Better, not just different

I have long argued that it is noble if one's goal is to eliminate corruption but it is not when one seeks simply to make oneself the beneficiary of it. There are many examples of those who criticize the way things are but they are, in fact, just criticizing who's on top. It's as if they were saying: it's unfair... unless it benefits me. This is absurd and hypocritical, like cheating to get into power so that you can eliminate corruption or, my old favorite, killing for peace. Sadly, this thinking is prevalent. It's bad... unless I do it. In other words: IOKIARDI.

I'm looking for people who believe in serving the public good which, because of the lack of the public's homogeneity, will involve compromise in many ways, not the least of which will be balancing that which benefits the most people with that which benefits those with the greatest need. The focus of good leadership is the welfare of those being led, not that of the leader. That is the nature of the sacrifice required of good leaders. It is their responsibility to concern themselves with the needs others and not just their own.

It was these thoughts that came to mind as I read another excellent post by Glenn Greenwald, about Presidential candidates and "substance". He tells us that we need someone who is effectively an "insurgent" and who is "opposed to... even hostile towards and disgusted by" the rotted, corrupt and broken Beltway system. "[A]ny candidate who does not address those systemic political diseases is not actually being "substantive" at all".