United States politics offers a multitude of opportunities and duties that involve a wide assortment of skills and responsibilities. Political jobs are widely available throughout the nation and in most cases come with both government benefits and a stable, well-paying salary. However, if you’re interested in pursuing a professional political career, you’ll want to know where to begin and what kind of job would best suit you. Here is an overview of what it takes to become a successful politician in the United States.
The most obvious career choice for someone interested in politics is to become a candidate for elective office. Many people choose to run for local office as a way to advance their personal interests or to support a given political cause. Some may run for office as a third-party candidate against an incumbent who is favored to win. This means running against a right-wing incumbent or against an unpopular vice-president. Candidates often seek elective office in order to support a social or cultural cause that is important to them personally.
Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists also often put their skills to use by running for elective office. In today’s world, these individuals often stand on the fringes of our society because of their belief that our economic growth is falling behind the rest of the developed world. These same people also believe that the solution to this growing economic inequality is through a wall street oriented agenda that is focused on economic growth that favors the wealthy. This agenda often promotes higher taxes for individuals earning a substantial income, stricter regulations for businesses and the financial industry, and higher tariffs for those who fall into the lower economic bracket.
A more politically viable route to a political career is to work at the base of an industry or corporation and create jobs and market opportunities for the middle class. By doing so, you can create an opportunity for everyone to earn an income that will allow them to have a comfortable household income. An example of such a business sector would be the janitorial and cleaning industry. There are many companies in both the private and public sectors that are experiencing stagnant or falling incomes because they have not diversified their practices to encompass more customer service. Creating better paying jobs in the janitorial and cleaning industry provides a way for all to earn an income and offers a route for an economic growth that favors the middle class.
If we were to implement such an agenda, the incomes of the lowest-earning families would rise while those of the highest earning families would fall into the gap between them and the rest of the population. The remaining middle class would then slowly catch up to everyone else. It is likely however, that even if such an economic agenda were to become law, it would only benefit the one percent of the population who have taken advantage of the existing tax laws to their advantage already. An analysis such as this would result in an unfair distribution of wealth in society and provide justification for further efforts to address the growing inequality in America.
The problem with the current political rhetoric and the growing economic inequality in the United States is the fact that most citizens are polarized politically and economically. Our elected representatives are beholden to special interests that give them campaign contributions and campaign tabulations in the form of donations. These interest groups will work to influence our elected officials to do their bidding. Elected officials also depend on big labor and media outlets to push their pet projects and further divide the citizenry over political issues rather than addressing the pressing needs of the people. For the foreseeable future, we will likely continue to witness the rise of identity politics and the continued breakdown of the representative system.
Real change and progress cannot come about by following the path that most politicians and mass media pundits are pursuing. A healthy balance of capitalism and democracy is necessary for maintaining a healthy economy that is sustainable. A strong middle class that earns a living and possesses some of the basic human rights is the cornerstone of a truly progressive state. Without a fundamental change to the way our government and our society represent and treats the general population, we will continue to see corruption and cronyism at every level of government.
Most of the politicians in our country do not have the courage to stand up to their party bosses, corporate interests and Wall Street lenders. Instead, they bend the knee to appease the far right wing and far left wing elements of their party. We have witnessed this in the House, Senate and now the White House. This is not the change we were promised. Americans deserve better and need a healthier democracy. The time has come for many of us to come to terms with the reality that the system of politics is not inherently corrupt and does not represent the American people.