J. Edgar Hoover

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Recommended: American political culture

J. Edgar Hoover At some point in the lives of most Americans there has been instilled in us a great vision of the nation that we live in. This includes the founding of our nation through such men as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. These men and their colleagues are presented to us from an early age as the idealistic and moral force of freedom that brought us the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that we still rely on for the safety and stability of our government. They gave us such ideas as "all men are created equal". We are told this from our early childhood and expected to believe it, because each person has a part to play in the role of controlling our government. Most of that role is played out as a voter, but it provides equal power to each citizen. Where more work is needed however, some men must step forward and take on the burden heading the government in the best interests of the people. Fortunately there were such good and moral men as our founders to carry on the new government that had been established for a brand new nation. These men were expected to try and follow the wishes of their voters, thereby allowing the country to be run by the majority in some form or another. They were all of course elected to these positions based on their wisdom and ability to accomplish the goals of the people through their astounding rhetoric and desire to create the perfect nation. These are the ideals that we are presented with starting at a very young age in our school systems, churches, and in many of our homes. However we, as mature and aspiring adults, know that this type of idealistic government with its upstanding and moral bound men did not truly exist then, as it surely does not exist now. A good politician now is one that can grab the attention of the constituents for a long enough period of time to convince them that he/she is the best candidate to represent them. They may have to do this by showing they hold many of the same political interest as the voters, but many times it is decided by the candidate that can show he/she has fewer skeletons in their closet than their opponent. We know that once in office these politicians have the potential to increase their power if they learn how to play the game with their peers.

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