These calculations often involve such parsing of words and careful phrasing, that politicians seem to have developed an art of saying nothing while appearing to be saying something. Most politicians practice this art and that’s why people say “they’re all the same.”

Then along comes someone like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, both of whom APPEAR NOT to be playing the Game. I say the APPEAR NOT to play the Game—time will tell if they are.

Yet the two men are different. Trump doesn’t appear to be ABLE to play the Game of calculated response because he is so impulsive that he has to say out loud whatever comes to his head. Yet his lack of calculation has been part of his appeal. Some voters support him in spite of the outrageous quality of his remarks, his inconsistencies and his lack of specifics.

Bernie Sanders appears to be driven by issues he thinks are important—income inequality and poverty. One gets the sense that he says what he thinks, but that it is not about him or his electoral success.
Hillary Clinton has sincere, long held and articulated policy views. Nonetheless, many get the feeling that what she says and HOW SHE SAYS IT betray too much reliance on calculation.

Does a politician have to play the “Campaign Game” in order to win? Apparently, most politicians think so. I hope they are wrong!

The recent arrest of a city employee for allegedly stealing at least $800,000 in construction funds raises the question of how well one-party government is serving Bloomington.

This is not to suggest that any of the city’s current office-holders were involved in the theft. Law enforcement officials will determine that.

Nor is it to suggest that having Republicans in charge will prevent crime. History shows that no political party has a monopoly on virtue.

But experience also shows that one of the best safeguards against public corruption is a competitive election. Replacing one party with another creates opportunities for taking a fresh look at existing programs and contracts. It also keeps government employees on their toes, since they have to be accountable to new officials periodically.

Not least importantly, competitive elections are good for politicians themselves. Nothing so encourages responsible partisanship as the prospect of actually winning office and having to make good on one’s promises.

Of course, other ways to deal with public corruption exist, including the kind of aggressive efforts by prosecutors that produced the arrest in Bloomington.

But ultimately, none will work well unless “the rascals” can be turned out from time to time.

Bloomington has not been doing much of that for quite a while, and we may now be paying the price.

References

“Mayor Kruzan, Bloomington City Council Members Address Embezzlement Case” (Herald Times)

“Small Is Beautiful, at Least in High-Income Democracies” (Worldbank.org)