“There is a tragic flaw in our precious constitution, and I don’t know what can be done to fix it. This is it: only nutcases want to be president.” -Kurt Vonnegut
Presidential candidates are a breed of their own. As much as they try to relate to the general public, it is clear that they have a different drive than the typical American. They all may not necessarily be complete nutcases, but Vonnegut hits an interesting point in the quote. When someone decides to run for President, they are also making a decision to take part in the game that goes with it. This game involves a “do whatever it takes” mentality that must always be a leading guide in decision making. An important question emerges from this and begs asking: What motivates these people to play this game, and to seek leadership over the entire country?
I would like to think that these candidates are running solely because they want to make America a better place, but this is not the complete reality. By the mere suggestion that each candidate proclaims, that they are the person to lead the nation, there is revealed a drive that hints at an inner-motivation.
Time magazine recently published an article by Michael Kinsley entitled, “Why They Really Run”. The article makes a suggestion as to the real motivation behind these campaigns.
“Ladies and gentlemen, they are running because they are ambitious. No, really, they are. You probably suspected as much…But the purest form of ambition is political ambition, because it represents a desire to rule over other people.”
I’m not so cynical to assume that none of these candidates care at all about the country, I believe they do. But, since there is a quest for power in competition with a responsibility to America there will always be an internal struggle. The scale between these two motivators may vary from candidate to candidate, but the struggle is there.
Because political ambition is a leading motivator, important qualities like humility and selflessness will not be any candidate’s defining attribute. The drive to rule must come first, and it must be stronger than any other candidate’s drive in order to win. For this reason, the U. S. could never elect a president who was motivated to help others more than himself/herself. Truly respectable people, who contain admirable traits wouldn’t last a second in the campaign we’ve seen over the last year. Imagine a Mother Teresa or even a Jesus Christ trying to run for President today. It’s hard to imagine a truly respectable individual duking it out and bickering over so many trivial matters in a quest for power fueled by a driving ambition. Besides, whose side would Jesus run on anyway?
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2 comments:
I took my 2 year old daughter with me to vote in the Primary on Tuesday. It was great to be a part of it, and good for her to learn how important it is to vote. I wish everyone had the day off from work to vote, that way EVERYONE could be a part of it. What about all the people who worked all day on Tuesday? My husband was out "in the field" (he's an ecologist) and he wanted to vote but wasn't back until much too late. I wish there was a way to change it so everyone had more time to get to the polls!
I really like where this blog seems to be going. I really like the whole "running because they are ambitious" comment because we all really know this in our hearts of hearts but sometimes we forget that people in the media are human just like us. In the most basic sense, the position of President of the United States is just a job.
When we go for a job, we hope we beat out all and anyone who's running against us. We don't think usually don't think that we want the person best suited for the job to get it. We want the job for ourselves and don't really care if we are the best for it because, after all, we can learn what we need to learn if we get the right training. This is the same idea, I think, presented with the argument that is presented in the Why They Really Run suggests. It's like going for that new manager's position that you aren't that qualified for but nonetheless, you will be in charge of people.
I do think that elections don't have to be about the person who lies the best wins. I believe that if people were more informed and looked at candidates as human, beings who make mistakes, we could be on the steps to making a better world. Specifically, US citizens could make sure it's people are better educated and everyone is off or has time to go vote without any negative repercussions, and ensure everyone has access to debates. That is, however, a fantasy compared to now, but who knows what changes time will bring. I suppose we just have to wait and see.
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