Tragedy of the Commons

Source: "Clinton, Obama and the Narcissist's Tale," Shankar Vedantam, The Washington Post, April 28, 2008.

The tragedy of the commons is a well known theoretical position from game theory in which a selfish person always appears to optimize his returns, but in fact acting cooperatively maximizes everyone's returns. If you can trust your fellows and negotiate, you cooperate and win. If you can not trust your fellows and all act selfishly, everyone loses.

Vedantam suggests that the Obama-Clinton campaign is showing signs of the candidates being trapped in such a tragedy. If the two cooperate, the Democrats win in November. However, negative campaigning is seen as more effective in gaining the nomination, so the two are spending a lot of time pointing out the weak spots in the other's positions and character, and slinging mud.

Vedantam suggests that the most damning aspect of negative campaigns is that it is the most cynical, egotistical, narcissistic, selfish candidate who wins. Those are the very characteristics that in a president of the United States are likely to be projected on the nation, making us more hated and less effective in realizing the best aspirations of our people.

We Democrats should make the candidates for our support stop falling into the trap of negative campaigning, clearly stating that we will choose the better candidate for the nation, based on character (ability to put the nation first), political philosophy, and team that can be placed in the government if the candidate wins. We will not choose the most vitriolic, and will take vitriol to be a sign of weakness.

We Americans should rise above the fun of watching a negative campaign (if anyone still enjoys this marathon), and vote for the candidate best qualified to lead the nation and thus help us to play the role in the world that our wealth and power demand.