The Atlantic

Why Would Anyone Become a Politician?

Rory Stewart’s new memoir about his life in politics details his dawning realization that the game was not worth the effort.
Source: Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty.

Why would anyone want to be a politician? The pay isn’t great if you stay honest; the hours are long; the media attention you face can be brutal; your chances of getting anything done are slight unless you get to the very top. I should know. I was a politician in my native Canada for six years, and I have the scars to prove it. Although Americans think we are a kinder, gentler version of them, the fact is that our politics is just as nasty and partisan, and, after our Parliament Hill was occupied for three weeks by disgruntled truckers, sometimes just as wildly unpredictable. Social media has made it worse. When I used to meet constituents in the flesh, they were civil even if they weren’t ever going to vote for me, but digital disinhibition turns people into vipers. What some of my fellow citizens thought fit

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