When Presidential Aspirations Become a Deadly Flaw

The political world is filled with enormous egos.  Politicians on the left and right are generally possessed of ten parts ego-fed ambition for every one part of public spirit.  No, I don’t have a source for that.  Let’s just say that is an aphorism born of many years of observing politics and human beings.  My cynicism in this regard may be a bit exaggerated, but I doubt I am far from the mark.

Shooting for the presidency is perhaps the biggest ego trip of all.  To imagine oneself as the supreme ruler of the most powerful nation on earth is heady stuff.  Becoming the Master of the Universe is such an incredibly seductive accomplishment that politicians will do almost anything to achieve it.

First and foremost, they will give up any normal life of family, friends, work and leisure.  They will abandon whatever firmly held convictions they had in their earlier years and bend their opinions and platforms to conform to a best fit for winning.  They will court powerful people and corporations with so many promises and assurances that they won’t even be able to keep track of them.  They will spend most of their lives fundraising.

But the link between these compromises and truly dangerous or deadly consequences is generally not visible or easily discerned.  The candidates can rest easily, assured that their dalliances with the powerful, the rich and whatever policy issues they have endorsed are just the normal political game.

However, in the time of COVID and Trump, this link is crystal clear.  There is no doubt that Presidential aspirations are directly causing death and misery.  Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, both eyeing a possible run for the presidency in 2024 should Trump decide not to, have burnished their Trumpian reputations at the expense of their constituents’ lives.

By refusing to promote and mandate mask wearing and vaccination, in direct opposition to the best medical advice in their states and in the nation, these two governors have essentially committed wholesale manslaughter in the name of their presidential aspirations.  They have sacrificed thousands of lives on the altar of their egos. Their names should go down in infamy.  The names of the dead should be chanted to them wherever they go.

Politics is often referred to as a dirty game.  But this type of pandering for the votes of the Trump world is despicable in the extreme.  It deserves condemnation from all quarters and it is a sad reflection on the state of our political life.