Would you consider running for public office if you didn't have to worry about persoanl attacks?
Asked by
JLeslie (
65742
)
1 month ago
Let’s assume you have done nothing heinous. No felonies, you have never physically hurt someone, you aren’t an alcoholic, nothing blatantly and objectively criminal or bad.
Mostly, I mean the opposition digging into your past and maybe finding an embarrassing photo of you, or an old conversation online that you regret or you have changed your mind from the age of 20 to now when you are 40. Worse, they dig into the past of a family member.
Another concern might be your safety or the safety of your family.
I recently heard a statistic about how many offices are uncontested in our elections in the US. I don’t remember the number, but it was big. I think there are a lot of opportunities for new people to get into politics.
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14 Answers
2024 has shown us that personal attacks are never off the table.
So, no.
No way. By definition, politics is prostitution. You have to sell yourself to raise enough money to be elected. Which means you sell your ideals and your ethics.
Besides to be a politician, you have to have a HUGE ego. Even down to the councilman or count commissioner level. I don’t have the ego need that politicans do.
No.
I used to work closely with politicians and I always said i don’t know why anybody would want to do that job. They might do something good and people would say they had bad intentions, and they don’t know who their friends are, they owe favors to everyone, the list of reasons why I wouldn’t want that job is a long one but i gave you some of the highlights.
Personal attacks don’t bother me. They tell people more about the one attacking than the one being attacked. But I have no desire to run for public office. Even without personal attacks there are too many corrupt, power-hungry people in office and WAY too much game playing going on. That is, after all, what is really wrong with politics.
I would probably actually focus on personal attacks.
The public has the attention span, if a Goldfish.
Playing into the circus acts, seems to be a decent strategy.
Maybe beating up some naysayers in my front yard, would be my rise to power…
No Thanks. I volunteer my time for other worthy causes.
No, there are too many “Karens” who would ruin the experience. These people are too self-important to agree to imperfect solutions that would benefit the majority of constituents.
No, the entire system is corrupt bottom (local) to top (DC).
If you didn’t have to worry about personal attacks you wouldn’t be in a Democracy. “Personal attacks” are part of the checks and balances thst are built into the Constitution.
I wouldn’t mind civil debate. It’s the nastiness that I don’t like.
The personal attacks wouldn’t bug me. I’ve led a fairly clean life. The impossible part for me would be asking for money.
I am treasurer for two county-wide campaigns. The spending is $100,000 to $300,000 per election cycle. The ability to persuade, horse-trade, schmooze, cajole, charm, wrangle and arm-twist people that way is far, far beyond my abilities.
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