Never Let Them Know What You Are Thinking (a continuation)

If one has been at DU for a long time, he or she probably has many threads in his or journal. I have been here since 2001. Occasionally, a situation in a current political drama causes me to think about one of the inside the beltway threads I have posted here while I have been a member. Tonight, I had to take a moment out to dig up one close to my political heart.

As a DU'er who resides inside the beltway and a person who has observed politics for decades, I wince a little whenever I hear a "local" Democratic politician of good faith being criticized for a maneuver, the significance of which has been prematurely judged. More often than not, the apparent mission under scrutiny has been deliberately camouflaged for a pre-determined calculated amount of time.

Washington absolutely could not function on a daily basis without unique political maneuvering because it is quite a one-of-a-kind place. It is the political capital not just of this Country but of the world. And in that context, in order to achieve any success with a seemingly apparent Impossible Political Mission, the top two traits one must learn to master are to Never Let Them Know What You Are Thinking and Leave No Fingerprints.

Never Let Them Know What You Are Thinking, a thread I posted December 29, 2004, has been unearthed in order to re-submit for your consideration these four paragraphs:

"Four years ago, we were given an education by Molly Ivins on the essence of the classic politician from Texas. Lying is not a sin, explained Molly, it's an art. Thus, one can supposedly be a "good, Christian man" in Texas, but if he or she is involved in politics a well-honed ability to prevaricate is a must. Without the ability to tell a good lie, one cannot be a considered a good politician -- that is, in Texas.

Swing to the East and think of the basic political edict that all politics is local. The bottom line to succeeding in politics inside the beltway is today and always has been "never let them know what you are thinking." This posture is so inherent in the inside-the-beltway landscape, one always sees it displayed in companies, government entities, in short, everywhere.

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Compare the demeanor of the politician from Texas who now resides in the White House to the demeanor of our classic politician from the East. The contrast could not be more startling. This recognition also helps explain why a political player from Texas could not possibly fit into the Washington landscape, much as a liberal from Massachusetts does not play well in Houston. It is a political cultural clash in the extreme.

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Never let them know what you are thinking. Just as the political liars from Texas confound and confuse those of us not a part of that political culture, the stoic politicians from the East often do just the same to people outside the political cultural boundaries of the beltway. (Note: this is not to imply all people from Texas are liars; it merely asserts Texas has more than its fair share of political liars, according to its political experts, for example, Ivins). The difference between us and them is that we are polished, we are diplomatic and we are not in the business of totally deceiving and manipulating the general populace. They are."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x209658

Those four paragraphs are as relevant this day as they were December 29, 2004, allowing for the fact that we wonderfully no longer have that same politician sitting in the White House as when that thread was written.

The current President of the United States, and thus the number one player in our political arena, does not truly have to deliver a punch with the pure, raw physical strength of Muhammad Ali; he simply must deliver a knock-out maneuver against any and all mighty opponents and walk away like a champ. Think about it.

I believe all will be fine in our future political world, and I will sleep well tonight. I hope you do too.

Sam

night when he emphasized very pointed reference to the fact that a significant number of reactions out there are coming from people who are uttering the phrase "deficit cap" for the very first time in their lives.

The things that are going on in our country right now are stirring up reactions from people who have NEVER thought about, let alone sought in depth information about, ANY of this stuff before, so they are threatened, confused, and angered by a President who absolutely MUST play his own hand very very close to his chest, in order to protect his bargaining positions for ordinary Americans. If he didn't, they'd destroy him, which they're trying to do anyway, and take all of the cake and eat it too, because, as far as they are concerned, those without "cake" ARE the problem.

and obviously you have. Thanks for posting your response. I do agree recent events have gotten the masses tuned in as never before, and that's a good thing. I believe that was part of President's Obama's design.

Sam