my dad) that being president is a very hard job, one that I wouldn't want to do, even if I were qualified. I like what a friend of mine told me a couple days before the election: that whoever should become president will need our support. Happily, I felt then that I could support either candidate in his efforts to implement some of the things he had discussed during the election. I think that positive support (and even noncritical opposition when needed) can help politicians make real differences, and help citizens feel unified. I think our current economic situation might be unsolvable in the next four years, and that patience and support (of whatever course of action you think will work best) can do a lot to make things better.
Don't hate me because I avoid contentious discussions!
I think that sometimes people profess to dislike both candidates because they feel like they are entitled to complain about whatever happens no matter who wins. I do also think that there are a few good politicians out there who are doing things for the right reason. And I also think that George Bush is a good man who tried to do what he thought was best for the country. The few qualms that I have with Bush's presidency are actually not the things that most Bush haters have problems with.
National politicians need to be pseudo-experts in just about every relevant field. Couple that with pleasing all those demographics you mentioned above and you've got yourself a pretty difficult and to some extent thankless (although the pension benefits are pretty amazing!)job.
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