Process
Status Items Highlights Done See section below Claims None Questions None Output None
Highlights
id971540685
For example: John McCain’s legacy as a campaign finance reformer was earned not because he got singed by the Keating Five scandal, then retired, and then wrote some op-eds about how bad corruption is. He earned his legacy because he remained in the Senate after that scandal, changed his whole posture on corruption, and actually used his power to pass campaign finance legislation. McCain stands out on that set of issues because he did the opposite of what we typically witness. So often when politicians have power — when there are real stakes and when they need to have courage — they don’t do the right thing and take the obviously correct/moral position. Instead, they champion the very policy they later try to cleanse from their brand.
id971540671
where is the courage from powerful people when they actually have power to do something? The answer is it’s often nowhere, because they derive their own power and prominence by fortifying other elites’ power rather than challenging it.