there is really no need to make your point by attacking Mr. Xi, which I'm not a big fan of. However, according to his resume, he had been in pretty hard condition when he was young. in this sense, there is a chance he 'feels' the pains of people he rules more than his counterparts in the west.

you are absolutely right about "Politics isn't a suffering competition", but I'd argue it's a reasonable(even good) starting point: only when you want no one no more people suffering the same as you, you are motivated to play the game of politics.

on the example of Mao, I have no problem with your opinion. however I'd like to point out you simply couldn't use it as 'fact' to support your argument. it only weakens your position.