OT - basketball and politics?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

That's the whole point. This is America, where anyone can become a government leader. But you do have to admit, if about twenty-years ago, someone had told you that Jesse Ventura, Al Franken, Sonny Bono, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, would become top government leaders, would you have believed them, or even listened to them without laughing? How much would you be willing to bet that all four would move on to such high government positions? What type of odds would you expect from such a bet?

And you have to admit. Bill Bradley's resume compares to Superman's resume. If he were a contestant on To Tell the Truth, or What's My Line, we would think that he made most of it up.

I'd still argue that none of those were top gov't leaders, but that's a matter of perspective. I'll agree that becoming governor, congressman, or senator is certainly a feat.

But if someone had made the same claim about Reagan in the 40s, or Gerald Ford in 1933, or Fred Grandy in 1982, or Jack Kemp and Jim Bunning in the 60's, they'd have been equally incredulous. My guess, however, is that very few who ascend such political heights would have had friends do anything but laugh had such predictions been made when they were in their 20s.