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I am pragmatic about politicians. I never fault any human being, especially politicians, for pursuing self-interest. Politics is a bloodsport. And it attracts and retains only the toughest, most brutal people obsessed with survival - whatever charming masks they may wear to conceal this.
Similarly, I expect voters to enforce the right incentives. Like anyone in the private sector, politicians and journalists simply respond to incentives. Neither were ever solely public-spirited: Walter Cronkite was revered for real journalism, but he only did that because he knew he would be revered for it. Today, he would be ridiculed for “both sides-ism.”
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What we used to have, and increasingly don’t, is an incentive structure that rewards public figures for pursuing the public good - even if it requires personal sacrifice. Getting caught in a lie used to be bad, because people used to be insulted when lied to. Now, we expect it.
Apology used to be a sign of respect. Now, it’s a sign of weakness and stupidity.
Politicians aspired not just to getting elected and staying elected, but to being perceived as statesmen and stateswomen, or even more humbly, public servants.
Idealism without illusions means focusing on the incentives society creates. Don’t expect people to be unselfish. Set up a society that makes doing the right thing = the selfish thing to do. Both by punishing people who poison the commons, and rewarding good stewards of a good society. As of now, American politics does neither.
We deserve two presidential nominees worthy of the presidency. We have none.
I don’t think Trump is a fascist. He’s merely a narcissistic sociopath. And I don’t think Kamala is entirely incompetent. Just mostly.
I could be wrong about one or both of those things. I don’t know.
What I know is neither deserves to be president.
And America, for all its flaws, deserves better than that.
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P.s.
I was watching this old interview of Bill Clinton on Arsenio Hall last night, and was amazed by his candor, intelligence, and genuine concern for the well-being of ordinary Americans.
Clinton’s lifelong treatment of women is morally abhorrent and allegedly criminal. (Again, I don’t expect much from our leaders; beggars can’t be choosers.) But his work ethic, vision, and performance as presidential candidate and president were exemplary.
I was a 1-month old baby in Bombay when Bill announced his underdog campaign for president. And yet, somehow, I sorely miss him.
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