“Everyone hates politicians and says, ‘Get rid of the politicians,'” my client said.  “But I say – the world needs politicians.”

Ah, the forbidden topics…religion and politics.  This conversation was all politics.

Yesterday, I stepped in at the last minute on a photo shoot for a real estate agent with whom I’ve never worked.  Noticing his veteran ballcap, I thanked him for his service (as I normally do) and inadvertently launched an hour-long conversation for which I was excruciatingly unprepared.  Over the course of the hour, he proceeded to lay out very strong opinions on both domestic and foreign policy in the United States, beginning with the conclusion of WWI.   The challenge?  I disagree with almost every viewpoint he holds.  With a peer, I would have engaged in a lively exchange.  However, I decided to tread carefully for two reasons.  One, he is a client, and there’s no need to alienate a client over politics.  Second, and more importantly, his six tours of combat and the many terrible things he described seeing overseas earned him the right, in my eyes, to feel and say whatever the heck he wants.  So an hour of noncommittal murmuring and nodding allowed him to vent in a manner he clearly needed while preserving our standing as client and photographer.

However, in the midst of his many firm statements, he made one that truly stuck out to me (particularly as it seemed to contradict much of his general message otherwise).

“The world needs politicians.”

Why did that statement stand out to me?  Because I agree with him.  I think “politician” has become a fashionably derogatory term.  How frequently do you hear people just dismiss elected officials as “just a career politician”?  All the time. All the time.

I learned a lot – a LOT – from having an immediate family member as an elected official in the Great State of Texas.  The primary thing I learned is that the vast majority of people have absolutely no concept or understanding of the political process, but are completely convinced that they do.  For elected officials of any sway, this has to be one of the most frustrating parts of the job.

Technically, the definition of politician is “a person who is professionally involved in politics, esp. as a holder of or a candidate for an elected office.”  There are many bad apples spoiling the bunch, but on the whole, I find “politicians” to be ordinary people dedicated to a job I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do.  Yes, political power has the capability to turn men and women into people their mothers wouldn’t recognize.   But is there any real career field in which human nature is immune to corruption by power?  Has anyone been to the bulk mail desk at the post office lately?  Talk to that guy sometime and you’ll tell me I’m right.

The truth is, I want a politician in the political process, just like I want a surgeon in the operating room.  I want someone who speaks the language, knows  how to make connections that are meaningful, learns the give and take of compromise.  I recognize that, if you are to only follow the national media, you would say I’m living in a dreamworld and there aren’t politicians like that.  I disagree.  Consider the tens of thousands of people nationwide, serving their city/county/state/country as elected officials.  The most visible are those sensationally drawing lines or making stands for the point of … well… nothing. That’s because the rest – the true politicians, for whom it is a calling – are too busy working. They are working hard, usually behind the scenes.  They are busy preserving the way of life we value that allows us to elect those who represent us in the writing and execution of the laws by which we live.  They are busy celebrating the victory of achievement when they get a bill passed that directly and positively impacts the people who live in their district, and which will never receive any public affirmation or applause.   They are busy trying to balance their commitment to service and their commitment to their families and communities.   The really good ones are generally too busy to deal with the mire of uninformed public opinion.  Thank goodness.

So, Mr. Agent, while I respectfully disagree with you on pretty much everything else, I have to agree…the world needs politicians.