Why Does One Become a Politician?

I was thinking about Republican Representative John Boehner on the train this morning, after Bob Herbert’s incredible editorial, and then thinking about the Democratic candidates in New York (Michael E. McMahon, Timothy H. Bishop, Scott Murphy, and Kristen E. Gillibrand) whose ads do not mention the word Democrat and whose platforms include exalted references to their voting against Obama’s health care reform.  I was thinking about those who care about what happens in the political realm, and those who don’t.  I was thinking about who gains personally from working in politics, and who doesn’t.  If anyone doesn’t.

I was thinking about how the Tea Party is right about so many things, but that they are fighting the wrong fight, armed with misdirection, lies, and hypocrisy.

It led me to wonder: why do people become politicians.  I came up with four reasons.

1. Idealism.  This is President Obama.  He identified what he thought was wrong with the world and thought that getting into activism, organizing, and politics was the way to make the changes he thought would better the world.  He saw government as a solution, and actively sought to become a politician.
2. Cynicism.  This is Jim Inhofe.  He identified what he thought was wrong with government and thought that changing government from the inside was the way to make the changes he thought would make a better government.  He did not actively seek to become a politican; he was a businessman for 30 years.  He became a politician because he didn’t like government.
3. Blood Lineage/Service.  These are the Kennedys.  Government was their destiny; growing up in politics inspired their involvement in politics.  These are also the politicians who went straight into the service and turned idealistic or cynical.
4. Power and Profit.  This is John Boehner (also Dick Armey, Newt Gingrich, etc).  He could be the next Speaker of the House.  He reaps fat rewards from corporate contributors (including Goldman Sachs, Google, Citigroup, R.J. Reynolds, MillerCoors and UPS).  He will make his wealthy benefactors wealthier and come out quite comfortable himself.

It’s not hard to see where this goes, how it divides itself up.  The idealists become Democrats.  The cynics and power and profit hunters become Republicans.  Blood lineage and service goes both ways.

But now one half of our government believes government should help solve the country’s problems, and one half of our government believes government should stay out of the country’s problems.  How is this not an absurd result?  And is anyone really surprised about the direction we as a country are heading, when this is the state of our government?