Politicians are assigned various values based on criteria like number of years in office, quality and quantity of legislation passed, number of scandals to which they've been tied, and so on. Splitting the ticket is fine. You even can stock your fantasy government with minor-party types, the Venturas and Naders. The draft can be a trip to the dark side, a walk in the moccasins of Bill Gates , Richard M. DeVos and the Wyly brothers . The almighty dollar can take priority over heartfelt devotion.
Friendships fall by the wayside.
Families are ignored. Competitors try to drive down the price of pols on the auction block with whispers of whiskey-soaked college days and unconfirmed reports of compromising photos. Anything that could force your candidate to resign must be avoided. Of course, some candidates will be costly disappointments, just as some will be shocking surprises. No one really knows until Election Day who was wise, who was foolish, and who was just darn lucky.