Pururava at 13:55, 19 February 2026

2026-02-19T13:55:35Z

Kannadaguy: 1 revision imported

2021-04-12T06:08:35Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 11:38, 12 April 2021
(No difference)

en>MrOllie: Reverted 1 edit by 2603:6011:F944:6300:F427:A014:67F4:7F0F (talk) to last revision by HurricaneEdgar

2021-02-26T23:42:59Z

Reverted 1 edit by 2603:6011:F944:6300:F427:A014:67F4:7F0F (talk) to last revision by HurricaneEdgar

New page

{{short description|Person involved in politics, the person who holds or seeks elected seats in government}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox occupation
| name= Politician
| image = President Richard Nixon seated at his Oval Office desk during a meeting with Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, and Gerald Ford.jpg
| caption = Politicians ([[Henry Kissinger|Kissinger]], [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford|Ford]], [[Alexander Haig|Haig]]) in the Oval Office discussing Representative Ford's nomination as the Vice President
| Politician typically runs in an election to get votes.
| official_names= [[Congressman]], [[chancellor]], [[Member of parliament|MP]], [[mayor]], [[premier]], [[President (government title)|President]], [[Prime minister]], [[senator]], [[governor]], [[secretary]], [[Minister (government)|minister]], [[Dictator]]

| type= Politician
| activity_sector= [[Law]], [[law enforcement]], [[business]], [[journalism]], [[public relations]], [[diplomacy]], [[management]], [[military]]
| competencies=[[Critical thinking]] [[Law]] [[Legal research]] [[Legal ethics]] [[Public speaking]] [[Budget]]ing [[Decision making]] [[Communications]]
| formation= Only a fair and proper [[election]] to the seat is necessary, although formal education is highly recommended.
| employment_field= [[Court]]s, [[government]], [[legal aid]], [[military]]
| related_occupation= [[Judge]], [[Attorney at law|Attorney]], [[Business]], [[Journalist]], [[Spokesperson]], [[Manager]]
| average_salary=
}}
A '''politician''' is a person active in [[Political party|party]] [[politics]], or a person holding or seeking an elected [[legal seat|seat]] in [[government]]. Politicians propose, support, and create laws or policies that govern the land and, by extension, its people. Broadly speaking, a "politician" can be anyone who seeks to achieve [[political power]] in any [[bureaucratic]] institution or organization.

== Identity ==
[[File:Discurso funebre pericles.PNG|thumb|340px|Nineteenth-century painting by [[Philipp Foltz]] depicting the Athenian politician [[Pericles]] delivering his famous [[Pericles' funeral oration|funeral oration]] in front of the [[Ecclesia (ancient Athens)|Assembly]].]]
Politicians are people who are politically active, especially in party politics. Positions range from local offices to executive, legislative, and judicial offices of regional and national governments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/politician |title=politician - Webster's New World College Dictionary |publisher=Yourdictionary.com |date=2013-05-21 |access-date=2013-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wordfind.com/word/politician/ |title=politician - Princeton Wordnet dictionary |publisher=wordfind.com }}</ref> Some elected law enforcement officers, such as [[sheriff]]s, are considered politicians.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gaines, Miller|first=Larry, Roger LeRoy|title=Criminal Justice in Action|year=2012|publisher=Wadsworth Publishing|isbn=978-1111835576|page=152}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Grant, Grant|first=Donald Lee, Jonathan|title=The Way It Was in the South: The Black Experience in Georgia|year=2001|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0820323299|page=449}}</ref>

==Media and rhetoric==
Politicians are known for their rhetoric, as in speeches or campaign advertisements. They are especially known for using common themes that allow them to develop their political positions in terms familiar to the voters.<ref>Jonathan Charteris-Black, ''Politicians and rhetoric: The persuasive power of metaphor'' (Palgrave-MacMillan, 2005)</ref> Politicians of necessity become expert users of the media.<ref>Ofer Feldman, ''Beyond public speech and symbols: Explorations in the rhetoric of politicians and the media'' (2000).</ref> Politicians in the 19th century made heavy use of newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets, as well as posters.<ref>Robert J. Dinkin, ''Campaigning in America: A History of Election Practices'' (1989) [https://www.questia.com/library/1904945/campaigning-in-america-a-history-of-election-practices online]</ref> In the 20th century, they branched into radio and television, making television commercials the single most expensive part of an election campaign.<ref>Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Keith Spillett, ''The Press Effect: Politicians, Journalists, and the Stories that Shape the Political World'' (2014)</ref> In the 21st century, they have become increasingly involved with the social media based on the Internet and smartphones.<ref>Nathaniel G. Pearlman, ''Margin of Victory: How Technologists Help Politicians Win Elections'' (2012) [https://www.questia.com/library/120087477/margin-of-victory-how-technologists-help-politicians online]</ref>

[[Rumor#Political communication strategy|Rumor]] has always played a major role in politics, with negative rumors about an opponent typically more effective than positive rumors about one's own side.<ref>David Coast and Jo Fox, "Rumour and Politics" ''History Compass'' (2015), 13#5 pp. 222–234.</ref>

==Bureaucracy and spoils==
Once elected, the politician becomes a government official and has to deal with a permanent bureaucracy of non-politicians. Historically, there has been a subtle conflict between the long-term goals of each side.<ref>Joel D. Aberbach, Robert D. Putnam, and Bert A. Rockman, eds., '' Bureaucrats and politicians in western democracies'' (Harvard University Press, 1981)</ref> In patronage-based systems, such as the United States and Canada in the 19th century, winning politicians replace the bureaucracy with local politicians who formed their base of support, the "[[spoils system]]". Civil service reform was initiated to eliminate the corruption of government services that were involved.<ref>David A. Schultz, and Robert Maranto, eds., ''The politics of civil service reform'' (1998).</ref> However, in many less developed countries, the spoils system is in full-scale operation today.<ref>Morris Szeftel, "Political graft and the spoils system in Zambia—the state as a resource in itself." ''Review of African Political Economy'' 9.24 (1982): 4–21.</ref>

==Careers and biographies==
Mattozzi and Merlo argue that two main career paths are typically followed by politicians in modern democracies. First, come the career politicians. They are politicians who work in the political sector until retirement. Second, are the "political careerists". These are politicians who gain a reputation for expertise in controlling certain bureaucracies, then leave politics for a well-paid career in the private sector making use of their political contacts.<ref>Andrea Mattozzi and Antonio Merlo, "Political careers or career politicians?." ''Journal of Public Economics'' 92#3 (2008): 597–608.</ref>

The personal histories of politicians have been frequently studied, as it is presumed that their experiences and characteristics shape their beliefs and behaviors. There are four pathways by which a politician's biography could influence their leadership style and abilities. The first is that biography may influence one's core beliefs, which are used to shape a [[worldview]]. The second is that politicians' skills and competence are influenced by personal experience. The areas of skill and competence can define where they devote resources and attention as a leader. The third pathway is that biographical attributes may define and shape political incentives. A leader's previous profession, for example, could be viewed as of higher importance, causing a disproportionate investment of leadership resources to ensure the growth and health of that profession, including former colleagues. Other examples besides profession include the politician's innate characteristics, such as race or gender. The fourth pathway is how a politician's biography affects their public perception, which can, in turn, affect their leadership style. Female politicians, for example, may use different strategies to attract the same level of respect given to male politicians.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1146/annurev-polisci-050718-032801|doi-access=free|title=Studying Leaders and Elites: The Personal Biography Approach|year=2020|last1=Krcmaric|first1=Daniel|last2=Nelson|first2=Stephen C.|last3=Roberts|first3=Andrew|journal=Annual Review of Political Science|volume=23|pages=133–151}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
Numerous scholars have studied the characteristics of politicians, comparing those at the local and national levels, and comparing the more liberal or the more conservative ones, and comparing the more successful and less successful in terms of elections.<ref>Timothy S. Prinz, "The career paths of elected politicians: a review and prospectus." in Shirley Williams and Edward L. Lascher, eds. ''Ambition and beyond: career paths of American politicians'' (1993) pp: 11-63.</ref> In recent years, special attention has focused on the distinctive career path of women politicians.<ref>[[Elina Haavio-Mannila]] and Torild Skard, eds. ''Unfinished Democracy: women in Nordic politics'' (2013)</ref> For example, there are studies of the "Supermadre" model in Latin American politics.<ref>Elsa M. Chaney, ''Supermadre: Women in Politics in Latin America'' (University of Texas Press, 2014).</ref>

Many politicians have the knack to remember thousands of names and faces and recall personal anecdotes about their constituents—it is an advantage in the job, rather like being seven-foot tall for a basketball player. United States Presidents [[George W. Bush]] and [[Bill Clinton]] were renowned for their memories.<ref>{{cite book|author=Iwan W. Morgan|title=Assessing George W. Bush's Legacy: The Right Man?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WfFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA45|year=2010|page=45|isbn=9780230114333}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=James E. Mueller|title=Tag Teaming the Press: How Bill and Hillary Clinton Work Together to Handle the Media|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dw8SBZ6KRqYC&pg=PA32|year=2008|page=32|isbn=9780742563926}}</ref>

==Criticism==
Many critics attack politicians for being out of touch with the public. Areas of friction include how politicians speak, which has been described as being overly formal and filled with many euphemistic and metaphorical expressions and commonly perceived as an attempt to "obscure, mislead, and confuse".<ref>Invitation to Critical Thinking - Page 319, Vincent E. Barry - 2007</ref>

In the popular image, politicians are thought of as clueless, selfish, manipulators, liars, incompetents, and [[Political corruption|corrupt]], taking money in exchange for goods or services, rather than working for the general public good.<ref>Arnold J. Heidenheimer and Michael Johnston, eds. ''Political corruption: Concepts and contexts'' (2011).</ref> Politicians in many countries are regarded as the "most hated professionals".<ref>Arnold J. Heidenheimer and Michael Johnston, eds. ''Political corruption: Concepts and contexts'' (2011).</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Political campaign]]
* [[Political party]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* Aberbach, Joel D., Robert D. Putnam, and Bert A. Rockman, eds., ''Bureaucrats and politicians in western democracies'' (Harvard University Press, 1981)
* Heywood, Paul M. ed. ''Routledge Handbook of Political Corruption'' (2014)
* Stebbins, Robert A. From Humility to Hubris among Scholars and Politicians: Exploring Expressions of Self-Esteem and Achievement. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing, 2017.
* Stebbins, Robert A. "Democracy’s Politicians: An Occupation Like no Other." Society, 56(5), 461–462, 2019, DOI 10.1007/s12115-019-00399-w.
* Welch, Susan, John Gruhl, John Comer, and Susan M. Rigdon. ''Understanding American Government''. 8th ed. Belmont, USA: Thompson Wadsworth, 2006
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070213032218/http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=politician "Merriam Webster Online Dictionary" Definition of politician] 5 June 2006
{{refend}}

== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline|Politicians}}
*{{Wiktionary-inline|politician}}
*{{Wikiquote-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category: Politicians| ]]
[[Category: Political occupations|Politician|Political]]
[[Category: Legal professions]]
[[Category: Positions of authority]]

Politician - Revision history

Pururava at 13:55, 19 February 2026

Kannadaguy: 1 revision imported

en>MrOllie: Reverted 1 edit by 2603:6011:F944:6300:F427:A014:67F4:7F0F (talk) to last revision by HurricaneEdgar