[More Cowbell]

There are vast issues in our nation that need solutions;
those solutions have various consequences, intended and
unintended. No person or group wants the solutions to
involve any kind of sacrifice on their part. "It's the
damn illegal aliens...It's the damn liberals...It's the
damn conservatives...It's the lazy poor...It's the
selfish rich...It's the environmental wackos...It's the
oil tycoons...It's the far religious right." And all
these groups have lobbyists. And all these groups look
at Congress and say, "Feed me, feed me." In a pack
of dogs, which dog eats first? The strongest... look
for the strongest lobbies (i.e. biggest voting blocs
and largest cash cow) and watch how policy is made...

I will agree that a lot of people want to talk the talk but can't walk the walk. There are many politicians that are hypocrites, and I'll give a hypothetical example from each side of the aisle:

- a staunch conservative who is always trying to push his religious and moral beliefs onto others, who is later found out to have have been cheating on his wife, embezzling money, all while doing lines of coke every night

- a staunch liberal who is always trying to push his environmental and economic positions upon others, who is later found out to be living in a huge energy-gobbling house, wearing sweatshop clothes, and evading paying his taxes

These type of situations happen all the time, and the politician then loses all credibility.