A few months ago, I explained how 19th-century German statesman Otto von Bismarck used political pragmatism to achieve his goals. He referred to this approach as the “art of the possible.” It involves understanding what can realistically be accomplished in the political arena and then making it happen. It does not mean compromising simply for the sake of compromise.
Donald Trump’s political philosophy builds on Bismarck’s formulation by focusing on how to achieve what you want. Trump called it the “art of the deal.” In his 1987 book of the same name, he outlined basic principles of negotiation, such as asking for more than you’re willing to settle for, thereby leaving room to negotiate. If you enter a negotiation completely upfront, you leave yourself no room to maneuver. For example, if you’re trying to buy a used car and the most you’re willing to pay is $10,000, you don’t walk into the dealership and immediately offer $10,000.
Approaching politics as a moral crusade is a recipe for failure. While many political issues have moral dimensions, achieving results still requires mastering the art of the deal. Unfortunately, some people view politics solely in moral terms and mistake pragmatism for moral compromise.
Imagine your task is to provide an update on the state of World War II in January 1942, just weeks after the United States entered the conflict. You outline how Germany has a stranglehold on Europe, maintains a strong position in North Africa, and continues to advance in Russia. You explain that a direct invasion is not currently feasible and will require several years of intense combat to become a realistic option.
Now, picture an armchair general in the back of the room standing up and accusing you of being unpatriotic, a traitor, and a sellout. “All you need is courage!” he shouts.
Thankfully our wartime leaders recognized that, no matter how moral the cause, they still had to contend with reality on the ground. In his message to the troops on the morning of D-Day, June 6, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower said:
“Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41.”
The art of the possible is about understanding what you can feasibly accomplish, while the art of the deal is about understanding how to make it happen.
While Bismarck, the 19th century Prussian, can seem alien to us, Trump is quintessentially American, and has always had a fundamental understanding of how America works. Here are a few more pearls of wisdom from Art of the Deal:
- Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you’re generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.
- I happen to be very conservative in business. I always go into the deal anticipating the worst. If you plan for the worst — if you can live with the worst — the good will always take care of itself.
- The final key to the way I promote is bravado. I play to people’s fantasies. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. That’s why a little hyperbole never hurts. People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular… You can’t con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don’t deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on.
- The fact is that if you’re right, you’ve got to take a stand, or people will walk all over you.
Let’s take a stand in 2025 and accomplish great things for the people of Idaho.
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About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
