To understand politicians, you must understand what drives them.
When they're campaigning, they're trumpeting all the things they're going to do for you. But for the most part, their number one concern is getting re-elected.
True story: I had done a few stories on a guy running for public office. In the middle of the campaign his mother passed away, and I thought I'd put the journalist hat away for a few minutes and drop by the wake to pay my respects.
So I visit the funeral home, offer my condolences, etc. As I'm leaving I notice a whole bunch of politicians clustered a few feet away. As I pass them I overhear a conversation that just made me ill. They were in the middle of a political strategy session. With the guy's dead mother lying in an open casket a few feet away.
If that doesn't speak volumes about politics, I don't know what does.
There are, of course, some politicians who are decent human beings and are truly interested in doing the right thing and making the world a better place. And sometimes it's hard to sort them out from the rest of the self-serving majority.
But most are driven by ego, and, in many cases, change once they get into office. I've known people who changed dramatically once elected, adopting the bullet-proof attitude of a teenager. It's why so many politicians like John Edwards and Mark Sanford make such stupid decisions; they think they're above the law and the basic principles of morality no longer apply to them.
Several years ago I was walking to the station and a viewer came up to me and shook my hand. "I want to give you something," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a two-dollar bill. Across the top he wrote, Follow the money. "That's your guide to covering politics." I don't know why the guy was handing out two-dollar bills, but I thanked him and put it in my pocket.
I have that two-dollar bill in my wallet to this day. If you want to find out if a politician is the real deal or just another guy out for himself, that's great advice.
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