I sent this letter a few days ago to the Washington Post. I truly don’t get the faith that so many people have in politicians and in politics.
The Post‘s dean of political analysts, David Broder, today unwittingly
reveals two malignancies of politics ("The Price of Delay," May 11).
First, politicians are cowards. Broder notes that dozens of Democratic
Senators "desperately" want their party’s primary race finally to end,
but still refuse publicly to endorse Barack Obama. Broder quotes
Majority Whip Dick Durbin for an explanation: "They want to avoid hard
votes."
Second, successful politicians must behave
duplicitously. Here’s Broder: "Since McCain effectively cinched his
nomination in February and mostly fell out of the news, he has
accomplished a lot. He has targeted potential constituencies with
appearances and messages tailored for them, knowing that other voters
probably are not paying attention." Broder casually adds that "Obama
needs to do similar work."
This isn’t leadership; it’s cowardly con-artistry.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
