The Sins of Ruffin Poole
May 18, 2011 - by
The fall of Ruffin Poole is an old story in politics, one familiar to readers of All the King’s Men.
An idealistic young man (and it’s always a man) goes into politics, hooks up with a winning politician and ends up next to the seat of power.
It’s a heady wine. Suddenly people want to talk to you, befriend you and invite you for dinner or on nice trips. They’re often powerful and rich people. Their cars, their homes, their vacations are the finest. Anything they can do to make your job and your life easier, they say, just let them know.
I’ve been there as a young man. But I had the good fortune to work for a politician who made it clear that succumbing to the temptations wasn’t acceptable if you wanted to stay close to power and to the action.
So I wonder what happened to Ruffin Poole. Maybe he was flawed. Maybe it was something in the tone set by the Governor he worked for. But I know a number of other people who worked closely with Mike Easley. All are people of integrity, and none of them did anything to besmirch their reputations or betray the public.
It’s really a story as old as Genesis. Man faces temptation, and temptation wins. It‘s tragic for Ruffin Poole. But it’s a salutary lesson for any young man – or woman – in politics today.
The Sins of Ruffin Poole
May 18, 2011/
The fall of Ruffin Poole is an old story in politics, one familiar to readers of All the King’s Men.
An idealistic young man (and it’s always a man) goes into politics, hooks up with a winning politician and ends up next to the seat of power.
It’s a heady wine. Suddenly people want to talk to you, befriend you and invite you for dinner or on nice trips. They’re often powerful and rich people. Their cars, their homes, their vacations are the finest. Anything they can do to make your job and your life easier, they say, just let them know.
I’ve been there as a young man. But I had the good fortune to work for a politician who made it clear that succumbing to the temptations wasn’t acceptable if you wanted to stay close to power and to the action.
So I wonder what happened to Ruffin Poole. Maybe he was flawed. Maybe it was something in the tone set by the Governor he worked for. But I know a number of other people who worked closely with Mike Easley. All are people of integrity, and none of them did anything to besmirch their reputations or betray the public.
It’s really a story as old as Genesis. Man faces temptation, and temptation wins. It‘s tragic for Ruffin Poole. But it’s a salutary lesson for any young man – or woman – in politics today.