People You Should Never Trust - Politicians, Liars, and Incompetents

 

By Dr. Donald W. Hendon

 

It’s always a waste of time to try to influence politicians, liars, and incompetents—and, it’s often dangerous   Stay far, far away from them!  They never seem to play fair. 

 

You can’t tell if somebody’s incompetent or not until after you deal with him or her.  And you can’t tell if somebody’s a liar or not until you interact with them and observe their body language.  But it’s very easy to identify elected officials—professional politicians.  Even if you don’t know they’re elected officials, you can recognize them by their extreme arrogance.  And because their egos are so big, they’ll soon tell you who they are.

 

In my opinion, almost all politicians are liars and incompetent, so avoid dealing with them at all costs.  Here are two recent examples of big lies at the federal government level:

 

Carole Jamieson, a well-to-do executive in New York City, wrote to President Obama in January 2010, asking him for help on behalf of her husband.  A citizen of Cameroon, he was in a legal battle with immigration officials who wanted to deport him.  Obama didn’t bother to respond, and in June 2010, immigration authorities came to their house, asked if he had written a letter to the President, then arrested him and took him to jail to await deportation.

 

Another example, showing politicians can’t trust each other:  On June 3, 2010, Arizona governor Jan Brewer made a special trip to the White House to meet with Obama.  He promised her that by June 17, he would send 1,200 National Guard troops to Arizona to patrol the border to help keep illegal aliens from coming into Arizona from Mexico.  He also promised to send Arizona $500 million.  Finally, he promised he would keep her informed about this.  She followed-up several times during the next 2 weeks.  Never got an answer.  On June 18, she learned from news reports the federal government was going to sue Arizona over its new “get-tough” immigration law.  She also learned the 1,200 troops were supposed to be deployed all along the US-Mexico border, not just in Arizona.  And she also learned that the 1,200 troops were going to work in offices, not actually patrol the border.  No $500 million, either.  That’s when she realized Obama had summoned her to Washington for the June 3 meeting only for a photo-op, and he wasn’t serious.  News commentators called Obama “disingenuous.”  They should have called him what he and almost all politicians really are—liars!

 

I think it’s actually dangerous to deal with politicians.  Why?  Because most of them instinctively use—and mis-use—4 of my assertive tactics (all in chapter 8 of my book, 365 Powerful Ways to Influence):  Title Power (tactic 90), Occupation Power (92), Untouchable Power (93), and Celebrity Power (95).  They soon get used to being the center of attention and quickly become arrogant.  Eventually, they seem to think they can do anything they want, without incurring penalties for their misdeeds  They think they have Charismatic Power (tactic 87), but all they really have going for them is Celebrity Power.  A lot of them seem to have had "charismatic bypass" operations. 

 

Here are 3 examples of arrogance by politicians:  Pete Stark, a US Congressman since 1973 from the San Francisco Bay Area, told a constituent at a town hall meeting on September 14, 2009: “I wouldn’t dignify you by peeing on your leg.  It wouldn’t be worth the urine.”  And at a town hall meeting on June 29, 2010, he told a constituent, “Who are you going to kill today?”

 

In mid-June 2010, Bob Etheridge, a US Congressman since 1997 from Raleigh, North Carolina, physically abused 2 students who approached him on a Washington street to ask him some questions.  When the video went viral on You Tube, he decided to apologize publicly. 

 

On a lighter note, the late Paul Newman, a very famous movie star, was in an ice cream shop in a small town in the northeastern USA.  A Michigan woman on vacation came into the store, saw Newman, was too afraid to say hello to him, bought an ice cream cone, and walked out—after she put the ice cream cone in her purse.

 

Why are politicians so arrogant?  Perhaps it’s because they are instinctively using my assertive tactic 46.  It says, “The person with the least commitment to the relationship has the most power.”  Yes, politicians often act as if they are committed to serving their constituents.  You would think they do this in order to get re-elected and to continue to serve them.  But they don’t really care that much. 

 

Why aren’t they committed to their political careers?  Because most of them have figured out how to make a lucrative career after they get defeated or leave politics—making big bucks on the speakers circuit or working for the lobbyists they did favors for when they were in office.  They try to please them more than the voters because they’re more committed to lobbyists than voters.  Former Vice President Al Gore became a billionaire after he left federal office.  The egos of Gore and other former elected officials are still massaged by people who remember their former political career, who still defer to them, and who still ask for their autographs.  They never have had to give up the enjoyment of using my defensive tactic 67, Attention-Getting / Ego Trip.   That, and big bucks, is what motivates politicians.  So, my advice is:  Stay far, far away from politicians and former politicians.  Don’t try to make deals with them.  Even if you’re a lobbyist, they’ll often try to screw you in the end.

In Dr. Donald W. Hendon's book, 365 Powerful Ways to Influence, you learn to use 121 aggressive tactics, 92 defensive tactics, 24 cooperative tactics, 16 submissive tactics, and 81 dirty tricks to get what you want from other people—plus 31 tactics to prepare you for your interaction with them.  Learn more about his book at www.donaldhendon.com.