Influence Peddling
In a March, 2008 article in Human Events, John Stossel writes about influence peddling in the United States. In part, Stossel writes:
“Good government” types rightly abhor … influence-peddling, but they propose pointless reforms like bans on lobbyist-sponsored gifts, junkets and rides on corporate jets. They also back a vicious assault on free speech: campaign-finance restrictions designed to reduce the influence of lobbyists in political campaigns. Despite all these “reforms,” influence-peddling goes on.
For good reason. None of the reforms gets near root of the problem.
Stossel goes on to point out that the root of success in influence peddling is government power. When government is free to meddle in our lives, regulate the economy using taxes, regulation and subsidies, then “special interests” have every incentive to work on the politicians to preserve their turf or gain an advantage. It is a well known psychological reality that when incentives are provided in any enterprise, even neighborhoods and family lives, it has a tendency to motivate people.
The Use of Power
Those who favor good government may or may not favor big government. However, in any government where there are incentives to use influence peddling to obtain favorable laws, rules, and regulations that carry out a particular approach to institutional and individual lives, it is more difficult to eliminate corruption.
The Human Events article makes it plain that it is naive to think that government can hold the power to grant privileges and at the same time avoid setting off a mad scramble by special interests to get a piece of it. All the good-government legislation in the world cannot prevent unsavory dealings between the wielders of power and those who seek to profit by it. To think otherwise is to ignore human nature.
Political Ideology and Manipulating the Masses
Political ideology in and of itself can do little to manipulate the masses. However, political ideology combined with power can choose to use soft power or hard power to get the masses to do it’s bidding.
Soft Power
Common language usage of the term Soft Power holds that it’s use rests in the ability to shape the preferences of others. Shaping the preferences of others might be seen as the ability to manipulate others. So when using the term soft power it can be used as a reference to good or bad uses of leadership.
Hard power
The use of the term Hard Power is just as it appears. In the case of government, hard power refers to the use of force through it’s police powers to insist on the governments position. When the government is protecting it’s citizens from lethal threats, hard power can be seen as good. When used to suppress fundamental rights, the use of hard power is considered bad or evil.
Conclusion
When applying political ideology, whether taking it’s form from democracy, socialism, marxism, or fascism, there are choices in how to attract of demand compliance through the use of power.
The people who constitute the masses can be: coerced through threats and the use of force: induced with payments that often devolve into corruption but also can represent service to the political ideology in the way that Civil Servants do, or the masses can be attracted through the use of good ideas forthrightly presented.
However, when any method is used for purposes of co-opting the will of the citizen through the use of manipulation, even when that manipulation is merely through the use of soft power then political ideology can be said to manipulate the masses.
