Why would anyone want to be a politician?
I know it seems like a really simple question. And I know those in political lives right now would answer this in the most Miss America way they possibly could.
"I want to bring positive change to the world."
"I want to serve my community."
"We deserve leadership."
All lovely platitudes. But it kind of feels like hogwash nowadays, doesn't it? Sure, there are a few out there who are doing a great job of being public servants. They represent their constituents well, and they're about as "open book" as you can get.
But it feels like the good apples are being ruined by the bad ones. And it's making it tougher for the good apples to want to even get in the basket.
Think about it. Would you be willing to open up your entire life for the world to see?
You would be subjecting your family and friends to an insane amount of scrutiny. Your husband or wife will be judged for everything they did or do, how they look and how they interact with others. Your children will be put into an unwarranted spotlight. As they get older, they will be put under the microscope for every social situation they find themselves in. Your friends will have to be extra-careful to make sure they don't post anything on social media that could lead to some kind of controversy, even if it's as simple as you having a beer.
Then you get into the partisanship aspect. You will have your values and beliefs ripped apart. You could be the most saintly person on the face of the planet, but if you're not of a certain religious background, you will be torn to shreds by some followers of other faiths. Support same-sex marriage? Good luck with those who don't support it (they'll wish you a lifetime of damnation). Question gun control? They'll think you want to take away their guns (even if all you want is to end school shootings). Support the oilsands? The environmentalists will picket outside your home and office in a heartbeat (even though the hypocrisy they show is always so evident). The insanity is going to come from all sides. So buckle up, kid!
And don't even get me started on ideas and change. Have a good idea? Park it. Because someone will think you're targeting them, or that you're threatening their way of life. And make sure your ideas are simple. Because if people have to think, they will revolt because it feels like you're talking down to them. They want your ideas in 140 characters or less. So get practicing.
Many people have asked the question about "where have all the good candidates gone?" The joke with the American election, for example, has been about how there are 330-million people and these are the two best candidates to run the United States?
Is this an accident?
I have a feeling the answer is no. Most of the "good" candidates (the ones of sane mind and best intentions) are in hiding. Why? Ask yourself the above questions about what you'd be willing to sacrifice.
But ask yourself, as a voter, about what you've come to expect from politicians. Many people expect the absolute worst. They think they need to be some combination of morally corrupt, fiscally incompetent and/or reality-deprived. And if they can't find it on the cover of the book, don't worry, they will go digging for it. They will find anything, no matter how minuscule, to throw you under the bus. Why? There's this nagging feeling that it's "too good to be true", and they don't want to be disappointed later. It's a different kind of abusive relationship.
Maybe I'm an idealist, but it feels like there was a time when we expected more. We looked for the good in our candidates. We looked for people who had a vision, who could get things done and who could work with others. Even the opposition.
But somewhere along the way, we got lost. Instead of having visions and working together, opposition politicians scream from the rooftops about how they've been hard done by and how only THEY can fix it. They campaign on "change" then they enter office and do the exact same thing (or some minor variation) of what they campaigned against. They don't offer up their own ideas, they simply cry foul. I once joked that one politician could say "the sky is blue" and opposition politicians would yell back "screw you, the sky is red!" It happens at all levels, especially in the party system. They oppose for the sake of opposing because their partisanship tells them to. Who needs good policy and ideas when you can simply do all you can to discredit your opposition? It's no wonder it takes forever for ideas to come to fruition.
And it's no wonder people are turned off politics. They see all the yelling and screaming. They see all the scandals and discourse. And they see who they are voting for. They don't like it.
Maybe we need to hit rock-bottom. Maybe we need to elect the worst of the worst. Maybe then we'll start looking for the best in candidates and the best candidates. Maybe then we'll start seeing some of the best coming forward, all with well-thought out policy ideas and plans. Maybe they'll even have a shred of moral decency. Maybe they won't come in with a bunch of vested interests outside of serving the common good.
We should be taking this "democracy" thing seriously. Instead, we're mocking it. We've seemingly allowed ourselves to devolve into a giant junior high school council election, where only the well-known kids get voted in. It doesn't matter if they're promising nothing or they're promising soda machines in every classroom and five recesses a day. They might be bullies or have an IQ of a stick. But they're popular.
Meanwhile, the smart kids in the corner of the classroom, with all the good ideas in the world and decent human compasses, are sitting on the sidelines, knowing they stand a snowball's chance in you-know-where of winning this thing.
It's not that the vote is rigged.
It's just that no one is taking them seriously, because the electorate is distracted by shiny things in the vending machine.
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