I've got a secret.
Keep this just between us, but uh, I know the secret to the perfect political strategy.
It works every time, and it's remarkably simple.
Ready? Here it is:
Define your opponent before your opponent can define himself or herself.
There you have it!
No, really it's that simple.
Do it and you can get elected to any office from the White House to junior high class president. You can win any political battle, scrum or debate.
Now, understand, this theory looks pretty easy on paper (or on a social media post), but it can get rather thorny in practice because it requires salesmanship over principle, charm over grace and the ability to detach oneself from the inherent need to be introspective.
In other words, check your conscious at the door and avoid looking in the mirror.
See what I mean? It's easy to put into words, but hard to put into play. Quite simply, not everyone can do it. People who have a sturdy character or a strong sense of humanity probably can't pull it off. That's not to say folks like that can't get elected or win a political battle, but it's a much more drawn out because it requires promoting oneself over simply discounting your opponent.
There was, of course, a time when winning anything politically required more strength of character and demonstration of principle. It required courage more than charisma. But at some point style became more important than substance. Then came the advent of the instantaneous news cycle, which only out the style-over-substance thing on electronic steroids.
Then there was no way to unring that bell.
So, yes, if you connect the dots you'll see that in order to properly define your opponent, you must get your message to the public. That requires a medium, preferably an extra-large medium (see what I did there?).
The ultimate medium is, of course, the "mainstream" media, which is to say the largest national media outlets. They're the ones who'll push your message to the public, who generally gobble it up like Cheetos. And why do they gobble it up like Cheetos? Because that's the way it's packaged. Granted, a more substantial meal with several courses and all the food groups is better for you, but where's the fun in that? Plus, you can eat Cheetos on the go or on the couch, with absolutely no waiting.
In other words ... style over substance.
Now, understand, this theory looks pretty easy on paper (or on a social media post), but it can get rather thorny in practice because it requires salesmanship over principle, charm over grace and the ability to detach oneself from the inherent need to be introspective.
In other words, check your conscious at the door and avoid looking in the mirror.
See what I mean? It's easy to put into words, but hard to put into play. Quite simply, not everyone can do it. People who have a sturdy character or a strong sense of humanity probably can't pull it off. That's not to say folks like that can't get elected or win a political battle, but it's a much more drawn out because it requires promoting oneself over simply discounting your opponent.
There was, of course, a time when winning anything politically required more strength of character and demonstration of principle. It required courage more than charisma. But at some point style became more important than substance. Then came the advent of the instantaneous news cycle, which only out the style-over-substance thing on electronic steroids.
Then there was no way to unring that bell.
So, yes, if you connect the dots you'll see that in order to properly define your opponent, you must get your message to the public. That requires a medium, preferably an extra-large medium (see what I did there?).
The ultimate medium is, of course, the "mainstream" media, which is to say the largest national media outlets. They're the ones who'll push your message to the public, who generally gobble it up like Cheetos. And why do they gobble it up like Cheetos? Because that's the way it's packaged. Granted, a more substantial meal with several courses and all the food groups is better for you, but where's the fun in that? Plus, you can eat Cheetos on the go or on the couch, with absolutely no waiting.
In other words ... style over substance.
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