Here’s a good and short article by a clearheaded thinker, Ivan Eland: Pro-Business vs. Pro-Market: What’s the Difference?.
I think a similar point can be made about the political marketplaces. This is to say that there are those politicians who would govern, that is organize certain types of human activities conducive to a fuller human life and would lead those activities, and those who would rule, that is set up structures of predation and exploitation and live well off the productive members of a country. Inside of a political system, you’ll have politicians who mind their own business and just do their job, in and out of power. In my opinion, Warren Harding — despite his pocket-padding poker pals — was one such good politician. You’ll also have politicians — nearly all American presidents would be good examples — who seek to grab the sort of power which allows them to grab more power. Some have noted that you get enough money eventually, even enough sex, but never enough power if you have the taste for it. We need politicians who want to do a well-defined job rather than those who wish to use the powers of the prior office-holder as a foundation of a palace to be ever expanded. The good thing about Harding’s poker-playing is that he preferred to spend his evenings playing cards with his buddies rather than plotting to gain more power.
I don’t yet have a clear path towards a better understanding of politics but I’ve started to travel into the wilderness left untamed by those who think that philosophers from ancient Greek city-states knew all about the only ways to organize political systems. In particular see my short essays: The Liberal Mind: What is politics? and The Liberal Mind: What is politics? (Another Take).