Politicians and their Promises

The way to achieve political success is to promise people that their lives will be better.
Describe a specific situation in which the way to achieve political success might not be to promise people that their lives will be better. Discuss what you think determines whether or not the way to achieve political success is to promise people that their lives will be better.
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When a nation struggles with an economic crisis, its citizens feel the effects in various ways. They lose their jobs, struggle with paying the bills and mortgage, and experience an overall low morale. While people have mostly blamed Wall Street bankers for the financial meltdown, they have looked to politicians to resolve the problems and set the country on the right path. Specifically, in 2008, American citizens became mesmerized with the charismatic senator, Barack Obama, and voted for him as president. He campaigned under the mantra of change and in a sense, promised to "revolutionize" the ways of Washington and bring the country out of its economic misery. Two years later, the United States is struggling with a 9.2% unemployment rate with no tangible sign of future improvement. Indeed, a politician may initially be successful by promising people that their lives with will be better; however, if those promises are not followed up with positive results, citizens will veer off to another candidate come election time.

Politicians who wish to compete against incumbents gauge the temperature of the constituents and analyze what issues push their buttons. Specifically, the candidate attempts to take advantage of what upsets voters and how they can offer a viable (if not better) alternative at the polls. The last few years have been especially chaotic given the economic crisis and wars being fought in several fronts. In 2008, voters became disillusioned with the seemingly never-ending wars and the accompanying thousands of men dying in uniform. They looked to Obama as a representation of diplomacy and answer for ending the wars. Indeed, he partly based his campaign on his opposition to the Iraq war and placing emphasis on diplomacy as a means of conducting our foreign affairs. Obama served as a conduit of change in several levels--as reflected by his campaign messages, his racial background, etc.

When the Obama administration appeared less and less capable of bringing down defense spending, as well as turning the tide on economic ruin, a movement of "Tea Party" politicians burgeoned and were voted into office. These Tea Party members broadened the conversation of the US financial problems by focusing on "big government" and overspending as the culprit. They successfully painted a picture of Obama and the democrats as profligate politicians who are leading the country down the wrong path by further exacerbating the country's economic woes. The Tea Party voice has been quite influential in highlighting this year's deadline to raise the debt ceiling and encouraging debate regarding the size of government and implications of US economic policy for future generations. Indeed, candidates will always look to the incumbent's weak points and then claim to offer solutions to people's problems.

Politicians may win elections after promising to improve their constituents' lives; however, they must follow through on those promises in order to find continued success in office. When a politician fails to provide results in a given time, voters become disillusioned and look elsewhere for a solution to their problems. Candidates who successfully position themselves as "different" from the failing incumbent may then be given a chance to improve a dire position. Indeed, politicians are not solely responsible for a nation's path; for instance, cyclical economic fluctuations and powerful private actors and businesses may greatly influence how citizens experience life. However, politicians---especially the President-- are the most visible actors in the nation and citizens will inevitably attribute success and failures in their personal lives to these elected officials. For this reason, people will listen carefully whenever candidates make grand promises to improve their lives.