

Road to the Nut House - DanielBMarkham
http://www.peggynoonan.com/

======
GavinB
You'd be amazed how similar a new political campaign is to a tech start-up.

You're creating an entire organization from scratch. Hiring and training
employees on the fly, getting expanded offices,

You have to fund-raise, only instead of VC you have to raise it individually
from thousands of donors. Most people don't realize that successful candidates
spend several hours a day just calling supporters and asking for money. It's
worse than sales calls, because you're asking them to give you money, and
they're getting nothing tangible in return. (as a side note, this is a big
part of why so many politicians seem like snake oil salesmen. They're the ones
who are good and willing to do sufficient call time)

The schedule is insane. You spend the whole day on the road, shaking hands and
giving speeches, while at the same time keeping informed on local and national
issues and forming coherent opinions about them. You're also expected to
provide leadership for your campaign staff, and occasionally spend some time
with your family.

In the end you either win big or get nothing.

------
thrdOriginal
I've always had the suspicion that anyone who would actually be an excellent
president would have too much integrity to do that which it takes to get
elected as president.

~~~
olefoo
I have a sneaking suspicion that integrity is not a functional or desirable
trait in a politician. What we really want in our political leaders is someone
who will be sneaky, underhanded, ruthless and downright duplicitous; on our
behalf. Integrity is nice to have and desirable in your neighbors and friends,
but politics is about survival, ethics is secondary (or rather personal and
societal survival _is_ the greater good).

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showerst
If cameras were on you, and people were writing down your every utterance
essentially 24/7, wouldn't they be able to get at least a few pages of idiotic
or 'mentally unstable' comments over the course of a few years?

Every candidate enters into that world by choice, but we have to remember that
these are people, not just political philosophies (or lack thereof) made
manifest.

------
tbgvi
That book sounds fascinating. Politicians have such a manicured image that it
can be hard to tell what they're really like. Even things that seem normal
(going bowling, ordering food, having a beer) are designed to appeal to
voters. Anyone that has such a level of cynicism is at least a little bit
crazy.

~~~
idlewords
The book is full of great anecdotes and makes for really entertaining reading
if you followed the 2008 election with any interest.

------
jcmhn
Is the fact that McCain is an empty suit and a handshake news to anyone? Or
that Clinton is a moody castrating bitch? Or that Obama is kind of arrogant?
Or that Palin is vapid?

------
edw519
_The shallowness, the lack of seriousness of modern presidential candidates is
almost unbelievable._

No, it's totally believable. And perfectly predictable.

Why? Because these are people who, for the most part, are totally out of touch
with reality. Why? Because they've never actually had to work for a living.

The classic case was an adult Ted Kennedy not able to figure out how to pull
shopping carts apart because he had never seen them before. Sometimes I wonder
how many D.C. office holders, if left alone in the woods without a cell phone,
would actually live.

We have this community here at hn where we beat technical and business issues
to death as we strive to improve ourselves and that which we produce. Most of
those running for office are 180 degrees away from that. Most political office
seekers commenting on this board would be laughed off as "posers" in
nanoseconds.

Political candidates, like startup founders, would do everyone a big favor if
they first joined the real world and produced something of value for someone
else. Until then, "unbelievable" will remain the norm.

~~~
idlewords
"they've never actually had to work for a living."

So let's see... of the main contenders in 2008, John McCain served in the
military and worked in public relations for a beer distributor, Obama was a
community organizer and lawyer, Edwards was a lawyer, Clinton was a law
professor and administrator, and Palin was a sports reporter.

Those all sound like jobs to me. And I'll go even further and say senator and
governor sound like perfectly valid full-time jobs.

I'm also willing to bet politicians who stump have contact with a far wider
range of people than almost anyone else. How many Iowa steak frys and ag fairs
have you attended lately?

~~~
jackfoxy
McCain earned the monicker "Ace" in the Navy for losing 5 aircraft. The only
reason they kept giving him new ones was he was a 4 star admiral's son. His PR
job was glad-handing, not usually what one means by "working for a living". (I
dont' mean to denigrate his service, just reporting.)

"Community organizer"...I'd get downvoted if I commented on this one.

"Lawyer"...

Clinton was a law professor for a very short time. Pure politics after that. I
don't think he ever held a job in high school or college other than
chauffeuring Sen. Fullbright.

~~~
idlewords
Clinton worked in a fish cannery and as a dishwasher, among other things.
McCain's cushy PR job came after a prolonged period of rotting in a Vietnamese
prison. I don't really follow your insinuation about community organizing, but
where I live (SF) it tends to take the form of working long hours for minimal
pay in some dire neighborhoods.

So I fail to see the point you're trying to make. What is the threshold of
'real work' career politicians have to cross before they are legitimate in
your eyes?

In the book this post references, everyone except Palin is shown to have an
enormous capacity for sustained hard work.

------
balding_n_tired
'He presides looking “vaguely bored,” his detachment “striking but not
entirely unusual.” '

Is it ad feminam to remark the Ms. Noonan came to public notice writing
speeches for Ronald Reagan who was noted for "detachment"?

