Logic is to "values" as needle is to balloon

Every election season, a commonly discussed tactic is to make appeals to “shared values”.  The whole I’m-just-like-you garbage, naturally to avert the type of fear I’ve described before of imposition from outside.  Let’s dispatch with this quick, shall we?

1) At the level politicians talk about, there is no such thing as “shared values”.  One can even argue there’s no such thing at ANY level, depending on definition.  To claim that you hold my values is a blatant lie, you have never met me, you don’t know how I was raised, you don’t know my life.

2) If you INSIST on the concept, then already you fail simply by virtue of running for office.  You value power, otherwise you wouldn’t bother.

3) Outside imposition is the entire point of politics, so though the target may be misguided the fear itself is justified.  If everyone holds agreement, then force is unnecessary, people will simply do what they agree on.

No one is going to run and admit “no, I do not share your values” precisely because that’d confirm the unspoken obvious — that popular politics is a contest where a few people take turns waving around the gun.