UNIVERSAL LESSONS IN DEMOCRACY FROM KENYA'S CHAOTIC PARTY NOMINATIONS

 From missing ballot papers to delayed voting by up to seven hours the nominations were simply a sham and a shame perhaps a true reflection of the leadership we expect to derive from such a process.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000075266&story_title=Kenya-Kenya%E2%80%99s-sham-nominations
Apart from laughs,surprises and some genuine shockers our recent party nominations revealed the underlying ugliness of democracy as a system of government. No process will ever guarantee morally upright leaders.No magic formula exists to make a saint out of an ordinary individual aspiring to leadership. Democracy by its nature can't manufacture such an undemocratic process. Therefore we will continue to suffer the sight of clowns,comedians and criminals and fools feted as democratically chosen leaders.
This isn't mutually exclusive to Kenya,Africa or indeed the 3rd world;contrary to the unformed notions of first year political science students its a worldwide phenomenon. The 'mature democracies' in Europe and N.America also experience political conmanship. The people project all their hopes onto cardboard characters ,charlatans & ruthless mind controlled candidates and suffer the consequences-again and again.

This is Rod Blagojevich.Until his arrest in 2008 he was the Illinois governor. This 'reformer,'allegedly attempted to sell his seat for 6 mn $. Here is his charge sheet:wire fraud, attempted extortion, bribery, extortion conspiracy and bribery conspiracy. The charges involved a series of situations in which, prosecutors say, he tried to gain campaign contributions or other benefits for enacting legislation, for releasing grant money and for appointing a new senator, as Illinois law requires the governor to do, after Mr. Obama was elected in 2008.

 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/rod_r_blagojevich/index.html

But this is small potatoes compared to the shenanigans of the patriarch of the foremost political clan in the US,toasted by all as American Royalty. Joseph P. Kennedy,father of Ted  and the famous martyrs to secret oligarchy JFK and RFK was widely reported by researchers and criminals to have been a bootlegger in prohibition days. Unlike his confreres,his drive and education enabled him to reinvent himself and go completely legit.

 In 1973 mob boss Frank Costello said he and Kennedy had been bootlegging partners. Other underworld figures have also claimed Joe was in pretty deep. At least one writer (Davis, 1984) thinks bootlegging enabled Joe to earn his initial financial stake, but that's hard to believe; he had plenty of chances to make money more or less legally.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/716/what-is-the-true-source-of-the-kennedy-familys-wealth

By the mid 50s,Forbes declared his net worth to be roughly 300 mn $. He was able to use his influence with hoodlums to get JFK elected.
Even China's burgeoning mega rich show that politics,big money and shady life styles are inextricably linked . No less an authority than Forbes recently stated 90% of the riches are Politburo members.
So,Dear Reader,the next time a youngster in the diaspora lectures us on the unsuitability of our leaders buy him this special brew-on me.