Politics is culture in action

Terry Teachout insists that his blog is "not a political blog." Insist away Mr. Teachout but you belie yourself with your excellent post about politicians (springing off a remark of Dean's) and candor.

I happen to share your disdain for "When I am your President" puffery and would only add that candor can also be very good politics, as well as polite to the listener. (When people lied to him, Michael Corleone was annoyed primarily because his intelligence had been insulted.) I too noticed that very remark of Dean's. And I was struck by it, too. I was listening, along with a very conservative friend, the kind of guy for whom the name "Hillary Rodham Clinton" is a bright crimson flag. We heard Dean's remark and my friend's reaction was the proverbial long low whistle. "I like that man," he said. "No BS, even if he is a raving mad-dog Democrat." So for pugnacious Dean, who preppie to preppie can outpunch Bush, candor may be what tips the balance.

•••

My own introduction to the sheer effectiveness of frankness goes much farther back.

I was sitting around with my roommates listening to some of LBJ's too-honest-to-be-good-hacks on a "Meet the Press"-type show. I think it was spring of 1967.(?) The host asked about Vietnam and their answers were lame: "turning the corner," "Vietnames allies" and more cant. You could tell that even they didn't believe it. I was in a tough spot because my roommates were all fervently anti-war and I still wanted to believe that our government was wise, just, effective etc. So it made me squirm to hear the champions of LBJ's Vietnam policy act as if everything was going along totally dandy when it was clear that at the very least there were issues. They were in-credible.

Then the moderator asked LBJ's guys about race relations. And immediately the tone shifted. While defending the administration, they also freely admited setbacks and difficulties. They did not have to obfuscate, exagerate, avoid etc because they were on the side of the angels. They could admit flaws because by-and-large LBJ's team was doing the right thing with race relations and doing it well. They were credible.

So my lesson that day was to listen especially carefully when a speaker refuses to admit any problems. There is always a problem.

(Of course the more sophisticated salesman (and what are we all except salesman of some kind? & be especially vigilant around those who won't admit that one!) will bring the game to the next level and even admit a few flaws to gain your trust. So it's a never-ending quest to find truth.)

Comments

[Stirling Newberry]

"When people lied to him, Michael Corleone was annoyed primarily because his intelligence had been insulted."

Very good point.