"You spent decades in politics as an insider in all three branches. What is the bottom line to all that?"
My reply:
The problem: over 90% of politicians are not politicians.
They are small business men and woman looking for opportunities to make money. Those opportunities are usually legal -- "contacts" -- sometimes not.
To illustrate the point:
If you say in a closed meeting with senators and representatives: "We have to deal with the issue of North Korea," their eyes glaze over. Boring; boring; boring.
If you add: "North Korea tried and failed to build a hotel in Pyongyang. That´s where Trump comes in. The regime is going to give him exclusive rights if he builds a hotel. The regime will guarantee 500% return on investment in one year. Trump is looking for investors."
You will see their faces flash wide/wider/widest smiles. It is always the same smile, and it appears regardless of the structure of the face. Democrat, Republican; liberal, conservative -- it makes no difference. I have seen that smile hundreds of times.
If I were a painter I would display the smile to the world.
The title of my artwork:
"The Eighth Dwarf."
Greedy.