Wake Me When It's Over

Okay, raise your hand if you are sick of politics already. And it's only April; imagine how we'll all feel come next November. About the only thing that keeps me watching is to see if Hillary ever wears the same outfit twice; so far that has not happened. (Her clothes closet must be the size of Loehmann's dressing room.)

My ennui stems from all of the candidates being such doofuses. My favorite is John Kasich and he is a major doofus as everyone knows, just like everyone knows his father was a mailman. Still, at least he's a grown-up, while all the others are big babies. (Not Bernie, but that's not happening.) It's all so tedious, making me feel sorry for my son, a Millennial in the burgeoning bloom of excitement about life's possibilities. I wonder, where are the inspiring, brilliant, charismatic leaders he deserves? Oh right, they all have real jobs in the private sector.

This phenomenon was explained long ago by Alexis de Toqueville, a French sage and historian best known for his Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution, and quoted in a Letter to the Editor published in today's Wall Street Journal:

"In the United States, the pursuit of wealth generally diverts men of great talents and strong passions from the pursuit of political power; and it frequently happens that a man does not undertake to direct the fortunes of the state until he has shown himself incompetent to direct his own."

Sound familiar? He goes on: "In the United States I am not sure that the people would choose men of superior abilities even if they wished to be elected; but it is certain that candidates of this description do not come forward."

Those words were written 180 years ago and apparently nothing has changed. Yawn.