109: Majority Controls

Democracy and Power 109: Majority Controls

A professional politician is a professionally dishonorable man. In order to get any where near high office has to make so many compromises and submit to so many humiliations that he becomes indistinguishable from a streetwalker.
- H.L. Menchen

As a member of a legislative body, it is nearly impossible for an individual politician to advance their legislation by themselves. The successful politician must be in the majority, or needed by the majority.

Thus, the politician must cooperate and compromise with his fellow members. In America, this is logically accomplished by being a loyal and obedient member of the Democratic or Republican parties.

Obviously, these are human conceived and operated institutions, which are subject to human passions, deceits and exceptions. However, for analyzing Democracy and Power this is the norm.