Posted by
Andrews on Sunday, October 04, 2009 7:29:28 PM
I know I have done it several times, explaining what I would like to see in a politician (eg. "
What I Want in a President"), but I think in those cases I have usually presented a list of specific positions or issues. This time I would like to present a list of four specific traits I would like to find in someone seeking office.
First, I want a politician who is humble. Not the fake "humility" of the "I am but a public servant" kind that all politicians affect at some point. I mean the true humility of one who recognizes that he can be wrong. And not just that he can be wrong, but that he is no better than his fellows, and has no business telling others how they should live. Obviously this point is informed by my belief that arrogance leads politicians to impose their wills on others ( "
The Inherent Disappointment of Authoritarianism", "
Three Types of Supporters of Big Government", "
Changing Incentives", "
Appealing to Arrogance"), but I would value it even if I did not have that belief. After all, a man who knows he is capable of error is much less likely to invest his own prejudices with the force of law, making him more likely to think twice before expanding government power.
Second, I want a man with modest ambitions. I know we would love to think some politicians will come to power and force us into a libertarian heaven. But the "John Galt" fantasy is just that, and should remain such. I want a politician who thinks he can make a small, but beneficial impact. Those are the politicians who do real good,t he ones who want to make small, positive changes. Those with grandiose ideas have a disturbing tendency to either become Robespierre or Obama, either a terror or an ambitious flop. I want neither. I would much prefer a chain of four or five modest men who would make a series of small adjustments, slowly bringing us where we need to go. (See "
My Mistake" and
"Conservatism, Incremental Change and Federalism".)
Third, I want a man who has another career and plans to return to it. I don't want a career politicians, or even a man who plans to live in the political industry forever, bouncing between posts as an elected official, bureaucrat, appointee, advisor and lobbyist. I don't even trust adding "lawyer" to that list, as it is just too close. I want someone who had non-legal, non-political work before he was elected and will return to it when he leaves office. That sort of man does not think of himself as an "elite", he realizes the laws he passes will apply to him, and so he is careful about what he passes. Career politicians are prone to think they are above the law, and so they rarely view laws as something under which they must live.
Finally, I want a man who is reluctant to run. I know this is difficult, as it takes a lot of money, time and effort to get elected, so it is unlikely anyone would ever run who was not incredibly eager to hold office. But that is precisely what I fear. Those inclined to run for office have two problems. First, the fact that they want to hold office tells me they are far too fond of imposing their will on others, not a promising sign. Second, they also are inclined to see government as the solution to all problems, the "Swiss Army Knife" view I mentioned in "
Three Types of Supporters of Big Government" and "
The Difficulty of Principle". So, while it is unlikely such a man would ever exist in reality, ideally I would want to find a man who chooses to run for office simply because he has been so upset by what he has seen that he can no longer allow government to be run by those who have run it for so long. Of course anyone claiming such a thing would be immediately suspect, as it is a self-serving statement. But were there such a man, who left behind a private station to hold office breifly, make some small fixes and then return to his private life, that would be my ideal.
Somehow, I have a feeling I will be waiting a long, long time, even to find two of these traits, and will never find all four. But I will continue to hope. Sometimes the unlikely happens. Someone has to win the lottery, and someday the ideal politician will run. It is just a question of whether he will do it in my lifetime.