Money never seems to be interested in strengthening regulatory agencies, for example, but always in subverting them, in making them miss the danger signs in coal mines and in derivatives trading and in deep-sea oil wells.
Thomas FrankRead
It is always a disappointment to turn from forthright consideration of some subject - whether from the Left or the Right, a poet or a plumber - to the Beltway version, in which the only aspects of the issue that matter are the effects it will have on the fortunes of the two parties and the various men in power.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote criticizes the superficial treatment of important issues by political elites, focusing on party power over genuine discourse.
Thomas Frank highlights the disillusionment that arises when important subjects are reduced to mere political strategies, where the primary concern is how they will affect party power dynamics and individual politicians rather than a sincere exploration of the issues at hand. This viewpoint reflects a common frustration with the political system, where genuine discussion is overshadowed by self-serving interests.
Themes
PoliticsDisappointmentIssuesPowerDiscourse
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on political ethics, this quote could be used to illustrate the challenges of genuine political discourse.
More from Thomas Frank
All quotes →Money has transformed every watchdog, every independent authority. Medical doctors are increasingly gulled by the lobbying of pharmaceutical salesmen.
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Concerns about the size and role of government are what seem to leave reformers stammering and speechless in town-hall meetings. The right wants to have a debate over fundamental principles; elected Democrats seem incapable of giving it to them.
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Corruption is uniquely reprehensible in a democracy because it violates the system's first principle, which we all learned back in the sunshiny days of elementary school: that the government exist to serve the public, not particular companies or individuals or even elected officials.
Thomas FrankRead
Bad government is the natural product of rule by those who believe government is bad.
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This aesthetic quality, then, is what politics is all about. It's authenticity that separates winners from losers, good politics from bad, and he-man leader-types from consultant-directed puppet-boys.
Thomas FrankRead
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