By the way, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to become a politician either! Here is David Brooks via David Henderson:
It [the movie Lincoln] shows that you can do more good in politics than in any other sphere. You can end slavery, open opportunity and fight poverty. But you can achieve these things only if you are willing to stain your own character in order to serve others — if you are willing to bamboozle, trim, compromise and be slippery and hypocritical.
The challenge of politics lies precisely in the marriage of high vision and low cunning. Spielberg’s “Lincoln” gets this point. The hero has a high moral vision, but he also has the courage to take morally hazardous action in order to make that vision a reality.
To lead his country through a war, to finagle his ideas through Congress, Lincoln feels compelled to ignore court decisions, dole out patronage, play legalistic games, deceive his supporters and accept the fact that every time he addresses one problem he ends up creating others down the road.
Politics is noble because it involves personal compromise for the public good. This is a self-restrained movie that celebrates people who are prudent, self-disciplined, ambitious and tough enough to do that work.
In other news today, it turns out the Teach for America (which includes some of the best students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching) and school competition murders children.
In other words, the end justifies the means, and it’s permissible, if not laudatory, to follow the dictum of Machiavelli to achieve a goal. Can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. So maybe we should be applauding the efforts of Lenin, Stalin and Mao. Even though they just didn’t have enough means.
“you can do more good in politics than in any other sphere”
WHat?!
“…open opportunity and fight poverty…”
so every single entrepreneur is doing…what?
The reason our buddy Paul Krugman writes for the Times is to change the world through politics. Every day he shares a tofu burger and a 16.5-ounce Diet Pepsi with David Brooks for lunch, or if he is out of the view of Mike Bloomberg’s spy cameras, has a hot dog with sauerkraut on the street sold by an unlicensed vendor without a green card.
David Brooks is one scary member of the clerisy.
This essay is a perfect expression of the “unconstrained vision”, typically associated with the left, but in reality is a more bipartisan belief. This vision’s characteristics:
* high sense of social duty
* prudence has lower priority
* man is perfectible
* solutions supersede tradeoffs
* knowledge gap between the wise and ignorant is large
The irony is that Brooks has written against the unconstrained vision.
26891 291921As soon as I discovered this internet site I went on reddit to share some with the love with them. 267649
45850 700814I gotta bookmark this internet website it seems extremely beneficial invaluable 528422
519491 242261They call it the self-censor, basically because youre too self-conscious of your writing, too judgmental. 318551
532808 324680I adore your wp design, wherever did you download it by means of? 630528
318865 35588I gotta favorite this internet web site it seems handy . 479639
676869 355340Wow you hit it on the dot we shall submit to Plurk in addition to Squidoo well done انواع محركات الطائرات | هندسة نت was wonderful 867436
866368 97598Hi there, i just thought i would publish and now let you know your sites style is truly smudged within the K-Melon browser. Anyhow sustain in the very great function. 720302
465889 168819Ill do this if want to as considerably as I hope that is not too far off the track. 661617
787675 152579This site is often a walk-through like the information you wanted in regards to this and didnt know who to question. Glimpse here, and you will undoubtedly discover it. 400986
278119 834220Conveyancing […]we like to honor other sites on the internet, even if they arent related to us, by linking to them. Below are some internet sites worth checking out[…] 440029
174312 129252Id need to consult you here. Which isnt some thing Which i do! I enjoy reading a post that can make individuals feel. Also, appreciate your allowing me to comment! 205373
747862 40811 I discovered your weblog internet site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to maintain up the quite excellent operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading a lot more from you later on! 2762