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July 6 2008
Lately, Barack Obama seems to be changing his position on a number of political issues and some of his supporters are complaining that he is morphing into "just another politician". They're right, but how could it be otherwise? Obama has a stark choice. He can be honest or he can get elected.
The people who heap scorn on politicians for their often slimy behaviour never stop to think that the problems lie with our system of representative democracy. Few of us would be willing to spend the time and effort to participate in government personally, in the way that the Athenians did when individuals were chosen by lot to serve on the Council of Athens. The idea of your tyrant of a boss or of your nitwit brother-in-law being chosen to run the state should be sobering enough to make professional politicians seem benign by comparison.
Every politician faces the same dilemmas:
1. Our society is fragmented into many groups who all want their own personal interests served, but these interests are frequently at odds. If a candidate says he favors freedom of choice on abortion and more social programs for the poor, he will lose the votes of conservatives. If he says he is against abortion and wants to cut social programs in order to lower taxes, he will lose the votes of progressives. The only way to get the support of both groups is to either lie to one of them or to be so vague that each faction thinks he is on their side. Neither approach does much for honesty in political office.
2. Getting elected requires tons of money in this mass media age. Anyone hoping to succeed needs supporters who have deep pockets. Obama had a brilliant campaign team who managed to raise millions from small donations, but this is rare. Usually, a candidate depends on rich backers. After she gets elected, they expect her to pass the legislation that they want. Otherwise, her opponents will get the big campaign donations next time. A candidate who refuses to play with these people has little chance of getting into office unless she has buckets of money of her own. That's why voters can throw out one party, only to find that the new government continues with the same policies.
3. There is continual crossover between government and big corporations, with former lobbyists running for office and politicians getting plumb jobs on corporate boards. Politicians who play ball with the corporations can look forward to a comfortable retirement. Someone who tries to be independent will be on his own when he finds himself out of office. That's why politicians and corporate executives usually have the same view of the world.
I don't have any solutions to these problems and I think they are at the very core of our electoral system. The next time that you vote for somebody, be assured that he or she will be "just another politician" and be careful.
What do you think? Is any sort of real honesty on the part of politicians possible within our system? I'd like to know your opinion.
George
PS: Please visit my web page at www.checkmatefiction.com
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Posted by gjcondon on 2008-07-06 16:35:58 | Rating: | Views: 58
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