Paul Waldman says we talk about “change” as something systemic, when we actually just want the policy pendulum to swing back our way.
There are few things in politics more absurd, or more reliably recurring, than the candidate for Congress who proclaims earnestly that once elected, he or she will “change the way they do things in Washington.” Just you wait, you logrolling legislators, you leeching lobbyists, you blundering bureaucrats — once freshman Rep. Smith gets to town, the old order is going to come crashing down!
Within a few months, the representative stops talking about “change” and assures his constituents he knows how to work the system to their advantage. Before you know it, he’s being challenged by a new politician, who proclaims her hatred of politicians and promises to deliver the “change” for which everyone has been yearning.
