Of no little importance to a prince is his choice of ministers, who are good or bad according to the prince's intelligence. In forming an opinion about a ruler's brains, the first thing is to look at the men he has around him, for when they are adequate and loyal he can be considered prudent, because he recognizes those who are competent and keeps them loyal. When they are otherwise, the prince is always to be estimated low, because the first error he makes, he makes in choosing advisers.
— Niccolò Machiavelli
Take time to look past the election rhetoric and research not only the candidate and their past track record, comparing their pre-election promises with what they have actually followed through on, but, just as importantly, who they trust to provide them with advice and guidance. Those are the keys to knowing the true candidate.
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3 comments:
Very, very good thoughts to keep in mind when it comes time to vote! I'll probably be posting a link to this article on my blog later today...
Ah....interesting take!
Is that from "The Prince"?
It doesn't matter if you are in the USA, the UK or NZ for that matter when it comes to this issue. It is much easier to pontificate in the lead up to being elected, quite another to keep promises once the weight of a bureaucracy is dumped on you.
I am glad I don't have to vote for either of your Presidential candidates. If McCain pops his clogs in office, you have a beauty queen, mother of 5 with no experience in Washington running the most powerful country in the W. world.
And Obama is a REAL worry.
Makes Helen Clark look quite good by comparison.
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