Legal Commentary

Misunderstanding "Pols are Pols. . ."

By Big Tent Democrat

My friends at corrente misunderstand what I mean by my refrain "pols are pols . . .":

In the thread to lambert's post "Hello to all that" I cited comments from TalkLeft to the effect that officeholders' principles belong at home, not at the office. Anne, whose comments at TL are the reason I read that site, responded:

I hate the “pols will be pols” framing, mostly because it just absolves them of any responsibility for their actions [. . .]

Let me first say that I too enjoy Anne's comments, but she mistakes my meaning. Let me quote again from the post from which the phrase originates:

As citizens and activists, our allegiances have to be to the issues we believe in. I am a partisan Democrat it is true. But the reason I am is because I know who we can pressure to do the right thing some of the times. Republicans aren't them. But that does not mean we accept the failings of our Democrats. There is nothing more important that we can do, as citizens, activists or bloggers than fight to pressure DEMOCRATS to do the right thing on OUR issues.

And this is true in every context I think. Be it pressing the Speaker or the Senate majority leader, or the new hope running for President. There is nothing more important we can do. Nothing. It's more important BY FAR than "fighting" for your favorite pol because your favorite pol will ALWAYS, I mean ALWAYS, disappoint you.

In the middle of primary fights, citizens, activists and bloggers like to think their guy or woman is different. They are going to change the way politics works. They are going to not disappoint. In short, they are not going to be pols. That is, in a word, idiotic.

Yes, they are all pols. And they do what they do. Do not fight for pols. Fight for the issues you care about. That often means fighting for a pol of course. But remember, you are fighting for the issues. Not the pols.

The point is not to absolve pols. It is to understand how to influence them, if you can. It is to urge liberals and progressives and Centrists like me to argue for their points of view, not in defense of pols or parties.

The message I hoped to impart is not to just shrug and sigh and say "oh well." It is to not put your faith in pols. Because they in fact do what they do.

In short, I want everyone to take Frederick Douglass' famous admonition to heart:

Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!

Don't wait for the pols. That is like waiting for Godot.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 13, 2010 (boomark / email).