Victory and deceit in politics

Anyone who expects to lead a diverse group of people, be it a little club or a great nation, must avoid revealing too much about personal beliefs. People hold a great variety of opinions, and giving the slightest suggestion that we hold a different view can stop a conversation, fuel a heated argument, start a nasty shouting match, or begin a war.

Certain words like 'abortion', 'evolution', 'socialism', and these days even 'science' or 'reason', 'Mormon' or 'Muslim', 'fundamentalist' or 'liberal' can be incendiary in debates.

Most of us naturally hesitate to share our political or religious convictions in early talks with new acquaintances. We wait for clues about their way of thinking, and if we want to have a pleasant exchange or want to pursue a comfortable, if superficial, relationship, steer our conversations away from areas where friction could occur.

No reasonable candidate for public office would ever hope thoroughly to unify the citizens of any democracy. To win the most votes, a candidate must appear favorable to most voters--to seem to be most like them, to seem to embody their ideals, to seem to be willing to help them achieve most of their goals.

Everyone knows that no one can please all. So keeping away, as far as possible, from the triggers that generate opposition is an objective of paramount importance to those who want to serve the public. This can make prospective leaders colorless, bland--but also, perhaps, safe choices for wary electorates.

Voters want--we all want--to have people to admire; we all love heroes. But the candidate must not tell lies to gain favor; dishonesty is bad policy in both private and public life. And yet the candidate who allows voters to believe that the election will fulfill their (often diverse) hopes and dreams, the leader who gives followers a sense of participating in the making of history (as they imagine it), the individual who gives a group the opportunity to experience vicariously a hero's life (carefully scripted), will stand a very good chance of succeeding in politics.

We expect a great deal from our leaders. And this drives our leaders naturally to try to be everything to all. So our leaders may allow us to deceive ourselves. The fault is theirs--and ours as well.