[hluska]

I like to remind myself that very few people reach positions of great power after mediocre lives. Rather there’s a thread of talent that runs through government.

Once they’re in, the predilections that led to power often rear their dark long tails. But they’re all (even the ones I disagree with) talented.

[patmcc]

They're talented at getting into power, and may be talented at any number of other things.

They're not always talented at the things we may want them to be, unfortunately. And that's true of both the ones I agree and disagree with.

[coldtea]

>I like to remind myself that very few people reach positions of great power after mediocre lives.

You'd be surprised.

"Reaching positions of great power after mediocre lives" is the very art of career politics.

[roughly]

Politics is fundamentally the art of convincing people of things - usually “vote for me.” That is the only skill that acquisition of high office is evidence of. Many politicians have more skills than just than that, but the mere fact of having acquired high office tells you nothing more about a person than that they’re particularly good at politics.