Running for Office

[Vickilynnct]

Would anyone here ever consider running for office? How old would you want to be and what office would it be? Why would you want to run? Do you have any problem voting for a 20-something for office?

[pisces2473]

I've thought about running for my town's legislative body before... I think I have enough connections and the family name is recognizable ;) I also have my own merits.

A girl who was in college ran for the legislative body and won--this was a few years ago. She commuted to school so that's how she was eligible.

[shimmer728]

In PA, our legislators just voted themselves a 17 to 36 percent pay raise, which for some of them, means a raise of $36,000 per year, on top of six-figure base salaries. They also get $8,000 per year in car rental vouchers and a sweet benefits package. My salary is significantly less than some of their raises alone. So yeah, sometimes I think about running for office. :evil:

I don't think I have any real qualifications, though. Oh well.

[Morgan81]

I would consider running for office.... in a few years. I can't see myself doing that in my twenties, but who knows... minimum age for the House is 25....it might be appealing in a year :rolleyes:

I do remember someone a few years ago running and winning at 25 or 26.... All I rememeber is his campaign was him handing out flyers while on rollerblades.... shocking stuff for Washington I suppose.

[wordsmith]

I ran for the local school board three years ago, when I was 25. I didn't do too poorly for the youngest person by far to be running in any recent record. But I didn't win. That's not a paid elected position, anyway.

Something education-related would really be the only public position I'd be interested.

[wordsmith]

Also, when I was an undergrad, a guy in my class who was a junior poli sci major ran for mayor in our college town. He also didn't get in, although he didn't get crushed, either. He was 21.

[WeirdBrake]

I would never get anywhere in politics. For one reason, I'm an atheist, and the American public loves good ol' Mom & Apple Pie God believers and church-goers. I, on the other hand, wrote several scathing op-ed pieces against monotheistic religious belief for the campus newspaper in undergrad, and they'd easily be dug up if I decided to run for any office.

For another reason, I have 3 psychiatric hospitalizations in my past, and any political opponents would have a field day with that. Third, I view politics as an extremely petty popularity game-- sort of like high school, as Benwa pointed out one time (a lot of "who said what to whom" and catty mudslinging)-- and rather pointless as far changing the world in any genuinely positive way (at most, political influence simply re-arranges certain interests in society; it doesn't "improve" anything).

Fourth, I am unable to shut my brain off sufficiently to follow a party line. I see these hard-core politicos, and it's amazing how predictably in-step their thinking seems to be on every issue, whether they're Democrats or Republicans. Like robots. I could never be like that. Even though I'm probably far more liberal than conservative (I'm anti Religious Right, pro-choice, pro physician assisted suicide, pro drug legalization, pro gay rights, very very pro separation of church and state; most of my stances on these issues stem from my non-belief in religion; most conservatives take opposite positions for religious reasons), there are some typically liberal positions I simply don't agree with. The main one now would be all the Bush/Iraq/war/post-9/11 stuff. I honestly can't see what's wrong with anything he's done. Or, at the very least, I don't see the point of getting pissed about it. And I can't simply hate Bush or Bush's actions or whatever because that's the party line. So I don't have the appropriate type of mind for politics (read: one that's still capable of independent thought).

[pisces2473]

WB, run in a liberal state like Massachusetts. They voted an openly gay guy to the House.

[wordsmith]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that there are polticians capable of independent thought. But maybe I'm just idealistic like that.

But, in any case, partisan politics are also a reason that the only office I ever ran for was in a nonpartisan election.

[WeirdBrake]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that there are polticians capable of independent thought.

Hey, I'm open to the idea that there are politicians who are extremely good at disguising their true beliefs and thus hiding their independent thought behind the veil of political conformity. But seriously, how can one genuinely and thoughtfully hold all the same opinions on all the issues as one's political party? The critically thinking human mind simply doesn't work like that. Thinking people inevitably start disagreeing on things. The more issues, the more disagreement. That's how people operate. It can't be a coincidence that these politicos have critically and independently thought for themselves on every single issue and have come to the same conclusions on every single issue as their party. Not unless they are either 1) disguising their true beliefs for political convenience; or; 2) shutting off the brainpower and following along with the crowd.

[wordsmith]

But seriously, how can one genuinely and thoughtfully hold all the same opinions on all the issues as one's political party?

I think many politicians don't. That's why you have moderates within respective parties, and so-called "third" parties that are a blend of ideology...as well as independents. I might identify with a particular party, but (and I'm not required to register with any one party, either, here), that doesn't mean I adopt all their stances as my own.

[WeirdBrake]

Jess, in my opinion, any genuinely idealistic politician cannot be a critical thinker, and here's why: You absolutely cannot be a critical thinker if you engage in the deception, exploitation, pettiness, ruthless pragmatism, underhanded manipulations, and bottom line sleaziness necessary to be elected to a high political office while still holding onto this idea that you are a force for good in the world and that you will bring about positive changes in society. The BS detector is getting a major reading here.

[and1grad]

I would NEVER EVER EVER vote for anyone in their 20s...EVER.

[wordsmith]

and1 - for any office? Even small municipal elections? Why?

WeirdBrake - what about things other than "high political office?" Although I still think you can be a critical thinker and work the system. It takes a LOT of critical thinking to be successfully ruthless and underhanded, I'd imagine.

[and1grad]

I am unable to shut my brain off sufficiently to follow a party line.
THIS is a great line. :lol:

[and1grad]

I really RARELY pay any attention to municipal elections. I kinda thought the person meant Presidency. Anyway, no for anything but like a PTA or something.

[wordsmith]

I don't think the PTA is an elected body.

The reason I pay far more attention to municipal elections is because I do feel that they're less corrupt, and more directly affect me. They also happen to be largely nonpartisan.

[WeirdBrake]

WeirdBrake - what about things other than "high political office?"

Maybe the sleaze quotient can be less in smaller political arenas. It's plausible.

Although I still think you can be a critical thinker and work the system. It takes a LOT of critical thinking to be successfully ruthless and underhanded, I'd imagine.

True, but the absence of critical thought is in being ruthless, amoral, etc. while at the same time honestly believing that one is an idealistic moralist who's going to improve the world. It's practically doublethink from 1984, which is not my idea of critical thought.

[WeirdBrake]

THIS is a great line. :lol:

*bows humbly*

[wordsmith]

That assumes that there is an honest belief in idealism or bettering the world at all, which I don't think is a given, at least not by the time politics gets to the national arena. Do I think locally elected officials earnestly do believe they're improving their worlds? Yeah, sometimes. Do I believe it of men running for president. No, I do not. I don't think bettering the world is at the top of their lists.

[WeirdBrake]

Do I believe it of men running for president. No, I do not. I don't think bettering the world is at the top of their lists.

OK, I think we're mostly agreeing here. My point was that such politicians are either not honestly bent on improving the world, but if they are, then they're not critical thinkers.

[wordsmith]

And my point is that not all people who run for various offices are corrupt. Or small-minded.

[WeirdBrake]

As I said, perhaps for very small or local elections, there is much less corruption. I wouldn't know. However, it's common knowledge that big-league politics involves huge corruption, amorality, and all those other lovelies. And why wouldn't it? True ideals, however lofty, must be subordinated enough to pragmatics in order to win. They must be subordinated to all the interactions and compromises that get your campaign funded, and they must be subordinated to all the manipulations of public opinion that get you the most votes.

[WeirdBrake]

OK, I think we're mostly agreeing here.

I should've known better than to say a silly thing like this.

[labrat2111]

I've had a spare thought to run to be mayor of the dinky little town I actually live in. It pays slightly more than my job and the boro here probably has about 8 fulltime employees -- water dept, police, parking enforcement, etc. and a few more folks for snow removal in the winter. Nothing much happens in this little town and with that small number of boro employees I don't think it would be hard to run.

[meatwad]

It would be kind of pointless for me to run in New England. Except for New Hampshire, it's kind of hard for conservatives to win office. :D