What draws the citizen to the world of politics

Abstract

There are three theories: the platonic, the pleasure, and the power theories. Briefly put, the first is a sort of exhortation: if competent people don’t pursue political power, the field will be left to the incompetents. The second is that it is fun. The third is that it gives one power, as the politician is among those who make the rules that govern our society; they live and work where the action is. The truth lies somewhere between the pleasure and power theories. The power that goes with politics is augmented by the fun of being in the driver’s seat.

Being in politics is like being a football coach.

You have to be smart enough to understand the

game, and dumb enough to think it’s important.

Eugene McCarthy

In an interview, 1968, in The Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations, Anthony Jay, ed. (Oxford: 1997), p. 239. So many of the matters politicians—especially at the local level—have to deal with are at best ephemeral, predictably trivial, or just plain dumb. But not every game can be exciting.