American Politics - Loss Leaders

A loss leader used to be an advertised special that was actually priced below the wholesale cost, but got people in the door to shop, and hopefully purchase unadvertised items as well. It was the cost of volume shopping, which is not unlike American politics, now. I'm not sure campaign managers operate much differently than sales managers.

We tend to want to see politicians as so different from ourselves and our circle of influence, but amazingly, they are not. They break promises, they divide people, they tell things they will weasel out of, and they judge, oh do they judge, while judging the "other side" and those accusing them of being judgmental! They are people who are willing to sell themselves, their values, and their future to the highest bidder. So, why we'd think for a moment, they wouldn't sell us out as well, is a reflection of our own lack of awareness or delusive self-importance.

Actually, politicians appear to be the embodiment of the values of the voting majority of America. As I listen to the electorate speak of their "chosen" candidate and the way they speak of the opponent; I have no problem not participating in American politics. The people who truly believe they are being represented by their candidate, if elected, have caused me to seriously doubt the values of their candidate. The adamant opposition in American politics has taken on a life all of it's own. We, as a nation, are more divided and oppositional than at the time of the Civil War. The modern difference is not in our civility, but the fact that we are too lazy to actually organize and physically fight over our differences . . . thank G-d. There truly are spirits of opposition over this entire nation, and slovenliness, creating an interesting "balance" in our nation.

Politically, we don't really remember what was important and what we believed in, it's simply enough to know what we don't believe! We diligently monitor and vehemently spew accusations of that, which we are against. We know who we oppose. I shouldn't have made this just about politics. Religion is the same way. I remember realizing, I can read the Bible, people in general conversation will say "thank G-d," the President of the USA has said, "God bless America" just about since I can remember, Congress always had a prayer breakfast before convening a new session, but only at church did I learn about the devil! This focus on the opposition does truly seem spiritual . . . Everybody knows what they don't like, what they don't want, what they don't believe in, and are willing to talk at length about it; but finding someone who truly pursues a vision is rare, very rare.

One of the reasons we don't actually have leadership anymore, is because we don't have leaders involved. We have professional politicians, organizers, wordsmiths, and orators who convey to people what they want to hear, make promises that will get themselves into positions of power, then . . . things begin to fall apart. Things fall apart because they are not visionaries or leaders, but have attained the responsibility of leading, not just power. The so-called elected leaders are followers of the crowd who want special treatment and special attention. That's how we've now come to have career politicians. It's simply narcisism repackaged and relabeled, which brings us back to politicians being the embodiment of our society. We are a me-first, self-serving culture and narcissists looking for popularity and power, are the closest we're going to get to actual leadership.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good . . . writings of the Apostle Paul