something I don’t understand

All through the campaign for this election, I kept hearing this campaign rhetoric: “I’m not one of those Washington insiders!”

Why is this a selling point? I mean, in the first place, I don’t believe that all politicians are crooked (or even most of them). I think that most politicians are, just like other people, trying to do their jobs. Like anyone else, they have flaws, but most of the time those flaws are irrelevant to their jobs. I don’t care about their sexual partners, their fights with their wives, or any of that. It’s not my business. It’s irrelevant. Most politicians are, in my view, good people. They work hard, they get constant scorn in return, and they live in a perpetual state of uncertainty about their future, as their jobs might disappear during any election, for a variety of reasons (only some of which they can control).

On top of that: isn’t a Washington insider exactly what the savvy voter should want? A politician with no ties in Washington is an ineffective politician. It’s someone who hasn’t built ties and relationships that can lead to better chances of passing legislation; it’s someone who doesn’t know the ropes and has to spend a lot more time learning than working. A “Washington insider” is a veteran politician who has proven himself/herself. We’re not electing anyone who’s botched the job; they don’t even get nominated. So why would we want to deny someone a seat because they are good at their job? (Which is what it amounts to: a good and effective politician is always going to be considered a “Washington insider” because he/she is an integral part of the Congressional or political process.)

It’s like saying you want a new perspective and fresh voice on the law, so you’re going to hire someone who isn’t a lawyer to defend you against a false criminal charge. It makes no sense. You want the best and most educated, most experienced people. The only reason to resist that in the political arena is that you think any person who goes to Washington to work in government will end up corrupt, which is nonsense.

not to be political about it, but…

…I am really sick of hearing about how egregious and heartless and awful Tyler Clementi’s roommate is.

Oh, yes, it is an awful thing to do, posting an intimate video of someone else. And an invasion of privacy. And all that jazz. I’m not downplaying what a crappy thing it is.

But it is also the kind of thing that college students do all.the.time.

They were being jerks. They’re not murderers. They didn’t drive their roommate to his death.

What drove him to his death is a society that judges and ostracizes homosexuals in places all over the country.

And a society that doesn’t do nearly enough to recognize, accept, and treat depression and other mental illness.

I feel sorry for those college students and their families, as well as for Clementi’s family. They’re all going to live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives.

whoa!

interesting news

President Obama just won the Nobel Prize?!

I’m kind of giddy about this.