Itrigue me, or else

November 7, 2009

Election Day was this week.  I barely noticed.  I love being an American, and I consider voting a privilege.  But I despise politics. 

One Web definition of politics states: “social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power.”  Yuck.  Even the definition gives me a bad taste in my mouth.

Despising politics is different from despising politicians.  Somebody has to run this country, after all.  And I’m glad there are others willing to do it so I don’t have to.  Although it’s difficult not to question the sanity of anyone willing to subject themselves to such intense scrutiny in order to obtain a thankless, usually poor-paying job. 

I know the President makes $400,000 per year, plus a healthy spending allowance, free room and board in a fully-catered mansion, and at-will international transportation.  But considering its nearly impossible to be elected President if you aren’t already a millionaire, the Presidential salary is actually a pretty healthy pay cut. 

And of course, not all elected officials are compensated similarly.  If the City Commissioners I voted for made even a quarter of the President’s salary, you can bet they wouldn’t have been running largely unopposed.

Public officials are saints, ego-maniacs, or just plain nuts.  I prefer to think most of them are saints… Which is a challenge even for this Pollyanna.  I pull my head out of the sand frequently enough to notice that there are plenty of politicians who are a long way from sainthood.

It takes a person of very high moral character to resists the temptations presented to those particularly in national public office – power, sex, money. 

We hear so much about the corruption of our elected officials, it’s easy to become cynical.  I know people who simply don’t vote out of utter disgust.  Although I disagree with their response, I can understand where they are coming from.

Much of the cynicism is fueled by the media, which is fueled by our patronage.  Which headline is going to hold public attention longer (and thus generate more advertising dollars)?  “Governor So and So caught with a prostitute!” Or, “Governor So and So kept his campaign promises!” 

We only hear the bad news.  There is practical, common sense legislation passed by Congress and state and local elected bodies every day that goes unrecognized.  And whose fault is that? 

Media is not just an institution.  It’s a business.  We buy the papers.  We change the channel when we get bored.  If we consumed the good news, it would be slathered in heavy doses all over the 24-hour cable channels.  

If a restaurant only served bland food that was healthy but lacked flavor, it wouldn’t matter if it was better for us.  It would go out of business.  We want a little spice, a little grease, a little tang.  The media is simply feeding us what we crave.

If a newspaper reports on the bad behavior of an elected official, it is applauded for providing a public service.  If it reports on a politician’s successes, it is accused of partisanship and biased reporting.  We are the ones setting the standards, and thus feeding our own cynicism. 

The truth is, after four years of relative peace, there is a bloodthirsty part of us that longs for the drama of a Presidential election.  We use these in-between years to relax and catch our breath.  Then, we pounce. 

It’s no wonder politicians must use “intrigue to gain power and authority.”  If they didn’t, we’d change the channel.   

This article first appeared in the Lewistown News-Argus and the Sidney (Mont.) Herald on November 7, 2009.