When did politics become a career ?

[Modelworks]

In the past we elected people that were everything from farmers to school teachers and that seemed to work pretty well. Now though we end up with people that have been in politics their whole lives and that is all they know . They don't have much experience with the real world outside of politics and that seems to be really hurting the country. The longer they are in politics the more corrupt they become.

So when did politics become something you put down as your career ? I guess I missed the classes on being a senator 101 in college or it was after my time .

 

[nageov3t]

like, um, always?

ever since the first tribal leaders at least.

TBH, though, I can't think of a great deal of high profile career politicians... Biden, probably. but Obama had a career before running for office.

heck, the NJ governor race tonight was between an ex-CEO versus an ex-lawyer.

 

[Modelworks]

Look at the difference in where they came from. The current crop were either lawyers or in other jobs that center on business. They typically led lives that kept them in groups that associated with those groups. In the past you had people that did the job because they wanted to change things, it wasn't something they were actually trying to achieve like it is now. You hear it all the time , candidates talking about how they planned to be senator or governor, like it is some form of career they alone are specially suited for. They lack the ability to see the bigger picture that exist outside the walls of their offices.

 

[n yusef]

Modelworks, you're nostalgic of a time that never was.

 

[DuffmanOhYeah]

Tammany Hall?

 

[Kirby]

Plato

 

[BeauJangles]

Look at the difference in where they came from. The current crop were either lawyers or in other jobs that center on business. They typically led lives that kept them in groups that associated with those groups. In the past you had people that did the job because they wanted to change things, it wasn't something they were actually trying to achieve like it is now. You hear it all the time , candidates talking about how they planned to be senator or governor, like it is some form of career they alone are specially suited for. They lack the ability to see the bigger picture that exist outside the walls of their offices.

Sorry, but that's such fucking bullshit. Take a look at long-tenured US Senators, Presidents, and mayors of major cities over the last 150 years. First, a huge portion of them were businessmen or from serious money and, second, as many, if not more, were corrupt and had no interest in the "common good" or anything like that.

Of course, there have been many exceptions, but in any given period of time there are few true "leaders." Our country has been blessed to have leaders when we've needed them, but that shouldn't give us rose colored glasses when we take a look at our past politicians.


Edit: Look at Grant's presidency or Harding's presidency to find two men who mirror current-day politicians perfectly. They do some good and are often embroiled in scandals. It doesn't take many hours of research to determine that most of the political leaders we've had over the last 200 years are at least as incompetent as our leaders today.

 

[Ausm]

Started when lobbyists would buy them off.

 

[Modelworks]

Sorry, but that's such fucking bullshit. Take a look at long-tenured US Senators, Presidents, and mayors of major cities over the last 150 years. First, a huge portion of them were businessmen or from serious money and, second, as many, if not more, were corrupt and had no interest in the "common good" or anything like that.

Exactly what I am talking about. The crappy politicians usually come from business and people that spend their life in politics.

Of course, there have been many exceptions, but in any given period of time there are few true "leaders." Our country has been blessed to have leaders when we've needed them, but that shouldn't give us rose colored glasses when we take a look at our past politicians.

And look at those that were true leaders. They were not people that spent their life trying to be a politician.

Edit: Look at Grant's presidency or Harding's presidency to find two men who mirror current-day politicians perfectly. They do some good and are often embroiled in scandals. It doesn't take many hours of research to determine that most of the political leaders we've had over the last 200 years are at least as incompetent as our leaders today.

I am not saying that in the past all politicians were great leaders, just that in the past more of them were from non political backgrounds. Now it seems to be filled with people who either spent their whole life in that atmosphere or are from big business. When was the last time we had someone like an auto mechanic or school teacher in office ? Those that could make a difference don't stand a chance between all the cronies, the political party bs and the massive amounts of money needed to buy votes, so we get offices filled with people that look after their own interest first and the people the friends that got them the office.

You can explain to a politician things like what it is like to work in a public school with poor funding but they will never get it like someone who has done that.

 

[sonoma1993]

since civilization began

 

[BeauJangles]

That's not what you're talking about. Our country has never consistently elected anybody but wealthy people.

In the past we elected people that were everything from farmers to school teachers and that seemed to work pretty well.

Our leaders, both long and short-tenured, have almost always come from "the top." There is a professor of political science at Harvard (I believe) who just did a study on dynasty families in politics and concluded that we've always been a country of Kennedys and Bushs. The idea that guys like Lincoln were commonplace is complete and utter crap and the idea that none of these career politicians have ever been good leaders is also crap.

 

[rudder]

I bet if you studied stock portfolios, real estate portfolios, and bank accounts of people who spend extended periods in a congressional job that pays $170,000/year.... you would see why.

 

[StageLeft]

Modelworks, you're nostalgic of a time that never was.

yep

 

[Kirby]

Plato said in the Republic (iirc) that political training should start at 10 years old, and not hold any office until they're 50. I believe that was about 2400 years ago.

 

[zephyrprime]

I say we should just randomly select our leaders. We'll put everyone's name in a big hat and pick some random people to be our leaders. Long live the King!

 

[Craig234]

In the past we elected people that were everything from farmers to school teachers and that seemed to work pretty well. Now though we end up with people that have been in politics their whole lives and that is all they know . They don't have much experience with the real world outside of politics and that seems to be really hurting the country. The longer they are in politics the more corrupt they become.

So when did politics become something you put down as your career ? I guess I missed the classes on being a senator 101 in college or it was after my time .

It's a very good thing that we hav career politicians.

While that's no guarantee of their being good, not having such politicians is a guarantee of not having the very experienced good politiciaans who learn the complex systems.

Most people prefer John and Robert Kennedy as leaders to Ted Kennedy, but nearly everyone who has an informed opinion rates Ted the far better Senator - including John and Robert, as Ted mastered the system over a long period. Politicians like Henry Waxman provide crucial expertise at uncoverging executive branch misbehavior and ensuring the people's interests are represented by Congress.

Having 'amateur' politicians only might have some benefits, but it would largely weaken the government, with people trying to figure out how to run the system and defeat the career bureaucracies and powerful private interests. This eomantic notion of 'farmer goes to Washington' is simply foolish, and you would be much better into dealing with the real problems, like how politicians are forced to raise large sums to get elected - amateur or not.

 

[cubeless]

It's a very good thing that we hav career politicians.

While that's no guarantee of their being good, not having such politicians is a guarantee of not having the very experienced good politiciaans who learn the complex systems.

Most people prefer John and Robert Kennedy as leaders to Ted Kennedy, but nearly everyone who has an informed opinion rates Ted the far better Senator - including John and Robert, as Ted mastered the system over a long period. Politicians like Henry Waxman provide crucial expertise at uncoverging executive branch misbehavior and ensuring the people's interests are represented by Congress.

Having 'amateur' politicians only might have some benefits, but it would largely weaken the government, with people trying to figure out how to run the system and defeat the career bureaucracies and powerful private interests. This eomantic notion of 'farmer goes to Washington' is simply foolish, and you would be much better into dealing with the real problems, like how politicians are forced to raise large sums to get elected - amateur or not.

wow... pretty succinct description of why bo is failing... pretty much an indictment of most professions in the usa anymore...

 

[Herr Kutz]

In the past we elected people that were everything from farmers to school teachers and that seemed to work pretty well. Now though we end up with people that have been in politics their whole lives and that is all they know . They don't have much experience with the real world outside of politics and that seems to be really hurting the country. The longer they are in politics the more corrupt they become.

So when did politics become something you put down as your career ? I guess I missed the classes on being a senator 101 in college or it was after my time .

Remind me how that went from 1977-1981.

 

[Blackjack200]

Remind me how that went from 1977-1981.

While I tend to think people are too critical of Jimmy Carter, his presidency is an excellent example here. Here was a well intentioned and principled man who got absolutely mauled because he didn't have the composition of a leader.

An auto-mechanic or a teacher? What kind of drive does it take to reach that kind of lofty position? Keep in mind that while we do elect the wealthy, we don't elect all of the wealthy. The people who get elected are almost without exception extremely smart, high functioning, and highly effective individuals.

Of course they should be lawyers btw, all they do all day is write, debate, vote-on, execute, and enforce laws. It's like asking why why the surgeon general should be a doctor. Uh oh, cancer rates are too high, maybe we should make an auto-mechanic the surgeon general.

 

[Siddhartha]

In the past we elected people that were everything from farmers to school teachers and that seemed to work pretty well. Now though we end up with people that have been in politics their whole lives and that is all they know . They don't have much experience with the real world outside of politics and that seems to be really hurting the country. The longer they are in politics the more corrupt they become.

So when did politics become something you put down as your career ? I guess I missed the classes on being a senator 101 in college or it was after my time .

Have you considered running for political office. I know a guy who got tired of just complaining about how the government was being run and decided to do something about it by running for office.

 

[Patranus]

When did politics become a career?

When the Supreme Court ruled that monetary donations constituted "free speech".