Yet even in failure, the statesman preserves civilization, and keeps tyranny at bay. That's because the politician sees his job as serving interest groups and constituents, an easy task. Of course, dishing out private property through pressure-group politics will doom us in the long run. That's why we need an educated people who will, in turn, give us fewer politicians and more statesmen. Politics consists of vote trading, logrolling, rent seeking, and legislated looting.
Politicians buy and sell favors, lobbyists act as middlemen, and the public gets fleeced.
It can be no other way, say these theorists. A gloomy picture. And looking at D.C., the Public Choice School would appear to be on target. They build their careers by promising to torch Washington, then panic at the smell of smoke. But there are several problems with Public Choice theory in this context.