Trump vs Biden: we're not sending our best

[hawkeye2009]

Originally Posted by Avondalist

Why don't good people go into politics? In fact, why does it seem like the worst people go into politics?

I think some of it is intrinsic. You have a be at least a little bit psychopathic to look at the office of the presidency and say, "I'm the guy. I can do this." I get that, it's the nature of the beast.

But politics is increasingly dominated by weirdos and freaks. We used to have politics that was controlled by people who, if they were psychopaths, were at least benignly high-functioning psychopaths.

I think it's because normal people are repulsed by the vicious nature of politics, especially the venom that the media hand out. I really hold the media in contempt, because of the harm they are causing to the country by being, frankly, such a bunch of catty jerks. And that is putting it nicely.

Trump caught a lot of flak for talking about tightening up libel laws. I'm not there yet, but I'm going in that direction because there doesn't seem to be any limit to the degradation that the media and politicians are symbiotically inflicting on the public square.

Ultimately I hold the media more responsible, since they are mostly private individuals who harass public figures for profit, which is very different from putting yourself out there and absorbing the darts like a politician.

We need to make it easier to be a politician if we want to attract better people.

Au Contraire-

Trump is exactly what conservatives wanted- someone who is not a Washington insider who has the balls to stand up to the left and is not intimidated by their threats.

Trump is a breath of fresh air. The dems are too dumb to understand the problem with Washington is lifetime insiders.

[moneill]

I agree. We always seem to settle.

Part of it I think is that the really decent human beings aren't cut throat enough.

[sub]

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

Well, you had Mitt Romney. The guy's a Boy Scout. Doesn't drink or do drugs and never has. Has been faithful to his wife and has only ever had one wife. Belongs to a religion that -- for all the hatred for them -- produces abnormally moral and upstanding human beings. (Kinda like Judaism there, to be honest.) America rejected him. They tend to reject anyone who just seems too clean.

If you can solve why America doesn't like candidates that are too clean, then you'll have your answer.

Not only that, he was extremely moderate, about the only extreme thing about the guy.
Republicans, in spite of the caricature given them by their opponents, have always ran the most moderate compromising candidates available. McCain, the Bush's, Dole.... Democrats used to fawn over McCain because he wasn't any different than them in any meaningful way.
Even Trump's a populist moderate. He's not really a Republican, he just happened to choose that party to run under. Could have just as easily been a Democrat and been hated by the other half, but oh well.

I think the process scares normal people away from running.
We drag them through radioactive sewage-filled mud during election season then expect them to be able to "reach across the isle" when in office. Kind of absurd when you think about it.
The process wears people down, taints them, tires them. I wouldn't put my family through that kind of scrutiny for any reason whatsoever.
We make it sound like we're not just voting for the candidate, we're also voting for their family, their neighbors, their co-workers, their hairdressers, their dog, their car, their schools, their clothing, their musical tastes, etc...... it's just ridiculous.
It seems we'd rather base their wisdom and decision-making skills on superficial things, or things out of their control.

I'm not sure we've sent out our best to be elected in my adult life, certainly haven't put the best into office.

[godofthunder9010]

Originally Posted by Avondalist

Romney is not a good example because he's a caricature of the outward trappings of "being good".

Humans are jealous and petty and we like to knock down our leaders a peg or two, to equalize things. That is expected and normal within limits. I would say that Romney was playing a role, even if he played it faithfully and with a good heart. People can still see through it.

That said Romney's concession speech was very heartfelt and I felt sorry for him at the time.

You don't have to be Dudley Do-right to not be a scoundrel or otherwise unqualified.

You'd have to imagine he's been "playing a role" for his entire life to sell that. Sure the guy was less than perfect, but vastly better than anyone else I can remember. George W did cocaine and got a DUI in his youth. Obama more or less admits he did every drug under the sun in his youth. Trump's cheated on every wife he's ever had, has openly bragged about his sexual exploits, gets into petty wars with celebrities for no logical reason and is just an obnoxious prick. Joe Biden is also an obnoxious prick, he's brain dead, he's the very picture of creepy rapey old man, has a significant history brain Aneurysms and other major health problems and has used his political influence to enrich his son Hunter for decades now. We can go through it all with the Clintons, Bush Sr and Reagan, but you get the point. You can probably dig up more dirt on Jimmy Carter than you can on Mitt Romney. Do you remember how pathetic it was? The best they could muster was a dog riding in a kennel on top of their car because they loved the dog and really wanted to bring him on vacation with them.

The point stands. America rejects good people when good people are on the offer. They'd rather have a couple of obnoxious lecherous old dickheads like Biden and Trump. As the Joker so aptly put it, you get what you deserve.