Now you have people in Washington who have no interest in the country at all. They're interested in their companies, their corporations grabbing Caspian oil.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the disconnect between politicians and the genuine interests of the country, suggesting that some are more focused on personal gain.
Gore Vidal's quote warns against the self-serving motives of political leaders who prioritize corporate interests over the welfare of their nation. It serves as a critique of cronyism and the influence of corporations on politics, suggesting that when leaders are more invested in their own financial gain, they neglect the responsibilities they have towards the public and the actual issues facing the country.
In practice
During a political debate, one could reference this quote to illustrate the argument about corporate influence in government.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
So many idealistic political movements for a better world have ended in mass-murdering dictatorships. Giving leaders enough power to create 'social justice' is giving them enough power to destroy all justice, all freedom, and all human dignity.
One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring.
If you had to work in the environment of Washington, D.C., as I do, and watch those men who are so imprisoned and so confined by their eighteenth-century thought patterns, you would know that if anybody is going to be liberated, it's men who must be liberated in this country.
About all I can say for the United States Senate is that it opens with a prayer and closes with an investigation.
Whatever one's religion in his private life may be, for the officeholder, nothing takes precedence over his oath to uphold the Constitution and all its parts - including the First Amendment and the strict separation of church and state.
Even were the workers able to have their own representatives, for which our good Socialist politicians are clamoring, what chances are there for their honesty and good faith?
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