Now you have people in Washington who have no interest in the country at all. They're interested in their companies, their corporations grabbing Caspian oil.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the disconnect between politicians and the genuine interests of the country, suggesting that some are more focused on personal gain.
Gore Vidal's quote warns against the self-serving motives of political leaders who prioritize corporate interests over the welfare of their nation. It serves as a critique of cronyism and the influence of corporations on politics, suggesting that when leaders are more invested in their own financial gain, they neglect the responsibilities they have towards the public and the actual issues facing the country.
In practice
During a political debate, one could reference this quote to illustrate the argument about corporate influence in government.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
Democracy is a system where people are counted not weighed.
Nations do not distrust each other because they are armed. They are armed because they distrust each other.
The public is strongly in favor of the Kyoto Protocols, so strongly in favor that a majority of Bush voters thought that he was in favor of it. They are simply unaware.
I deplore the need or the use of troops anywhere to get American citizens to obey the orders of constituted courts.
Without alienation, there can be no politics.
I don't think you can understand Trump's relationship to his voters and how he gets away with what he gets away with, without understanding the pact between a lifestyle brand and its consumer base and how that really transformed the global economy in the 1990s.
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