Dalton RobertsThe question today is: Does a person have to love politics to be good at it?
The answer is: of course not.
It is certainly true that we learn things we love much more quickly, but I have seen too many people who dislike politics yet become very good at it. So I do not apply this generally sound rule to politics since I have seen so many exceptions.
Two people who love politics and have gotten good at it are Ward Crutchfield and Curtis Adams.
In all my years of political participation and observation, I’ve never seen anyone who loved politics like Ward. In a column commenting on my deepest regret about his getting caught and convicted as a felon in The Tennessee Waltz corruption sting, I expressed sadness that it would probably end his life in politics, which essentially would amount to ending his life since politics has been his only interest.