Do presidential candidates run for president to change the world for the better or to advance their career? 

In my opinion, anyone who gets into politics starts out with good intentions. They want to do what they think is right and they honestly believe that they can make a difference in the world by being in office. However, is that really true? 

Do you know the name of your state senator? Do you vote for mayor? Their are so many people who don't care about local issues and because of that, it makes people power hungry who are in those offices. They ran, they got elected, and now nobody knows who they are. What can they do then? 

Run for governor or United States Senator, of course! Washington is where the political action really happens. Technically, the most useful legislature for each individual is passed by their local governments but nobody cares about them. How often is your mayor on CNN? Does your state senator get invited to the Daily Show? Not so much. 

Power corrupts. That is plain and simple. I live in Chicago... I should know, look at Illinois politics. Once you get a taste of that power, you just can't get enough. So running for president is a game. People run with ridiculous statements that continually change. We all know that President H. W. Bush ran on the platform "Read my lips, I will not raise taxes." What did he do? RAISE TAXES! Now, I am now going to put that Mr. Bush at fault for much because I feel he did the best he could with what resources he had. Reagan screwed him over. But every candidate makes unrealistic promises. Obama said he'll get us out of Iraq by 2010... but what if we are at war with Pakistan then? Don't forget about the ongoing war with Afghanistan. I support President Obama but there is no way that a presidential candidate can make such extravagant promises. 

Politics is a tricky business, many people give Abraham Lincoln full credit for abolishing slavery but that was just a side effect of the Civil War, it was never his first intention. My advice to you is to take anything a politician says with a grain of salt.