[My title comes from the most urp-inducing moment ever on Grey's Anatomy.]
If you ever wonder why people run for office, you need only look at the current controversy concerning the gasoline tax. (I won't get into the utter folly of the plan itself, plenty of others have already handled that.)
No, my point is that even such a useless bit of pandering gets immediate blanket coverage by the media, merely because it's being offered up by a presidential candidate. This is part of the hierarchy of ideas, which shows that there is no meritocracy even in the marketplace of thinking.
I can come up with the best idea on this blog, innovative thinking, well-presented. But I have very little rep in that market, so the idea just sits out there on a server. Another blogger, say Matt Yglesias, might come up with something, and it might cause a stir in the blogosphere for a few hours, but the interest will taper off quickly and be forgotten tomorrow.
Two months ago, Congressman Dingell of Michigan proposed increasing the gas tax by 50 cents a gallon to reduce consumption. That received a little attention, but not too much. But, let McCain talk about doing something pointless, and let Clinton jump on the bandwagon (flying in the face of he idea that she's such a policy expert), and it's big news.
And you know, that's pretty heady stuff. When you can say any fool thing that pops into your head, and it instantly becomes a major discussion topic for your nation, that's got to be hugely exciting, a real boost to the ego. Hard to believe that isn't at least part of the reason these candidates "put themselves through" the rigors of the campaign.
If you ever wonder why people run for office, you need only look at the current controversy concerning the gasoline tax. (I won't get into the utter folly of the plan itself, plenty of others have already handled that.)
No, my point is that even such a useless bit of pandering gets immediate blanket coverage by the media, merely because it's being offered up by a presidential candidate. This is part of the hierarchy of ideas, which shows that there is no meritocracy even in the marketplace of thinking.
I can come up with the best idea on this blog, innovative thinking, well-presented. But I have very little rep in that market, so the idea just sits out there on a server. Another blogger, say Matt Yglesias, might come up with something, and it might cause a stir in the blogosphere for a few hours, but the interest will taper off quickly and be forgotten tomorrow.
Two months ago, Congressman Dingell of Michigan proposed increasing the gas tax by 50 cents a gallon to reduce consumption. That received a little attention, but not too much. But, let McCain talk about doing something pointless, and let Clinton jump on the bandwagon (flying in the face of he idea that she's such a policy expert), and it's big news.
And you know, that's pretty heady stuff. When you can say any fool thing that pops into your head, and it instantly becomes a major discussion topic for your nation, that's got to be hugely exciting, a real boost to the ego. Hard to believe that isn't at least part of the reason these candidates "put themselves through" the rigors of the campaign.
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