"When I've asked Hill staff and elected officials about this, I've gotten an interesting answer: Think about what you need to do to become a politician, they say. Rise up in your local party leadership. Raise a lot of money. Get yourself quoted in the media. Campaign effectively. You don't really need to know that much about policy. And so a lot of elected officials simply don't know much about policy. Even if they wanted to become known as problem solvers and thinkers, they don't have the chops for it, and the pace of modern campaigning means they never have time to develop those chops, either. It's a depressing thought."Yes, it is, Ezra.
We're seeing it here in Oregon, where our governor's race, among others, couldn't be more depressing. A retreaded former Democratic governor who proved only marginally effective when previously in office against the usual GOP gormless bumper-sticker who represents the triumph of belief in magic over actual thinking. Neither one can be forced to make any sort of statement that strays close to fiscal or political reality.
Both pronounce the usual crap about "prosperity", "freedom", "responsibility", and "integrity" without ever explaining how they'll restore First World public services to the state without reworking the Skinnerbox that is the Oregon tax code or unraveling the mystery that is the state government.
Hmmm. I wonder...how could it be that our "leaders" have evolved into this sort of moronic, testicle-less, money-grubbing, mealy-mouthed rodent?
Could it be that we prefer to be told these glittering lies than face the hard, ugly truths?Gee. That's a depressing thought, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment