I think that politics could be a positive thing. My beef is that

Hear the voice of LL Cool J, who spoke with plainness yet deep wisdom: “I think that politics could be a positive thing. My beef is that people focus on the personal aspect of a politician too much. They should focus on the results.” In these words lies a lament for the state of public life and a call to return to the heart of governance. For politics, stripped of vanity and spectacle, is not meant to be a theater of personalities, but a discipline of service, a labor for the common good. When the people turn their gaze from results to gossip, from deeds to private matters, they forget the true measure of leadership.

The meaning of these words is that politics has the potential to be noble, even sacred. It can be the means by which societies lift the poor, protect the vulnerable, and build peace among nations. But when it is reduced to a contest of images and personal flaws, its power is squandered. LL Cool J, a man not born in the arena of politics but in the world of music and culture, saw clearly that the focus has shifted. Instead of asking, What good has been achieved? people ask, What scandal can be uncovered? Instead of measuring justice, they measure charisma. And so the people are distracted, while the true purpose of politics is lost.

History bears witness to this truth. Consider the life of Abraham Lincoln. He was mocked for his appearance, his awkward frame, his humble roots. Many judged him by the personal, not the political. Yet his results were unmatched: the preservation of the Union and the emancipation of the enslaved. If the people had focused only on his personal quirks or his imperfections, history’s greatest act of liberation might never have been trusted to his hands. Here we see the essence of LL Cool J’s insight: greatness is not found in image, but in outcome.

The origin of such wisdom comes from a culture that often elevates personality over principle. In an age of endless screens, soundbites, and scandal, the measure of a leader is too often reduced to how they look, how they speak, or how they stumble in private life. LL Cool J calls us back from this illusion, reminding us that what matters is not the sparkle of a smile or the shape of a story, but the real and tangible results—whether the people prosper, whether justice is done, whether the future is secured.

This truth is not new. The ancients themselves taught that a ruler is judged by the fruit of their reign, not the gossip of their court. The wise kings of old were remembered for the laws they gave, the roads they built, the peace they secured. Even the prophets of scripture declared: “By their fruits you shall know them.” LL Cool J’s words echo this ancient wisdom, translated into the modern tongue: judge not by personal spectacle, but by lasting impact.

The lesson for us is clear: do not be swayed by personality alone. Do not give your loyalty to those who charm your eyes but fail your communities. Instead, measure leaders by their results: by whether they serve justice, whether they improve lives, whether they leave the nation stronger than they found it. Just as a tree is known by its fruit, so too must politicians be known by the work of their hands, not the noise that surrounds them.

So I say unto you: take LL Cool J’s words as both warning and guide. Demand of politics not perfection of image, but integrity of outcome. Look beyond gossip, beyond scandal, beyond the glitter of personality, and ask always: What have they done? What results remain after their time is spent? If the people learn to judge by this measure, then politics may yet be redeemed, transformed from spectacle into service, from theater into the noble pursuit it was meant to be.