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It's amazing how reasonable some of these politicians get as soon as they no longer need to run for another term in office. I've often believed it was because t

It's amazing how reasonable some of these politicians get as soon as they no longer need to run for another term in office. I've often believed it was because they needed to keep a part of their constituents happy to get votes for another terms but I actually think fundraising and the lobbyists that control money are the root cause. HBO has a fairly recent documentary that explores this: https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-swamp https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-swamp

eredengrin 6y ago
Except Amash has been principled throughout his entire term, not just this last cycle after deciding not to run again. Of course, it's hard to look at every vote/comment he has made over the years since that's too much, but just as one example, he has been consistently very vocal with his criticism of house leaders from both parties that don't allow for the proper legislative process.
- Dirlewanger 6y ago
  If he's so principled, why didn't he propose this bill during a time where he could actually see it walked through the different committees and maybe have a chance at getting to the Senate?
  - eredengrin 6y ago
    I don't know, there's a lot of possibilities. I doubt it's just because he's been sitting around doing nothing this whole time (but if you think so feel free to say why you think that). It seems more likely to me he was busy with other stuff, eg like his bill earlier this year to end qualified immunity. At the end of the day it's all about prioritizing, and those decisions can become pretty complex I imagine. You could always try asking him yourself, he seems pretty responsive to people on twitter, and here [1] he answered a somewhat related question. [1] https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1339970633422221312 https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1339970633422221312
pmoriarty 6y ago
"fundraising and the lobbyists that control money are the root cause" It's not just that. After they've left political office, politicians who've advanced the interests of some companies while they were in office often get extremely well paying jobs at those very companies. High level corporate executives will also regularly go in to politics (Trump being Exhibit A, but there are plenty of others at lower levels). This revolving door of corporation to political office and back is an open secret in government. Yet the impression among the general population is that corporations and the government are clearly separate entities. They're not.

eredengrin 6y ago

Except Amash has been principled throughout his entire term, not just this last cycle after deciding not to run again. Of course, it's hard to look at every vote/comment he has made over the years since that's too much, but just as one example, he has been consistently very vocal with his criticism of house leaders from both parties that don't allow for the proper legislative process.

Dirlewanger 6y ago
If he's so principled, why didn't he propose this bill during a time where he could actually see it walked through the different committees and maybe have a chance at getting to the Senate?
- eredengrin 6y ago
  I don't know, there's a lot of possibilities. I doubt it's just because he's been sitting around doing nothing this whole time (but if you think so feel free to say why you think that). It seems more likely to me he was busy with other stuff, eg like his bill earlier this year to end qualified immunity. At the end of the day it's all about prioritizing, and those decisions can become pretty complex I imagine. You could always try asking him yourself, he seems pretty responsive to people on twitter, and here [1] he answered a somewhat related question. [1] https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1339970633422221312 https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1339970633422221312

pmoriarty 6y ago

"fundraising and the lobbyists that control money are the root cause" It's not just that. After they've left political office, politicians who've advanced the interests of some companies while they were in office often get extremely well paying jobs at those very companies. High level corporate executives will also regularly go in to politics (Trump being Exhibit A, but there are plenty of others at lower levels). This revolving door of corporation to political office and back is an open secret in government. Yet the impression among the general population is that corporations and the government are clearly separate entities. They're not.