"Next to kidnappers, politicians seem to be the most unpopular men in this great Republic. Nobody ever really trusts them. Whatever they do is commonly ascribed to ignoble motives. The country is always glad to see them humiliated. . .
As for the governors, they are so low-down that 2 or 3 of the 48 are always being impeached and there is always at least one who is on his way to the hoosegow. During the past 15 years no less than 20 governors have been charged with downright felonies, and 4 or 5 have actually gone to prison. The rest, though maybe honest enough, are mainly only demagogues and mountebanks. It would be hard to find any other class of presumably reputable men who show so high an average of rogues and charlatans."
---HL Mencken 1934
(via Floyd Norris at NYT)
TW: As I mention frequently, democracy is flawed just better than the alternative. Our system breeds hypocrisy and those comfortable with it. To run for office is to be an egotistical freak. But if we as voters acted differently, rewarded better behavior then perhaps the politicians would act differently. Or maybe those more pure would be even less effective...
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