A few days ago, we touched on one Illinois political mystery. Here’s another:
When there are so many successful business people who have entered politics, why is our state so screwed up? This mystery is easily solved.
Success in business is admirable, and I applaud the accomplishment of successful business people as much as the next guy. However, when these accomplished individuals step into politics, rarely do those business abilities make a positive impact. Their competence does not come with them. I can think of only a few exceptions—Donald Trump being the best.
The question that arises in light of the above is, why aren’t those people able to figure out the political arena even after achieving success elsewhere? No doubt there are many possible explanations.
Probably the most common is, as I have alluded to in another recent post, no one bothers to seriously study the arena. Members of the “it’s only politics” choir do not believe there is anything to study. This is, of course, crazy. It is the most important arena on the planet. As I summed up previously:
Political science is called the master science because it is. Look at the world: if you don’t get the politics right, your country is pretty much doomed. If you fail nationally, you get Joe Biden. If you fail politically at the state level, you get Illinois.
One of the best examples of this “it’s only politics” mindset is actually held by people who have been in politics for a time. One would think, for example, a five, ten or twenty year elected veteran of the Illinois General Assembly and former business success would by now have a clue about what needs to be done for our side to win governing majorities.
Many years ago I added up the years of experience held by our state house and state senate Republicans and it was about 600 years. As I noted then, the reality is few of these individuals learn much after their first term or two and all the years that follow are filled with the same experience over and over again.
Another hindrance to political success by these business people is due to the fact that they are really proud of their business accomplishments—so much so that they see themselves as intellectually superior to everyone else. So when they are presented with information they either disagree with or in reality do not understand, they merely dismiss it as words coming from someone who isn’t in their league.
No doubt one of the biggest reasons for their failure is they frankly just have really bad judgment. What served them well in the free market system does not survive entry into politics. So often I am amazed at the dumb decisions made by these folks—especially when it comes to who they trust.
If readers are concerned that I might be hurting the feelings of some big brain business successes who entered politics and failed, let me allay your fears. Chances are these people are incapable of entertaining the proposition that they have any intellectual limitations. They would dismiss out of hand all of the above because, after all, they are business masters of the universe.
Too bad they suck when it comes to politics, and Illinoisans continue to suffer because of it.
Up next: The business arena is not the only field of endeavor that fails to prepare people entering politics.
Image credit: Epoch Times
