Politician
A
politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a
government, or a person who influences the way a
society is governed through an understanding of
political power and
group dynamics. This includes people who hold decision making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of
election,
coup d'etat, appointment,
conquest, right of
inheritance, or election fraud (see also:
divine right), etc. A politician can also include a person who is active in
party politics, or a person who has the power to galvanize
public opinion. Members of the government who serve purely functional roles, such as low ranking
bureaucrats, or ordinary citizens with the power to vote cannot properly be called politicians.
However, since the term '
politics,' in the broadest sense, can be applied to any group decision making situation, any person manipulating the outcome of a group decision can be also be called a politician. For example, a worker participating in
office politics is a politician, but only so far as the operations of his or her workplace are concerned.
In a
state, individual politicians compose the
executive branch of government and the office of
Head of State, as well as the
legislative branch, and regional and local levels of government. Other organs of government such as the
judicial branch, law enforcement, and the
military are not usually regarded as being composed of politicians, despite the fact that the men and women involved do government work, though it is important to note that some members of law enforcement, such as
sheriffs, and many
judges are elected or appointed because of their political views or popularity.
Slang terms for politician include
politico and
pol. The Australian slang term for politicians is
pollies.
Some common offices for politicians can include:
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Alderman*
County commissioner*
Congressman*
Councillor*
Governor*
Life Peer*
Mayor*
Member of Parliament*
Member of the Legislative Assembly*
Minister*
President*
Prime Minister*
School board member
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SenatorA person running for any of these offices in an election (a
candidate) is also often described as a politician. The term "career politician" is sometimes used to distinguish an
incumbent politician from a candidate.
Although politics has historically been considered an
honorable profession, many people today, even in
democratic countries, have a poor opinion of politicians as a
class. They are sometimes seen as unscrupulous, willing to say anything to get elected even if it is not in keeping with their principles or intentions. They may also be suspected of using government assets or privileges for their own interests, rather than the interests of the people. Indeed, incidents of
political corruption are not uncommon.
In many countries, such as the United States of America, politicians have long been composed of people who are either themselves
wealthy, or dependent on the upper classes for election. In many democratic industrial countries, the wealthy and well-educated have higher voter turn outs and more money to spend on campaign donations and public relations, whereas the poor, who often believe they cannot affect change, are under-represented in voter turn outs. This effect is not isolated to one political party, system of government, or country, rather it is widespread in the modern political climate of most democratic countries, and believed by many to be a problem.
Recently in the United States, lobbyists, and employees of organizations who spend time lobbying have come under criticism. Current lobbying laws are under reform, mainly because of a large number of
soft money donations to politicians. Even with these lobbying laws in place, corruption can still take place. The image of the politician receiving free meals, movie tickets, airplane rides while giving breaks to the businesses who provide these things is one common to the American people.
Another major criticism of politicans, and politics on the whole, is the perceived failure of most politicians to understand
economics. Political positions have no educational requirement - and many politicans have little, if any, formal training in business. Yet politicians have responsibility over making managerial decisions that require a solid understanding of economics,
finance, and
public administration. Many of the practices of the United States national government that have been criticized - such as carrying a large national debt, funding wars on borrowed money, failure to tax consumption of scarce goods, poor execution of environmental regulations, and the redistribution of wealth to support failing industrial sectors - are the result of either
financial mismanagement or politics trumping economics. Many politicians seem to ignore long term national economic health in order to provide
constituent service, or pursue a politically attractive goal.
One example is that many politicians in the United States can be seen making speeches in which they appear to believe practices such as
price fixing can lead to
economic growth, demonstrating a lack of understanding in the basic economic principle of price.
Politicians can also be critized for becoming "career politicians." A politician who makes politics the source of their income, yet has to face re-election every few years is less likely to make bold decisions or side with an unpopular bill. This fear of "rocking the boat" leads to a stagnant political climate, in which it becomes hard to address injustices and create change.
Another source of possible corruption is
gerrymandering to redraw district lines to favor incumbent politicians. A party in power can often secure the positions of incumbant party members by redrawing electoral districts to comprise voters more likely to reelect the incumbant politician, effectively negating opposition.
Welch, Susan, John Gruhl, John Comer, and Susan M. Rigdon.Understanding American Government. 8th ed. Belmont, USA: Thompson Wadsworth, 2006.
"Meriam Webster Online Dictionary." Definition of politician. 5 Jun 2006 http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=politician.
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Richest American politicians*
Richest British politicians*
Political compass*
Political party*
Muslim politicians*
List of American Politicians by Year Born or Died
