Politics Amid Plenty

“Political leadership is a subtle art in times of plenty. When there are no great crises, there is no public demand for heroic acts. Politics becomes a parlor game, ignored by all but the most devoted citizens, a game practiced most assiduously by those interests–the business associations, trade unions, and single-issue groups–who have a direct stake in the outcome. The game turns on tactics and gestures, on the ability to placate factions, rather than to inspire the masses.”
- Joe Kein, The Natural