Game of Politics essays

Game of Politics essays What is politics? To the average individual, politics may be the practice of government or the managing of public affairs. However, in Christopher Matthews Hardball, politics is depicted as much more than something that deals with the government. In fact, politics, as portrayed by Matthews, is simply one big game in which a person adroitly and tactfully and does whatever is necessary to learn and eventually reaches the top, while making sure that his personal interests are fulfilled as he does so. Throughout the course of the book, Matthews gave numerous examples of how many famous politicians used their cunning tactics to get ahead. And these tactics, ranging from retailing to wholesaling, are what eventually allowed these politicians to work their way up to the top. In fact, among the several tactics mentioned, one can clearly perceive that retailing, keeping ones enemies where one can see him, spin, and wholesaling are key to the game of politics, for in essence, these are the suc cessful methods by which ordinary men became renowned politicians. Perhaps retailing, or working one individual at a time, best illustrates how politics is played. In fact, it was this technique that Lyndon Baines Johnson used to become staff aide, and then the Senate Majority Leader, and finally President of the United States. Basically, what Johnson did was he pleased one legislator at a time, letting him know that his concerns no matter how minute, were of great importance to Johnson. And this, LBJ did until he had achieved his goal. According to House aide Craig Raupe, LBJ would take nineteen names and call them all. This clearly shows that Johnson took the time to get to know those with whom he dealt. By taking the time to speak with each individual and paying tribute to his works, LBJ allowed his victim to feel as though he was important. Thus, as every man loves to hear about h ...