Beware Specialization in Those that "Serve" You: What Are They Specializing In?

Most politicians are scum. More than that, they're some of the scummiest scum that ever crawled out of the pond (specifically one in china that serves as a phosphate factory's drainage). This is a little thought exercise to explain why.

First think about how we as individuals evaluate the "quality" of a politician. We see and hear them on television and read what they say on the internet. We are able to evaluate how well they speak, and possibly how well they write (although almost everything said or written by a politician really comes from a professional writer). We hear them talk about their policies and voting records. We hear them say how much they care about us.

So what are we really evaluating? Any American would acknowledge that being well spoken and presentable are admirable and possibly monetarily valuable qualities to have. But does this solely qualify them for office?

We read what they write, but that is written by someone else so that any information we can get from that is complete bull$hit.

We hear what they say about policies, but those are CHOSEN by a team of pollsters and back office types who are paid huge amounts by the parties to get their candidates elected. Policies are designed to maximize constituency and easily changed from season to season. If it is a presidential election year then policy is ephemeral; candidates changing policies from station to station. So any policy metric is out.

Voting records suffer from survivorship bias. Candidates drag out records during elections and use them to trash their opponents. They also trot out their own records when it is advantageous to do so. But sooner or later the election has to end and someone has to win; and when they do their good voting record keeps on getting mentioned (by them) and the bad records stop getting mentioned (because the other guy lost and is out of money). So people see the winner in office (that must mean he's good, lacking any other real information), and only hear good things because that's what the party money machine pumps out... eventually all you hear is good about the winner. He's a saint he is.

So that leaves the quality most of us are qualified to judge is speaking skill. This is the only uncorrupted information that we receive... BUT IT STILL DOESN'T TELL US JACK!

I can train a bird to talk. I would probably rather vote for him.

So this means that if someone specializes at speaking, is possibly manipulative, has a good sales team behind him with good writers, and doesn't get caught banging an underage guy with the deacon in a coke fueled rectory rumpus he's a f$#king shoe in for senator.

Still following? One more step:

So you meet someone on the street for the first time and have to bet: do they care about themselves or you more? Bingo: Themselves.

Is it easier to take an opportunity if it: hurts your friend or someone you don't know? Obviously the person you don't know.

So then in a country of 300 million I am willing to bet good money that there are at least 600 motivated, well-spoken, possibly manipulative, well-funded people who care more about themselves than anyone else and doesn't have a clue who you are. I'm betting that some of them are running for president.

All politicians have to specialize at is being a good speaker. They find the political and economic machinery already in place from years of the two party system. Plug and Play Politics: Simply Add Speeches! Now in new colors and action genders!

Hence politicians are scum. QED

-RiskAffine