December 31, 2008
Politicians as Wonderworkers
Thomas Sowell's worth reading on the incentive to treat the impossible as if it simply needs to be enunciated as plausible:
People can get the possible on their own. Politicians have to be able to offer the voters something that they cannot get on their own. The impossible fills that bill perfectly.As a noted economist has pointed out, nothing "could prevent the California electorate from simultaneously demanding low electricity prices and no new generating plants while using ever increasing amounts of electricity."
You want the impossible? You got it. Politicians don't get elected by saying "no" to voters.
Well said Justin. The winners of elections are less about political ideas and more about which candidate can better persuade voters that 'the impossible' can be done. For example, 'uniting the country' or 'affect the economy to eliminate poverty, provide health care to anyone while lowering taxes'.
It's not a partisan issue. Unfortunately, it is how politicans of both parties win elections. It's simple economics, supply vs. demand. If we - the voters - stop buying the lies, then there will be no benefit to selling it.
Posted by: msteven at December 31, 2008 10:56 AM