THE POLITICIAN IN ME
Posted by Tim Bryce on January 26, 2012
(Click for AUDIO VERSION)
I’ve never been good at politics and I believe it is due to the nature of my job which is to tell people what is wrong with their systems and management. I’m paid to be brutally frank with companies which is not exactly an endearing trait. My job is to tell them the whole truth, not just what they want to hear. I’m polite and professional in how I present the facts, but I am certainly not a politician. I cannot afford to be. No doubt I would flop if I were to run for public office, even if it was for nothing but dog catcher. I would likely say something matter-of-factly and thereby step on the toes of someone in the process, regardless of how right I was.
As this is a major election year, we’ll be asked to vote for president, senators, congressmen, governors, assemblymen, mayors, commissioners, etc. Frankly, I don’t trust any of them, regardless of their political party, as I believe such people have sold their soul to the devil in order to be elected. This is the problem with government today, nobody trusts the politicians. They say one thing, then do something else. We simply do not know what to believe regarding these people, nor do we know what they’ll do until they’ve been elected into office which is obviously too late. To me, this is indicative of how preposterous our electoral process is and why we need to enact some serious campaign reform, maybe even a whole hysterectomy.
Another reason I would make a lousy politician is because I know how to say “No.” You’re a great guy if you say “Yes,” but a real schmuck if you say “No.” People only want to hear “Yes” regardless of the issue, which has been one of our great problems over the years whereby politicians promise voters the world without any idea of how to pay for it. I’ve made more enemies as a result of saying “No” than anything else I may have said. Recognizing the many problems we have with the national debt, budget, and deficit, I would actually like to hear “No” more often than “Yes” for awhile.
When you have enemies, you have to develop some rather thick skin as they will try to undermine your every move, more out of spitefulness than anything else. Fortunately, I have never been concerned with being in a popularity contest; I would rather be at peace with my convictions than popular. You may not like what I have to say about an issue, but you always know where I stand. I also try to be objective, honest, and play fair; three characteristics which dooms me as a politician. Then again, maybe we need more people who are less inclined to bend the rules and more concerned with getting the job done.
Thank God I was never infected with the political bug. I like being able to look at myself in the mirror without fear of blushing.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
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Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
THE BRYCE IS RIGHT! 
Tim Bryce said
An S.F. of West Chester, Ohio wrote…
“I would vote for YOU!” 🙂
An M.C. of Ohio wrote…
“Oh come on Tim, run for something. Maybe you can get Simon Cowell to be your running mate and Jack Nicholson to do your campaign slogan, ‘You Can’t Handle the Truth!'”
An A.B. of Oxford, England, UK wrote…
“Tim Bryce, You are a PROLIFIC WRITER, and you’ve more than proven YOU ARE THE BEST! There are lot’s of phony bogus authors who allege they are PROLIFIC writers, the puffery is unreal; you did an EXEMPLARY job writing this article, as with all your writing! SUPERB!”
A D.T. of North Carolina wrote…
“You would have my vote!”
An A.S. of Palm Harbor, Florida wrote…
Tim, are you kidding me? Politicians have been doing this since the beginning of time. We, the American people, give them, have given them, and will continue to give them, the green right to say what we the people want to hear. You say they’ve sold their souls to the devil. We are the devil! They are just acquiescing to our chants for more. One major ingredient in the “more” recipe is Mullaaa, denaro, dirty lucre. You think we should reform this process? It’s like asking the fox to set the standards for how he and others will guard the hen house. Ain’t gonna happen. You want a perfect system you call out for. The founding Fathers designed our system to be sloppy, lethargic, inefficient, for good reason. Mainly the idea of going to war, or not going to war. They wanted us to really be sure(no knee jerk reaction) before we pulled the trigger.
A J.P. of Toronto, Ontario wrote…
“Newt Gingrich touched on a vital issue as well, even though he is not one of my preferred politicians. ‘Why would any successful, intelligent person want to stand for major public office?’ The level and depth of personal scrutiny is unbelievable. If a candidate pinched a chocolate bar as a kid, it will be trumpeted over the TV to millions! If he smoked pot forty years ago in university, once, the whole world will hear of it! If his wife was pulled over and found DUI ten years ago, it will become public knowledge. Women he never heard of will suddenly come out of the woodwork and accuse him of being the father of their six kids from when he was in the army as a young man! Every word he has ever said about anything will be researched, dredged up and used to make his current opinions and understandings look insincere or merely opportunistic. If he ever, once, rented a porn movie for a stag for a friend, all America will be shown the lurid title and the store he rented it from years ago! All of his most intimate personal financial information, tax returns for multiple past years, will be picked over by hired professional analysts to become fodder for self-righteous talking heads on the evening news!
Who, being successful, intelligent and able would ever want to expose himself to all that?”
A J.S. of Arizona wrote…
“I think the Parties have too much power, money, and influence over both the candidates and the election system. There is no such thing as a local election anymore, all having a national interest to them to be controlled. If a politician doesn’t play ball to go along with the party before those that put them there, they are marginalized and will receive no support in re-elections, pushing legislation, etc. Unless immensely popular with their constituents, it is an uphill battle to even get the seat. To me any campaign or political reform should start with them, limiting that power, but fat chance of them admitting that.”
A B.H of Boulder, Colorado wrote…
“If you try to please everyone (as politicians do), you’ll only end up pissing EVERYONE off. REAL Leaders know this. They also know that sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions. That’s what differentiates a ‘leader’ from a ‘politician.’ And, if you constantly change the story you tell based on where you are and what the demographics/desires of the audience is, you’ll REALLY confuse people and they’ll look for someone else which is why the overwhelming majority of ALL Americans (per an article in either YAHOO or MSNBC web site) says they would fire EVERYONE in Congress and the White House IF THEY HAD THE CHOICE. No one is happy, politicians have tried to please everyone, and now it’s coming home to roost on them because they’ve had to renege on their rhetoric and promises too many times.”
A J.S. of Skidway Lake, Michigan wrote…
“If you change your mind, you’ve got my vote and I will work on your campaign, Tim! You have the kinds of skills that we need in a leader. Practice that dancing for your inaugural ball! Some years ago, I read an essay by humorist Dave Barry in which he stated that what the USA needs is a mom in the White House. I agree. A mom does not put up with whining and blaming. Moms can and do say no when necessary. Moms balance tight budgets and excel at multitasking. Moms demand accountability and would tell the whiners to come back with at least three alternative workable plans before trying to pass a pork-filled bill into law. Moms are fair, but know when punishment is warranted. Just the words ‘Don’t make me come down there’ would strike fear into the hearts of congressmen and senators. If a mom can do the job, and I believe it’s possible, so can you, Tim. I think you could analyze and fix the country’s problems. If you need backup from a mom, I’ve got your back.”:)
A J.D. of Dunedin, Florida wrote…
“I’m Hoping we’ll get a few real statesmen soon. We need a few whose love of country is greater than their desire for power.”
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