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Great book on similar topic: "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics" https://www.amazon.com/Dictators-Handbook-Behavior-Almo
by bayonetz 10y ago
Great book on similar topic: "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics"
https://www.amazon.com/Dictators-Handbook-Behavior-Almost-Politics-ebook/dp/B005GPSLHI?ie=UTF8&btkr=1&ref_=dp-kindle-redirect https://www.amazon.com/Dictators-Handbook-Behavior-Almost-Po...
Provides compelling case that all politicians tend toward dictatorship with the difference in how fully these tendencies are realized just being in the size of the coalition they have to appease, reward, or bully. With stereotypical absolute dictators this easy to see. On the other end of the spectrum, it is more shrouded. American democracy is theoretically based on a maximum sized coalition equaling roughly the entire population. In practice, the leaders are beholden to and have to influence a much smaller coalition to wield power. Something like the current Sanders/Clinton popular vote vs inner circle super delegate issue demonstrates this pretty well. Fascinating read.
- linhchi 10y agoBut people with more power are the ones that have to make the hard choices. And hard choices are hard, true by definition. If one never has to burden any thing on one's shoulder, probably that one is the burden of someone else. It's like this: we civil people can't stand killing and shooting, that's why we outsource it to the government and praise the army for their service. Is it hypocritical? I don't know anymore.