One thing we learn from JD's songwriting history is the way in which their lyrics can be interpreted to reflect broad conclusions or notions of humanity. In this instance, we can think of the "candidate" in this song not just as someone offering themselves up for a political office or in a position of public service (which is a valid reading) but also as a human "offering" or attempting to assimilate himself with the reality which surrounds him. We can see this in the lines "What gave me the right / To mess with your values / And change wrong to right". This is a damning assessment by the "candidate" (the man) of his "voters" (fellow humans).
One thing we learn from JD's songwriting history is the way in which their lyrics can be interpreted to reflect broad conclusions or notions of humanity. In this instance, we can think of the "candidate" in this song not just as someone offering themselves up for a political office or in a position of public service (which is a valid reading) but also as a human "offering" or attempting to assimilate himself with the reality which surrounds him. We can see this in the lines "What gave me the right / To mess with your values / And change wrong to right". This is a damning assessment by the "candidate" (the man) of his "voters" (fellow humans).