issue 60 示范

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issue 60/151
Politicians should pursue common ground and reasonable consensus rather than elusive ideals.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.

本文政治立场与寄托无关。

Any politicians who care about the interest of the people they serve should try to pursue the goals that are shared by the majority of the society rather than ideals that are hard to realize.  I will illustrate my position with the stories of three political figures: Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Barack Obama.  

Despite his considerable contribution to building a new China, Mao Zedong had caused a great deal of suffering to the Chinese people and led to many tragic events in modern Chinese history due to his unrealistic political ideals.  In late 1950s, he launched the so-called Great Leap Forward movement with the romantic thinking that China can surpass the economic powers such as the US and UK in a few years.  As a result of his grave mistakes, the Chinese economy suffered and millions of people died from starvation during the three-year famine from 1960 to 1962.  Also thanks to his poetic vision that young people in the city should be re-educated by the rural people, millions of teenagers who can barely take care of themselves were forced to separate from their parents and spend years in the countryside.  An entire generation of Chinese people lost their opportunities to receive formal education and the nation also suffered from a lack of human resources vital for its economy.  Mao made all these unforgivable mistakes because he did not consult his colleagues at all when making decisions.
   
Fortunately, Deng Xiaoping, the successor of Mao, was a more pragmatic leader.  With less power and charisma, Deng focused on building consensus and finding common ground within the Communist Party after he took the power.  The most important consensus at the time was that the country needed to recover from the mess created by Mao and focus on the economic development.  Through the introduction of open door policy and the privatization of the rural economy of China, Deng successfully rejuvenated the Chinese economy and lifted millions of Chinese people out of poverty.  By taking a more practical approach to politics and focusing on the common ground of the Chinese society, Deng gained more support and respect from both Chinese people and the international community.  

A more recent example to support my thesis is the incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama.  One of the key accomplishments of Obama administrations is the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.  Through Obamacare, millions of Americans, who are previously uninsured, are now covered by health insurance through the federal financial incentives provided by the legislation.  If we look more closely at the legislative history of Obamacare, we can see that during the process of pushing for Obamacare, President Obama was always seeking common ground in a Congress that was dominated by GOP politicians.  For example, in order to win support from the Senate controlled by the Republicans, Obamacare does not provide health insurance for abortions.  Ideally, of course, the rights to abortions should be recognized in Obamacare.  But to pass the law, compromise had to be made.  

As illustrated through the stories of three political figures, politicians should always pursue the goals that reflect the common ground and the consensus of the majority. Deng and Obama are exemplary figures of such pragmatic approaches.  The tragedies caused by Mao, on the other hand, underscore the danger and folly of pursuing elusive political ideals.  



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