So What's The Problem With Skilled Politicians?

[ruggerson]

There is such a deranged, self destructive animus, amongst certain folks, against any Democrat who displays a whiff of being a skilled strategist.

Look at latter 20th century American history. The people who are elected President of the United States largely possess unmatched political skills or at least possess those attributes in far more abundance than their opponents. Which means they are able to convincingly present themselves to the American public as being confident, smart and tough enough to make the majority of Americans comfortable with them as leader of the country.

Now, granted, being an adept and charming street fighter and being an ideologue are not mutually exclusive. But ideologues ONLY get elected when they are first and foremost incredibly skillful politicians (e.g. FDR).

Sure, we can argue who is "purer" on any given issue, and yes, we can debate who is closer to being center-left and who is left-left, but the meat and potatoes in the presidential sweepstakes are not about a laundry list of progressive or liberal issues. It's all about political skill.

Americans watch this dance every four years and subliminally, whether they understand it or not, choose the person who fights the political fight with the most energy, skill, control, charm and fortitude. The political campaign, both the primary season and general election, are the sparring grounds for choosing our next leader. How the candidates perform and react to each other is a metaphor for how they will respond to the invariable crises our nation will face when they are President.

We shouldn't demean and disparage those on our side who have become skilled in the art of political warfare. We should embrace them. Because they are the vehicle through which we will enact much of our agenda and, frankly, they are the only hope to change our country.

[AtomicKitten]

1. Yahtzee.

[mike_c]

2. yeah well, if they represent interests opposed to my own, then they're...

...not on my side, no matter what letter they put after their names.

[illinoisprogressive]

3. skilled is good. It's the insider types of the DLC I do not trust at all.

[ruggerson]

6. So you see no difference

between the Clinton presidency and the Bush presidency, eh?

No difference between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Roberts?

No difference between Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito?

No difference between a balanced budget and a ballooning deficit?

No difference between peace and war?

[Selatius]

4. Strategy without a compass is no strategy at all.

If you want better infrastructure, better schools, universal health care, and more money for social programs to invest in the people, you must be willing to put everything on the table to get what you want. You must serve ambition to get there and no other master, but blind ambition is just that, blind, unless you know what your end goals are.

If you wanted to get a higher minimum wage passed at 9 dollars an hour and index it to inflation forever more, for instance, then you will face opposition from the business community. To deal with them, you may be forced to give concessions in return for their dropping their opposition or at least curbing the resistance. Certain small business tax breaks may be in order and the extension of certain Bush tax cuts may be in order, and while we're at it, we could streamline it to reduce the costs of compliance with the tax code for small and medium sized businesses.

If they agree to the bargain but then renege on it by voting against the bill when it comes up for a vote, then to punish them, simply let the tax cuts expire as their punishment and then push through a minimum wage bill set for 7 dollars an hour instead and wait for another opportunity to push it to 9 at a later date.

In both cases, you win by being able to point to a certain level of progress. 7 vs. the old 5.15 wage is progress. 9 vs. the current 5.15 is progress.

[ruggerson]

7. Of coruse the goals are to implement policy

but you don't get to implement policy if you don't win.

[Selatius]

9. Use the same strategy to win as you would to implement policy.

On the campaign trail, you simply need to formulate a message that resonates with most people and downplay issues that divide the electorate, like gay rights and abortion. Too often, though, candidates question their own better judgment and simply rely on focus group generated talking points and water down a message that would otherwise be potent. They look weak, unsure, and they look like they stand for nothing. That is why they lose.

[rucky]

5. are you talking about Bill Richardson? n/t

[DaveinMD]

8. I think each of the top three

are very skilled. I'd even include one outside of that group.

[Solon]

10. Skilled Politician is just another way to say compulsive liar...

Its the same thing every election season, we are promised the sky, instead we get one of those stupid cheap plastic globes with those sparkles in them that represent stars and told its actually the sky.