A randon thought: Why do people run for the Presidency on a promise to reform Washington?

[Perky]

Seems to me that mantra plays well...sounds appropriate...but has that ever really happened? I suspect it is nearly impossible to do with lobbyists being so uber-powerful...and Congress being pretty much in love with itself.

But seriously I think you would need close to a fifty state mandate to even attempt to "reform" anything and we all know that we have not seen a real landslide in the last 20 years. Yet every election cycle we hear the same thing over and over again: "I am an outsider", I am going to make Washingto work for you, rathet than you work for Washington."

I suspect that is why Governors win....it is not so much that they have executive experience, but rather because they can more righfully claim they are not part of the problem. Even though we ought to know by now that nothing will ever really be done.



Wouldn't it be refreshing for a politician to say.... that he/she is not going to blow sunshine up our butts"?

[Az]

1. Its statistical psychology

Otherwise known as marketing. Its a simple fact. People are manipulatable. In large numbers we are statistically certain to respond to specific impetus. People that are studied in these things can practically call it to the number exactly what sort of reaction will be had from a given action.

In the end the real question behind an election is which candidate is more willing to sell their soul to the marketers and which tries to maintain their integrity.

[TwilightGardener]

2. I think Obama can do it. And maybe Edwards. Otherwise, it's always

been just a campaign slogan to run on. You'll notice that Washington politicians, when discussing policy, often refer to political opponents as, well, "Washington politicians", as if they're not among that group. It's laughable, and pure theater.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Populism.

[Solly Mack]

4. Because it works - and yes, it would be refreshing

if they actually followed up such a statement by not blowing sunshine up our asses

alas...

[lazer47]

5. Blowing things up our butts is aganist the law in most states

[Ezlivin]

6. NOT blowing smoke up people's butts cost Carter reelection

He told America that it needed to buckle down, adjust the thermostat, wear sweaters, etc.

It was too much. In the end the American public wanted to hear Reagan's PR rather than face the truth.

Reality is a hard sell.

[Az]

7. Reality sells itself. Proactive action is the hard sell

Reality will hit people and they will have to deal with it. But looking ahead and seeing the reality that is coming. That is whats hard.

[TahitiNut]

8. Because they're afraid to tell voters they want to go and get a piece of the action?

:silly:

[mrcheerful]

9. Because FDR did reform Washington in the depression and pugs saw how well

the word reform works with the unwashed masses and have been using it every since. But as any thinking person knows, taking the country back to 1929 is not reform, its just another attempt to turn Hoover's economic failure into greatness and prove that Hoover knew what was good for america. Just like how the wing nuts are still trying to get over losing the Scopes monkey trial and prove that the mud man myth isn't a myth.