“Congressmen are single-minded seekers of reelection.”
I think I figured out a way to fix the U.S. political system.
Okay, maybe not all of it, but at least a good part of it.
Seriously.
I’ve put a lot of thought into this and will be sharing more in the coming weeks, but today, I want to give you the foundation of which everything is based on.
Oh, yeah, and in case you missed last week’s article, about how “My political views might surprise you”, I mentioned, that for the next three or four issues, I’m going to write about courage as it relates to politics and political reform.
I totally understand if this isn’t your cup of tea, but for me I want to write about politics for three reasons:
(1): the timely nature, given mid-term elections
(2): this is an act of courage for me to talk about something I know some readers may not appreciate, and
(3) I genuinely feel compelled to share my ideas on this topic considering how politics touches literally every area of our lives.
Ok, so here it goes.
The three goals every career politician has
To understand politics, and why we keep getting what we get, you need to understand the three goals every career politician has.
This applies regardless of party affiliation or level of government.
Every career politician shares them, not because they are evil, but because they are human.
Once you see these three goals, the confusing parts stop being confusing.
Goal 1: Get into power (e.g. get elected)
To get into power you must tell people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.
Every successful candidate, left or right, knows this.
Look at Zohran Mamdani in New York City, for example.
In the 2025 mayoral race, he ran on a short list voters could repeat back without notes: fast and free buses, a rent freeze for rent stabilized apartments, city run grocery stores, universal child care, and higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations to pay for it.
A candidate trying to get in does not win by telling uncomfortable truths or by explaining the nuances, potential consequences and tradeoffs in detail.
They win by naming a pain people feel every day; like rent, groceries, the bus, child care, and promising to remove it, clearly and simply.
To be clear: that is not an attack on Mamdani. It is the job of getting in.
Goal 2: Stay in power (e.g. get re-elected)
This is what the opening quote is about.
Congressman Mayhew said it himself in 1974.
“Congressmen are single-minded seekers of reelection.”
Politics is also not like most jobs.
If you’re an accountant, a nurse, or an engineer and you lose one job, you can often go work for another company pretty easily.
Your skills travel with you.
A politician's career doesn’t work that way.
The title, the status, the staff, the influence, and often the next opportunity all sit inside that one position. Everything hinges on being re-elected.
There aren't 5 other U.S. Senate seats listed on LinkedIn that you can go apply to and interview for.
Do you remember when Texas Senator Ted Cruz called Donald Trump a “sniveling coward” in March 2016 after Trump attacked his wife, Heidi?
Cruz later called Trump a “pathological liar” and “utterly amoral.”
Well, fast forward a few months and in September 2016, he endorsed Trump.
Oh and let’s not forget that Mitch McConnell called Trump a “despicable human being” in December 2020.
In March 2024, McConnell endorsed him for president.
Staying in power has a way of editing yesterday's convictions.
Goal 3: Increase power (e.g. run for higher office)
Almost nobody starts at the top, but they all have their eyes on it.
Kamala Harris was a prosecutor in San Francisco.
Chris Christie was a county commissioner in New Jersey.
Barack Obama was a community organizer in Chicago.
Politicians start out at the local levels knowing they want to climb the ladder, the same way an intern at Google has aspirations of becoming a VP someday.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that aspiration at all.
The problem is that our system doesn’t take into to consideration how those ambitious people are likely to make decisions based on their career trajectories, not the best interest of their constituents; and until we have the courage to accept uncomfortable truths about humanity, and build around them, we will keep getting a suboptimal system.
No matter who wins.
In 1788, James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 51, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
His answer was not to go find angels.
It was this: “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.”
A good system does not depend on good people.
My point is, maybe it’s time to stop asking, “Who is going to save us?” and start asking, “What system would make even a selfish politician do the right thing?”
Here's your reflection for the week:
Where in your life have you been waiting for a better person instead of building a better system?
Here's your challenge for the week:
Read Federalist No. 51. It takes about 10 minutes. Notice how Madison starts with human nature as it is, not as he wishes it was.
With courage,
Jonathan
