All candidates look for large voting blocks religious and otherwise. In today's world, many candidates and political parties try to get people to believe they belong to a specific voting block and due to that tell the voter you need to vote for me because you are one of these. That of course destroys the need to talk to people as a whole, treating each one as an individual, you can tailor your pitch to vote for me to very narrow parameters. Religious people come with predefined parameters depending on which religious group you are talking to, that is still speaking to a narrow group, not the whole.
Sadly many want to be in a group and not look at people as a single group, this invites us versus them and sets up victim narratives which in today's world are very powerful. Keeps us hating each other instead of caring for one another, and giving grace.
Politics is all about numbers. This is both a good and bad thing.
One needs to appeal to as wide a number of people as possible to even get elected in a contest against other candidates. You then need to keep that group people happy in order stay in politics. This can lead to the promises and rhetoric becoming more extreme as new challengers arrive to take your position.
Thus begins the fight of actually getting legislation passed, where each elected official has to make good on their promises. Ideally compromises and pointed discussion should take place at this point. But in order to appeal to voters to seem "tough" on issues, this is where it can get ugly.
The reality of politics is that it is also a profession. Politicians are paid. No one works for free. In a democracy, the threat of being fired constantly looms, especially in an age where media can so instantaneously broadcast any minor failing that will be magnified by the opposition as a political tool. Politics should be about policy but it is also about playing games so that official can pay their bills.
This is the weakness that lobbyists can exploit. When the threat of being fired by way of not getting elected next term contently looms, corporations can seem like a savior. Corporate interests start taking center-stage in exchange for their backing. More corporations start joining in after seeing how lucrative paying off politicians can be. Then politics becomes the playground of the rich.
What follows are all the things we associate with politics: media manipulation, lies, shady backroom deals, etc. All in service to emotionally wrangling the electorate to get more votes.
These forces are powerful and difficult to change. A young upstart idealist who wants to "change the world" and eliminate all the world's problems, will quickly see that the institution he joined in order to accomplish those dreams is set up to do exactly the opposite.
Hopes dashed, he can either try to fight against the system with a high likelihood of losing (a Bernie Sanders, AOC or Kim Porter is rare), join it or quit. Or, he can try to work within the system with hopes of eventually changing it, which will include playing the game he actually despises. This runs the risk of being lumped in with the same politicians he hopes to get rid of ( "you're just as bad a them!" ).
The only defense is a population that is more critical and less influenced by showmanship and extreme or childish rhetoric; a population where merely shouting "fake news!" doesn't make it so. A population that votes for the debater with better ideas not better zingers. A population that values science and objective facts over superstition.
But alas, the state of humanity as it, this too is just a pipe dream.
@vivify saidSurprisingly I agree with much of what you said. The trouble I see with group politics is that when done they are zeroing in on some segment to move the needle to get elected. If that group gets privileges unique to the group it will always come at the expense of others, the size of the group doesn't mean justice is done righteously, instead, it becomes only an end to a means. This is a political reality I believe and every political party plays into it, some party politics refuse to see the damage to others when someone delivers to their group, it always comes out of the pockets of others.
Politics is all about numbers. This is both a good and bad thing.
One needs to appeal to as wide a number of people as possible to even get elected in a contest against other candidates. You then need to keep that group people happy in order stay in politics. This can lead to the promises and rhetoric becoming more extreme as new challengers arrive to take your positio ...[text shortened]... facts over superstition.
But alas, the state of humanity as it, this too is just a pipe dream.
@KellyJay
But for you when you endorse a candidate, like Trump, you totally ignore any legal problems going on, sexual attack, he gets a bye, treason, a bye, fraud, several versions, he gets a bye, sex with a porn star while his wife is having a baby, he gets yet another bye not even counting covering up the hush money or the fact there even WAS hush money and the real reason for that hush money, so it is clear the morals of a candidate for you means nothing if he supports a 50 state abortion ban, forget all the talk about deporting 10 million people or windmills cause cancer or 20% tariff, or the fact world leaders consider him an incompetent boob, NONE of the above matters to you because of ONE issue you support.
@KellyJay saidWhy are you such a misanthrope?
All candidates look for large voting blocks religious and otherwise. In today's world, many candidates and political parties try to get people to believe they belong to a specific voting block and due to that tell the voter you need to vote for me because you are one of these. That of course destroys the need to talk to people as a whole, treating each one as an individual, ...[text shortened]... d are very powerful. Keeps us hating each other instead of caring for one another, and giving grace.
People don't deserve to be hated just because you don't agree with them. You are willing to say that so much is wrong with people you don't agree with. You continually blast people simply for disagreeing with you, claiming that they must be against God as well.
The ones against God are the authoritarians that you back. Democracy is not nearly as bad as you continuously claim.
@Suzianne saidWho said anything about hating people, disagreeing doesn’t mean hate. Do you feel that disagreeing equals hate? Against God?
Why are you such a misanthrope?
People don't deserve to be hated just because you don't agree with them. You are willing to say that so much is wrong with people you don't agree with. You continually blast people simply for disagreeing with you, claiming that they must be against God as well.
The ones against God are the authoritarians that you back. Democracy is not nearly as bad as you continuously claim.
@sonhouse saidYou have never seen me endorse Trump and you again insert Trump into another thread that had nothing to do with him.
@KellyJay
But for you when you endorse a candidate, like Trump, you totally ignore any legal problems going on, sexual attack, he gets a bye, treason, a bye, fraud, several versions, he gets a bye, sex with a porn star while his wife is having a baby, he gets yet another bye not even counting covering up the hush money or the fact there even WAS hush money and the real reas ...[text shortened]... consider him an incompetent boob, NONE of the above matters to you because of ONE issue you support.
@KellyJay saidevery time you talk about caring for one another i am reminded of your utter lack of care for the people murdered in Gaza and how much of a piece of garbage you are.
All candidates look for large voting blocks religious and otherwise. In today's world, many candidates and political parties try to get people to believe they belong to a specific voting block and due to that tell the voter you need to vote for me because you are one of these. That of course destroys the need to talk to people as a whole, treating each one as an individual, ...[text shortened]... d are very powerful. Keeps us hating each other instead of caring for one another, and giving grace.
pretending to care about people while hating on others, pretending to be a christian and being loud about it. If there is an afterlife and any fairness, you will spend it with the word pharisee carved into your forehead.
@Zahlanzi saidI care about everyone murdered, where do you get off saying I don't?
every time you talk about caring for one another i am reminded of your utter lack of care for the people murdered in Gaza and how much of a piece of garbage you are.
pretending to care about people while hating on others, pretending to be a christian and being loud about it. If there is an afterlife and any fairness, you will spend it with the word pharisee carved into your forehead.
There are a lot of people being murdered over there. You think if you pick a side that somehow makes the atrocities done by the side you picked, okay? Do you want to paint yourself righteous knowing what those you are siding with have done to those you are accusing?
@KellyJay saidHe is an antisemite and a supported of Islamic terrorists. Yesterday 15 Afgans, from the Sunni sect were murdered by AlQueda, just for not being true muslims. Islamic terrorists are causing havoc all over the world, killing and raping anyone who does not want to be true muslim aka islamic terrorists. These sickos are coming to Europe soon. I hope they are ready.
I care about everyone murdered, where do you get off saying I don't?
There are a lot of people being murdered over there. You think if you pick a side that somehow makes the atrocities done by the side you picked, okay? Do you want to paint yourself righteous knowing what those you are siding with have done to those you are accusing?
@Zahlanzi saidGazans can go to hell. As long as people want to kill Jews or anyone else for no good reason, they are animals and deserve death. Gazans provoked this war, and they are supporters of Hamas. They taught their kids to kill Jews, they pray to Allah for help to kill Jews. I have no pity for them.
every time you talk about caring for one another i am reminded of your utter lack of care for the people murdered in Gaza and how much of a piece of garbage you are.
pretending to care about people while hating on others, pretending to be a christian and being loud about it. If there is an afterlife and any fairness, you will spend it with the word pharisee carved into your forehead.
@Rajk999 saidYou want to kill Palestinian children.
Gazans can go to hell. As long as people want to kill Jews or anyone else for no good reason, they are animals and deserve death. Gazans provoked this war, and they are supporters of Hamas. They taught their kids to kill Jews, they pray to Allah for help to kill Jews. I have no pity for them.
Go to hell, nazi pig boy.