just because you are popular you ought to run for public office?
By murkie
@murkie (1103)
Philippines
October 6, 2012 7:51am CST
election time in my country is just around the year. again.
and once again, we see the incumbents, the nuisance, and the what? the family members of the bygone politicians. another type of these candidates were once actors, athletes and anybody who had once been popular through other fields but in politics.
i wonder if just being plain popular would be an indication of good governance.
i understand that a candidate has to be known in one way or another, for him/her to gain some votes. but merely being the family member of a famous politician, or being an athlete or actor does not guarantee that s/he is fit for the job.
the sad thing is that the average voter tends to weigh popularity more than anything else. i sure hope that popularity and charisma could save a government.
well, of course, there are few who are really up to it.
is popularity one of your criteria in choosing a candidate? i sure hope not.
well, of course, there are few who are really up to it.
is popularity one of your criteria in choosing a candidate? i sure hope not.1 person likes this
7 responses
@romzee (937)
• Philippines
7 Oct 12
Being popular is an inherent advantage of one candidate over his/her adversaries. That's why a lot of movie stars, star celebrities, and relatives of known politicians try it out and run for government offices. But this doesn't mean that they are capable and an indication that they will do justice to their office. The electoral voters must be educated but because of poverty and poor education, our electoral process prove to be more of a popularity contest and of patronage.
@murkie (1103)
• Philippines
7 Oct 12
you said it right. most politicians exploit the ignorance of most voters. what may seem funny is that those people who voted the politician are the first ones to complain and oust that same politician. then they choose another, and the process is repeated.
1 person likes this
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
7 Oct 12
no you should not- but it does help. Look at arnold in california a few years ago. he won because of being so popular. And it costs californians millions.
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
6 Oct 12
It's not my criteria at all, and most "popular" people are too stupid or incompetent to be an effective politician. That said, if I ever had my 15 minutes of fame I'd turn that into a congressional run so fast your head would spin. Many of us want to be an active participant in the government and jump at the opportunity when it presents itself. Joe the Plumber, for example, is a moron, but I don't blame him one bit for trying to turn his moment in the spotlight into running for congress.
1 person likes this
@GemmaR (8517)
•
6 Oct 12
I don't think that being popular should be the only reason that you run for office, because you have to be able to have a detailed understanding of how everything works as well. You should not just vote for people based on how popular they are. However, there is some way that popularity would be a good thing because it would mean that you could influence a lot of people who already follow you because of whatever you had done before. So it would help you certainly, but it should never be the only reason.
1 person likes this
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
6 Oct 12
I don't think that being popular should mean we run for public offie. Candidates for public office should run if they can make a dofferenvce and get the job done. When we vote you into office we want to do it for the right reasons and with a clear conscience and peace of mind.
@toxic_lifestyle (1213)
• Philippines
6 Oct 12
Well it depends. Not all popular personalities are deserving to run in public office. Because it's not popularity what matters. The important thing is, that they run for public office because you are dedicated to serve the people and that they can offer something that would be beneficial to the people. :)
1 person likes this
@beamer88 (4259)
• Philippines
6 Oct 12
That's one of the drawbacks of a democratic election. A person is elected by popular vote. So almost always, those already know by the electorate have a huge advantage over those unknown candidates. And unless a person has a very good political machinery backing him up, if he's not known, he'd surely lose. But the issue actually is the voting public. Most are still not politically mature enough.
1 person likes this
