Oscar Ameringer on Votes vs Campaign Funds

Posted by admin on Saturday, July 27, 2013

Oscar Ameringer Money Quotation saying Playing both ends against the middle is more often done for money by politicians. Oscar Ameringer said:
 

 

“Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other” — Oscar Ameringer

 

 

This quote cynically suggests that politics involves manipulating both the poor and the rich for personal gain. It implies that politicians will tell the poor they will be protected from the rich, while telling the rich they will be protected from the poor, even though protecting one group inherently means not fully protecting the other.

The “gentle art” part refers ironically to how politicians will say anything to appeal to different constituencies to get their votes or donations, even if the promises to each group are contradictory.

The quote highlights the self-interest involved in politics, where politicians may promise conflicting things to different classes for personal and electoral advantage, rather than acting in the interests of society as a whole. It portrays politics as more about opportunism and pandering than about truth or principles.

Birthday: August 4, 1870 – Death: November 5, 1943