Comments on: Political Advice from Robert Heinlein

By: David

David — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:28:34 +0000

*sigh* First sentence: “affect” should be “effect” as later used. Oh, well. Olde Pharte’s Disease.

By: David

David — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:27:14 +0000

Heinlein’s point is made in the context of advice to political novices who want to affect political change in government. As such, they MUST concentrate on winning elections to increase their political influence on policy making. One of the rubs for me in his advice is his emphasis on making compromise–within your own limited political sphere. Compromise has of late come to mean a one-way street in favor of one side of any debate, instead ofstanding fiorm for principles but being willing to negotiate fairly as to means, as I take Heinlein to (for the most part) articulate.

But yes, reading the book for yourself–with eyes wide open, realizing he wrote it in 1946 and, as Pournelle said in his 1992 introduction to the book,

“Heinlein offers a number of timeless insights, but many of his details are seriously out of date. That, however, is not a defect but a feature: because in describing how to operate in a political world that vanished during the ‘reforms’ of the ’60s and ’70s, Heinlein describes a working democracy: not as a dead world of the past, but as the dynamic living world he knew and lived in and loved.”

As an historical glimpse into the mind of a political operator back in the day when we still pretty much did have a republic, it’s a very good read. As a primer for local political organization, well, here in America’s Third World County (just recently dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th Century *heh*), it’s pretty much priceless. In other locales it may have a varied degree of direct applicability. The principles outlined, though, should be useful to any common Joe or Josephine seeking to effect change on the political landscape.

By: Robbie Cooper

Robbie Cooper — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:11:33 +0000

Steve that actually is the critical point.

Politicians these days care about one thing first and foremost — winning elections and staying in power.

Every thing else is secondary to them.

And that, in a nutshell is what’s wrong with the entire incumbency sitting up on Capitol Hill right now.

By: Steven

Steven — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:53:07 +0000

I certainly will.

It will be hard to be convinced that “your object is to win elections” in any context.

This is one of our many issues – politicians out to win elections, not solve problems.

By: David

David — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:47:48 +0000

Steve, may I suggest you take up your argument with Heinlein? Go get a copy of the book, a red pen and read the thing critically. If the comment strikes you as unreasonable and yet folks who’ve rwad it in context suggest it is not, perhaps getting a copy of the book and reading it will resolve your problem with it. A short blogpost cannot do that for you.

By: Steven

Steven — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:28:30 +0000

“Your object… is to win elections, not arguments. If you will always remember that, you can’t go far wrong.”

How stupid is that quote? Shouldn’t the job be to SOLVE ISSUES AT HAND?!