Friedman on Incumbents

"Make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right things."--Milton Friedman

Instead of stoking up ribald opposition to take on entrenched incumbents, it's time that

Sharing prior to this comment, Friedman pointed that politicians are in the very simple business of buying votes. Rather than getting frustrated because they do not vote the way that we want them to, tell them what you want. Tell them how they had better vote if they want to get reelected.

Politicians do not go into office to do the will of the people, of their constituents, and in most cases, even of themselves. They go into office to get power and get reelected. It's up to the people to use their power to get politicians to do what they are supposed to do--on behalf of the people.

That is an amoral, not necessarily immoral judgment. The problem is that Americans have for too long expected their representatives to be able to read their minds or at least respect their opinions merely because the pols got into office because of their vote.

Sadly, that is simply not the case. Only when a politician demonstrates by his vote and his utter elitist disdain that he or she will not respect the wishes of the voters, then, and only then . . . "Throw the bums out!"