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Thursday, June 30, 2005The Conceit of GovernmentThe WSJ's Peggy Noonan asks the question as to why politicians seem so full of themselves, especially criticizing Senator Barrack Obama's comparison of himself to President Lincoln: Oh. So that's what Lincoln's for. Actually Lincoln's life is a lot like Mr. Obama's. Lincoln came from a lean-to in the backwoods. His mother died when he was 9. The Lincolns had no money, no standing. Lincoln educated himself, reading law on his own, working as a field hand, a store clerk and a raft hand on the Mississippi. He also split some rails. He entered politics, knew more defeat than victory, and went on to lead the nation through its greatest trauma, the Civil War, and past its greatest sin, slavery.Frankly, it makes me wonder whether or not there's any room in politics anymore for the self-made Abe Lincoln's anymore. Quite seriously, whom would you rather vote for? The poor, self-educated rail splitter? Or the Columbia and Harvard Law graduate? What is in the air there in Washington, what is in the water?It's identity politics. People vote for the person they would like to identify with in office. I support Bush because he's strong on terrorism. I support Senator Allen because he upholds "Jeffersonian Conservative" principles. I support my supervisor because he's a great guy who listens to people. We want to be reminded of their great, endearing qualities, because when they remind us of how great they are, we remind ourselves of our own presupposed qualities and how we projected them into these politicians. Isn't this why Caesar thrice refused the crown? It's an old trick. Timeless even. But it works because people see themselves in the people they elect.
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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