Politicians: a subspecies of the human race !/?

[doomjockey]

Doomjockey... the novelty of the first this or the first that would soon wear off. We had a 'first' woman PM. We had a 'first' former rocknroll lead singer PM. I've already expended enough bile on them, so I wont comment futher.

And I think that the race and/or sex of the prospective candidate soon becomes irrelevent once the smoke and mirrors period of 'The Election' is over and he/she gets their slippery legs under the head honcho's desk. They remain politicians.

 

 

Yes, the contrived novelty will wear off. I didn't mean to give the impression that I believe the situation would magically change for the better with a different race/sex in office. It would, however, be positive if we actually get to that point first. Having a long line of all white, all male, almost all Protestant Christian leaders speaks volumes for a nation flaunting tolerance. And at this point, to assume they'll flounder in office is just cynic doom-say. I don't even like the Democratic platform this year, but I'll be damned if I get behind McCain's "we'll stay in Iraq 100 years if we have to" nonsense. Or any staunch Republican, so said.

 

BTW, salespeople have to show something for their efforts, pols merely have to try to convince us that they are making the effort. And look good doing it.

 

It's a matter of expectation, not obligation. The public still expects results even if the administration can't produce them. The real difference is it's harder to "fire" a politician when they don't, simply because the masses don't pay attention to the reasons why- unless they're sensational. Case in point, Clinton's impeachment for real crimes like "perjury" and "obstruction of justice" were largely overshadowed by some wanton acts of office grabass. And there are still Americans out there who don't even know the significance of something like Watergate.

[Chesto]

Yeah. The Watergate. That's one brutalist mother of an hotel.

 

Will reply at length later. Wife insisting I watch French film with her so need to hunt out cokebottle specs to read subtitles.

[Chesto]

Later...

 

There have been so many thoughtful posts to this, with many good points made. However... nothing I have read has convinced me not to believe that pols are almost a different species.

 

Just for the sake of argument, though, let us accept that they ARE human. That what happens to a pol, who isn't bent from the git go out of the cradle, might be something to do with the onset of cynicism, skepticism, pessimism... all the negative isms... that come with getting old (er). That what ever ideals that might have motivated them when they were young enough to have unquestioning ideals became warped with the onset of time, and continued exposure to the former negative 'isms' held by their , supposedly, more mature political colleagues.

 

Here's a proposal, which should probably be another thread on its own. Have the upper cut off age for politicians to be ...let's say, 29, following Bobby Dylan's ( ascribed to...) dictum of never trusting anyone over the age of 30. ( Though, due to increased longevity in the west, that could be increased, a tad.) And let 'em run for office as soon as they're old enough to join the military, in which ever democratic country they happen to be in, if that isn't already the case,now.

 

BUT...

 

The guns , etc, stay in the hands of the old (er) farts.