The art of politics

Installation dinner last night at one of the associations I belong to. Food was pretty good for a change--at least warm and edible--big plus for banquet fare. Small turn out, but evening events tend to be lightly attended because of cost and timing. Lunchtime installations are well attended, but fewer of those present are really interested in the purpose.

Those involved in local associations, and other organizations big and small, tend to fall into two general groups. Those who pursue the political arts and those who'd rather engage in the creative arts. There's not really much crossover. This being the US, the political types get the spotlight--and usually love it with boundless intensity. The creative types run the gamut, some crave admiration of their art and others focus primarily on art production, with little concern about who appreciates it.

The evolution of real estate, or just about anything else, is not driven by the politicians. They'll take credit for progress when they can get away with it, and any member of the public who doesn't understand the difference between new ideas and spin doctoring will believe them. The true creative artists know that innovation and purity of thought cannot be molded, spun and summarized to suit the ever changing political winds, without a large measure of damage, dilution and mutation. We live in a world of mutated ideas, a sure indication of political ascendancy.

Occasionally an individual is thrust into the opposite mode. Typically the creative artist treads into the political spotlight. Politicians usually know better than to try the other direction. The result is seldom pretty. I have some experience in that area--LOL. The political types become instantly uncomfortable with a creative person in close proximity. The usual motivational hot buttons (power, control, celebrity) are not easily pushed. There's also the chance that the misplaced creative person might actually do work and achieve something tangible, maybe even something game changing. That would reset the political terrain in a very awkward way.

Politician want to remain on the path that brought them to their present exalted status. They don't want to leave the path. They are comfortable there. They have control there. They have power there. They have stability there. The public may need the politicians to embark on a new path to meet new challenges, but the interests of the public are seldom given higher priority than the comfort of the politicians---by the politicians or the public. The public always gets the quality of political artists they deserve. The seldom get the quality they need.