No, it is not an oxymoron. I believe righteous politicians exist. To the corrupt or weak politician, pay attention. Outlined here is some advice for the likes of a good politician:
- Personal attacks. Expect them. Embrace them. Whenever your opposition attacks you, they are showing their cards. Analyze the attack; learn from it. See it as an opportunity to make an assessment and plan your response. Again, any negative attention to you is still attention, and that is good when you are seen as rising above it. So what if your opposition has made a convincing case that you’re a buffoon? Be prepared with your well-versed, witty rebuttal on The O’Reilly Factor. Draw your Spirit sword and fight like a gentleman or woman.
- Be respectful. Treat your opponent with respect, even when your opponent is disrespectful. You are impressive when you don’t lose your composure. Be pro-human; be charitable with the humanity of your opponent. Note his or her qualities or accomplishments that you can admire. Go ahead and like them even, especially if they clearly can’t stand you. Your right perspective won’t suffer for it.
- Be humble. Laugh at a comedian’s irreverent and hilarious impersonation of you. Accept your faults and laugh. Your armor will be less susceptible to chinks.
- Be righteous and principled. Stand your ground. Voice your policies, opinions, accomplishments. See yourself as the conduit of Truth. Detract from your rival’s positions. A righteous politician needs only to express truth.
- Communicate well. The key is in the communication of truth. Don’t waste words; use the weight of every word. Don’t say things like “the fact of the matter is” or “at the end of the day.” Those phrases have little value; you risk your point getting lost with such phrases. Keep it simple if you’re afraid of being at a loss for words.
I’ll revisit the Good Politician more in the future. That’s a big bite to chew.
one red vote 