draxen
6656
Also, political power allows you to achieve your goals, further your agenda and get shit done. Morality is a construct. If you can gain (or keep) power by performing amoral actions then the end may justify the means (provided you can avoid or absorb the penalties).
“Nothing is true, everything is permitted” - I think that’s an Assassin’s Creed quote :)
That’s not to say all those who perform amoral actions lack morality or integrity. Only that they may choose depending on their circumstances. I think Bill Gates is a good example of this. Under his leadership Microsoft engaged in lots of amoral business practices yet now he’s one of the worlds biggest philanthropists.
Nesrie
6657
I don’t think it’s wanting power for power’s sake. They don’t want the world to change. Some of these people have been angry since the 50’s and 60’s. They believe stuff was taken from them, so they do want change, but they want to change it back so the call it AGAIN instead of change. Trump is just as stuck in the past as they are, but he capitalizes on those emotions to empower and enrich himself.
I do think the call to advancement is strong. If your career choice is in politics, you want to advance in that career. What does advancement mean? Winning elections. Not losing elections.
I would like to think that “advancement” in politics could be defined as “being on the side of good government” but maybe that’s too pollyannaish of me. Or, in the case of these individuals, either their definition of “good government” means policy goals (tax cuts, illegal abortion, whatever) that are more important than abstract principles of separation of powers; or they have effectively conned themselves into thinking that all of these principles are in fact harmonious and happen to coincide with their own continued electoral success.
Let’s clockwork-orange that TED talk in front of Lindsey Graham and all the rest of 'em, stat!
Yes. I’m sure that will work.
“Sounds just like a woman to turn winning into losing. Real winners win. Period!”
23 years later, that line comes across as slightly ew. Guess I’m a loser!
rshetts
6663
Money is power, power is control and all three are very addicting.
Maybe if we let just one person own all of the wealth, he/she will prove to be even more philanthropical. Like Louis XIV, perhaps?
Guap
6665
Good for him. But that’s not how the system should work. A few people shouldn’t decide our society’s priorities, society itself should decide that. Otherwise we have an oligarchy. Which it feels like we have, with all the power and power sequestered away.
Schiff giving closing arguments right now.
If America does indeed descend into authoritarianism in the decades to come, historians might view what we are listening to now as a doomed warning of Ciceronian stature.
For what that’s worth.
Schiff just said that Trump cares nothing for decency or honesty, but then, looking at the Republicans, said “But you do.” That’s a pretty sweet rhetorical trick. They of course do not care about decency and honesty but suddenly they are told that they do.
“He is not who you are.”
If that’s true, then we have to assume that 2000 years from DJT will be widely beloved and folks like Schiff will be seen as having tried to hold back the inevitable-and-therefore-basically-good shift to American Empire.
2000 years is a long time. We continue to be ambivalent about the Roman Empire even though we like to make movies about it, and frequently use the period of Julius Caesar as a cautionary tale.
I think Gates, when he was running Microsoft was more amoral than than the tech guys of today. But at his worse, he was 100x better than Trump, and had a fraction of his power. The imperial presidency is so powerful, that at its best a 100 Senator and 435 congress critters can only reduce the Presidency power at the margins. All societies have been ruled by oligarchy, so that doesn’t bother me too much. It is the sheer incompetency of so many in our political class.
Yes, and I think that tale doesn’t resonate because a lot of people don’t have a negative association with Julius Caesar. Probably that’s because Augustus rehabilitated him, but still, if you put him on that chart of positive/negative opinions I pasted in the 2020 election thread, I bet he would do better than all the active politicians on it. I mean, Nero and Caligula are the go-to boogeymen of the Empire. If you were like, “Donald Trump is the Julius Caesar of our time” I think the pushback would be coming from the left.
