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Maybe the people who run for office are so bad because only someone who can accept constant abuse from the public can stand it. Maybe this attitude is the probl

• philipov 2y ago
  No, the problem is that those who don't play ball with their political machine's interests are shut out from opportunities to advance. Tammany Hall is a famous historical example that goes back much farther than the public has had as strong a voice as it does today, and though the faces have changed this is still how things get done. The game is rigged at the level of who gets to stand for election, particularly in safe-seat districts that get decided in the primary. Very few people are able to get elected without help from their local political machine getting out the vote - enough to provide plausible deniability, but not enough to create an effective opposition. Remember the monopsony of Sheldon Silver? He used his position to control which politicians would receive contributions for their campaigns, creating a network of people dependent on him for political survival. It's that kind of power broking that's the problem. The clear and present danger of entrenched power is why politicians must not be allowed a shred of privacy.