The American experiment has concluded the way to best motivate a person is for them to reap the rewards of their own efforts. The American experiment has also concluded that politicians are not exempt from this. No one should expect equal effort, or assumption of risk, between the two paths of securing wealth or power for yourself and securing it for others.
This rings just as true with the electorate as it does with the elected. Electing an official who promises to empower another group or further divide the pie will most likely create someone who is worse off after.