"Perhaps their driving motive is not politics at all, but something else" Yes, it's called narcissism. Having been involved in politics at one point and being

"Perhaps their driving motive is not politics at all, but something else" Yes, it's called narcissism. Having been involved in politics at one point and being around elected politicians and aspiring politicians (at least at the state level), I can tell you with absolute certainty that the overwhelming motivation for public office is narcissism. This is also the reason I abandoned my interest in politics - some of the worst human beings I've ever been around.