With the latest scandal developing out of Illinois, it poses the question – how do Americans keep selecting incompetent leaders? Save for perhaps the latest presidential election, our track record isn’t the greatest at selecting those in power. I guess this opinion reflects certain personal beliefs about the state of our country and its current leadership, but the actions of Rod Blagojevich are so shocking that it makes one doubt the democratic system. And while that is a strong reaction to extraordinary circumstances, it is hard to see how someone so shockingly cruel and arrogant as Blagojevich came into power.
Examining Blagojevich’s track record, it’s hard to believe that he was re-elected in 2006, a year after achieving a record low approval rating of 36%. Of course, a number like that can have little bearing on what people actually think, as it samples a smaller portion of the population. For example, I’ve never once been polled about what kind of rating for any of my representatives from Pennsylvania. Blagojevich strikes me as a shrew and manipulative person, the type you would expect to be in this mess. What is interesting is the fact that so many people supported him in Illinois, including president elect Obama. Wait till Republicans catch wind of that.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised at a person like Blagojevich occupying a high position of leadership in our country. After all, who wants to run for these positions? Either someone similar to the corrupt governor, who is power hungry and seeking to line his or her pockets by using influence, or maybe an individual that wants to enter public office and “make a difference.” I just hope that this run of 10 years of poor leadership may inspire some genuinely great people to go after positions of leadership that they didn’t dare enter before.
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