The role of competition in our political system is an inherently contradictory one. We accept the fact that politicians must compete ruthlessly to gain office using whatever tactics are necessary to win. We then, somehow, expect them to completely change their behavior once they are elected. At that point we expect cooperation, compromise, and a statesmanlike attitude. Alfie Kohn (1986) points out that this expectation is entirely unrealistic (p. 135). He also states that, "Depriving adversaries of personalities, of faces , of their subjectivity, is a strategy we automatically adopt in order to win" (p.139). In other words, the very nature of competition requires that we treat people as hostile objects rather than as human beings. It is, therefore, unlikely, once an election is over and the process of government is supposed to begin, that politicians will be able to "forgive and forget" in order to carry on with the business at hand.

"duty to the people"(No Author 1995). This begs the question; was it the duty that was contradictory, or was it Wilson's political aspirations. In either case it seems clear that his decision was hardly based on principles of good government. Even if Wilson thought he had a greater duty to the nation as a whole (and I'm being charitable here), he might have considered that before he ran for governor a second time. It would appear much more likely that the greater power inherent in the presidency was the determining force behind Wilson's decision. Ironically, Wilson's lust for potential power may cause him to lose the power he actually has. Since his decision to run for President was resoundingly unpopular with Californians, and since he may be perceived as unable to compete in national politics due to his withdrawal from the presidential race, his political power may be fatally impaired. This behavior shows not only a disregard for "good" government, but also a strange inability to defer gratification. There is no reason that Pete Wilson couldn't

Kohn, A. "No Contest: The Case Against Competition." Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

If both victory and extremism are necessary to retain power within the group, and if, as Alfie Kohn (1986) stated in his book No Contest: The Case Against Competition, competition is "mutually exclusive goal attainment" (one side must lose in order for the other to win), then compromise and cooperation are impossible (p. 136). This is especially so if the opponents are dedicated to retaining power "at all costs." That power is an end in itself is made clear by the recent shutdown of the government. It served no logical purpose. Beyond costing a lot of money, it had no discernible effect except as a power struggle between two political heavyweights. According to David Kipnis (1976, cited in Baron & Graziano, 1991), one of the negative effects of power is, in fact, the tendency to regard it as its own end, and to ignore the possibility of disastrous results from the reckless use of power (p. 433). Therefore, it would seem that (at least in this case) government policy is created and implemented, not with regard to its effectiveness as government policy, but only with regard to its value as a tool for accumulating and maintaining power.

No Author. [internet] What Wilson has said about entering race. San Jose Mercury News Online.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Baron Graziano, Pete Wilson, Speaker President, Clinton Gingrich, Governor Wilson, Turque Thomas, Alfie Kohn, Ironically Wilson's, Contest Competition, Oklahoma City, pete wilson, jose mercury online, effects power tendency, extreme beliefs, attempt gain, cooperation compromise, power attempt, run president, baron graziano 1991, competitive nature, alfie kohn 1986, goal attainment, mercury online 1995, competitive situation, polarization competition,
Approximate Word count = 2333
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)