The Problem With Politics

The problem with politics is that hardly anyone considers, “and then what?”

OK. You won. What effect will your win and the policies that flow from the win have on the electorate? In the mind of the winners it is always, “We won didn’t we? They will love us.”

I have watched this play out over many cycles. It is always a bad attitude. Remember Nov 2016? The Democrats lost because they were not paying attention.

It happens so often (to both “sides” ) that there must be some kind of law about it.

This is pretty close:

Marcus Aurelius: “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”

And you know what? I’m seeing signs of incipient insanity all around.


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6 responses to “The Problem With Politics”

  1. James Avatar
    James

    I think that’s part of it, but only part. Another part is that neither side is looking at what the other side is saying–neither side is actually addressing the arguments of the other side. They’re merely competing to see who can scream their opinions loudest.

    I honestly don’t think people are thinking about what policies mean. The rank-and-file merely want to show each other that they’re part of the right group. This becomes painfully obvious when you listen to what people complain about and offer a practical solution to it–people take offense at the notion of being asked to do something to achieve their stated goals. Because it’s not about the goals: it’s all about convincing everyone around them that they’re on the Right Side.

  2. Simon Avatar

    James,

    Drug Prohibition, despite the obvious parallels to Alcohol Prohibition continues in large part because of that virtue signaling.

    I write occasionally for a rather more conservative site. When I write about the Drug War I see that all the time.

    “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” – Max Planck

    It is true for all truths.

  3. Randy aka TheUnknownPundit Avatar
    Randy aka TheUnknownPundit

    A modest proposal, Democrats quit trying to gut the Bill of Rights in various ways and the Republicans do the same thing on abortion rights. A lot of the vitriol stems from this divide and it bleeds into other issues.

    Let’s throw libertarians a bone and scrap vice laws as well. Sinners have a right to (adult, consensual) sin, don’t they? (Insert standard libertarian disclaimers).

    Let’s agree to protect each other’s rights, even the one’s we don’t like and don’t exercise ourselves. How about it everyone? Isn’t that what a pluralistic society and its government should do?

  4. Kathy Kinsley Avatar
    Kathy Kinsley

    @Randy – Indeed it is. However, that would absolutely murder sacred cows all over the place.

  5. c andrew Avatar
    c andrew

    Trigger Alert!

    You anti-hindu bigot you!

    whoops! That’s me channeling a college-age leftist snowflake.

    I even triggered myself! I used a lower-case ‘h’.

    PS. “There’s a big ‘B’ hidden in the flowers.” Looney Toons, “The Dumb Patrol”

  6. Kathy Kinsley Avatar
    Kathy Kinsley

    @c andrew

    Actually, some of my best friends are Hindus. 😛

    LOL