THE POLITICAL FRONT: Expectation Management and Perception

The Political Front with Douglas Castle

In any relationship of trust or responsibility, management of your counterpart’s expectations is key. When networking (as every political administration does en masse with the American People), you must be perceived as honorable, competent and consistent President Barack Obama and the newly-installed democratic party have an advantage, since the previous republican administration is in a leadership vacuum and is suffering from the perception that its actions, or inactions, precipitated the current economic crisis. The democrats have to upgrade their networking skills in order to keep and hold their influence and sustain their advantage.

A recent article in BUZZFLASH spoke of the decline of the G.O.P. But the deterioration of their reputation, leadership issues and apparent blame for the precipitation of the current economic crisis is not enough to keep the democrats in the good graces of the American People.

The G.O.P. badly mis-networked the populace. The democrats need to sharpen their public networking skills, especially in the areas of expectation management and perception, if they are to remain in power and reap the political rewards of having helped to solve a frightening economic crisis – and a still unresolved crisis of confidence.

Original Article Appearing in BuzzFlash:

BuzzFlash The GOP: Frozen in time and tactics: Body What a week for the GOP! First, cont’d.... http://tinyurl.com/ksu8p3

LinkedIn Response from William:

William has sent you a message.

Date: 6/14/2009

Subject: RE: DOUGLAS D_Castle_BuzzFlash The GOP: Frozen in...

“Right where they belong....”

>> Regarding DOUGLAS CASTLE LinkedIn Status: DOUGLAS D_Castle_BuzzFlash. The GOP: Frozen in time and tactics: Body What a week for the GOP! First, cont’d.... http://tinyurl.com/ksu8p3

My Response to William:

Thank you for your feedback. The previous U.S.

I am prone to agree, based upon prior dealings with the GOP and its simplistic economic darwinism, disembowelment of the administration certainly made itself unpopular with the larger portion of the American citizenry (and immigrancy?), while it systematically alienated the entire International Community.Constitution and a propensity toward profit motives which cross the lines from cronyism and contractual awards to deception and genocide. Sadly, the Democrats, despite the swing of the pendulum in their favor, are not suitably informed or organized to take advantage of an historically (hysterically) unprecedented political opportunity -- I find it lamentable that the American Body Politic is still operating based upon a primitive stimulus - response central nervous system, and not through the coordinated efforts of a centralized brain with cognition of longer-term cause and effect.

Radical regulatory moves and sweeping symptomatic fixes advocated by President Obama, Ben Bernanke and other persons in positions of leadership are getting into the dangerous business of making promises that cannot possibly be kept -- in defiance (or perhaps more innocently) of the laws of the Laws of Physics and of the Fundamental Economics of monetary and fiscal policy.

To maintain a position of entrenched influence, the Democratic administration must seek to better manage expectations, be more forthright and to "underpromise while overdelivering." The perception by the U.S. citizenry of the current party in power is that leadership is divided, confused are floundering. They seem to forget that even the illusion of command and control (typically a Republican gambit) helps to stabilize an economic crisis, while the perception of "amateur hour" in the White House might prolong and serve to deepen the economic crisis. Every economic downturn is triggered and sustained by a lack of confidence in financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and government leadership.

The first orders of business for the newly-empaneled democratic crew are to show unity; transparency; a full grasp of the crisis; and some plans that do not appear to be knee-jerk responses or a series of bandages on an already-rampant systematically embedded cancer. To do the best for itself as a party, and to do the best for the United States, I believe that the democrats need to study and apply more behavioral psychology and expectation management. Confidence in the macroeconomic systems and the persons managing them is essential for a reversal of U.S.

Politics is firstly about perception, and only secondly about results.

Awaken ye democrats!

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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THE POLITICAL FRONT: Expectation Management and Perception

THE POLITICAL FRONT: Being Consistently Inconsistent

The Political Front with Douglas Castle

Dear Readers:

During the two-term reign of the Bush administration in the United States, it was very politically fashionable to be any or all of these things:

• Pro-U.S. ;



• Anti-Eastern;



• Anti-Muslim;



• Anti-Abortion;



• Anti-Stem Cell Research;



• Isolationist, Xenophobic and Paranoic;



• Anti-Negotiation/ Pro-Military Threat ("the hawk eats the dove for lunch");



• Unapologetic and Humorless;



• Unquestioning of Executive Decisions, Powers and Wisdom;



• An Unwavering Bush Loyalist;



• Pro-Fossil Fuels (and "Big Oil");



• Anti-Environmentalism;



• Pro-Big Business, Monopolism, and Privately Negotiated Contracts with Favored Companies;



• Pro-Detention and Incarceration Without Respect to Deterrence or Political Implications;



• Secretive, non-Transparent and non-Compliant (i.e., above the law) on all matters of Executive Privilege and National Security;



• An Amnesiac with respect to Constitutional Due Process, Human Rights and other "old-fashioned " American notions.

Now, in the Obama Administration, and in an environment where both the Executive branch and the Legislative Branch are dominated by the newly-reinstated democratic party, it is becoming politically fashionable to be any or all of these things:

• A globalist;


• An open George W. Bush detractor;


• A beggar to the public sector to subsidize (via bailouts and other) private industry failures;


• An inquisitor of all of the "abuses" of privilege and law of the Bush administration -- especially if you like to say "Who knew what? and When?";


• An "Earth-Friendly" environmentalist;


• Outspoken and fearless of reprisals;


• Compassionate in matters concerning the poor and underpriviledged;


• Hateful of big business interests, despite the fact that they may have employed us earlier;


• A fan of "transparency" and "disclosure";


• Openly questioning of leadership and governmental decisions.

It is interesting how we, the Body Public, so readily adapt to whatever the party in power favors. We are consistently inconsistent. We swing back and forth, like pendulum, or a sine wave. We are predictable, and we adhere to the sentiment of the moment. This wavering back and forth keeps us trapped within parameters which confine us to a zero sum game of no real sociological or political progress over time.

We are in the throes of an unsolvable economic conundrum because we have ceased being people of ideas and principles, and we have started becoming "adapters" instead of "agents of change". I do not like to believe that Humans are completely herd-dominated faddists. Sadly, I prefer to believe that a feeling of accumulated disillusionment, combined with the frustration of thinking that single person or a single idea can no longer difference has dampened our creative and progressive spirit.

Adaptation is a skill required for social acceptance and societal infiltration. But being an Agent Of Change is the the only way to create progress and build success. And despite the ironic terminology, being an Agent Of Change requires focusing on a target and consistently working toward it -- despite fashion trends, pop-culture and the very natural propensity for mere survival instead of great victories.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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THE POLITICAL FRONT: Being Consistently Inconsistent

THE POLITICAL FRONT: Observations And Lessons About the Madoff Mess

The Political Front with Douglas Castle

Dear Readers:

Prosecutorial politics have not changed since the celebrated times of The Inquisition.

Networking politics have not evolved altogether that much either, except now, instead of conquering and acquiring other tribes or kingdoms with Greek Fire, arrows, halberds, maces and wooden horses, we use e-media and weapon-free psychological pursuasion. We connect with strangers and endeavor to convert them to colleagues. We generally do this without violence or coercion.

Sometimes we refer one of our networking acquaintances to a third party -- this can be a blessing or a curse, depending upon how it is done.

The objectives of prosecution are fairly simple: investigate, indict, convict and punish. The techniques involve threats to the target, and to persons beloved to the target. The "remedy" posed to the target to mitigate his or her exposure to long-term incarceration invariably involve helping the prosecution to indict, convict and punish others -- this approach allows the trapped party (i.e., Mr. Madoff) to provide the prosecution with as much nasty information as possible on every person with whom he has conducted business. This used to be called "singing," or "ratting out" your colleagues, but now it is called "cooperation and offering testimony."

Sadly for Mr. Madoff's every business acquaintance, they are all in the process of being spoken about and possibly targeted for prosecution. It's arithmetically equitable, in that Mr. Madoff's sentence can be divided up amongst a number of his colleagues (prosecutors call them co-conspirators), so that Mr. Madoff may not have to spend several consecutive lifetimes as an inmate. It's downright ironic that many crying "victims" might well be found, upon investigation, to actually have been accomplices, and compensated well for their complicity.

In this process, the turd (for lack of a better expression) not only rolls downhill (crushing the aiders and abetters), but it actually defies gravity and military tradition by rolling uphill, as well. By this, I mean that the prosecution would like very much for Bernie to give them some incontrovertible evidence that some very high-ranking politicians, charity administrators, and seemingly untouchable business leaders willfully participated with him. What prizes for any prosecutor! Remember the Clinton impeachment proceedings? Remember the late General Noriega? Remember the now demised Saddam Hussein?

What this says to every networker is:

1. Be careful of the company you keep;

2. If you're going to do something unethical or unlawful (which you really shouldn't, anyway), don't ever have a partner, and don't ever let anyone know about what you've done. Today's bragging is tomorrow's confession. Don't provide ammunition to anyone who may choose to target you;

3. Build a reputation for integrity -- while this allowed Mr. Madoff to suck many victims (and accomplices) into his scheme, his "integrity" was merely for sociopathic show. It was not genuine, as demonstrated by his actions both before and after he entered his plea. When your instincts tell you that something may be unlawful or wrong, either walk away, or get a third-party opinion (in writing) about the legality of what you are doing;

4. If you introduce someone to anyone else, preface the introduction with:
*Where you met the person;
*How long you've known the person;
*If you have actually conducted business with the person, and the outcome;
*If you are receiving any referral fees or other compensation for the referral;
*That the person receiving the introduction should conduct his own independent assessment of the person whom you are referring, as you cannot and do not act as surety for the other person, or for the actions of any other person;

5. Be cautious about introductions. If you are receiving a referral fee, be all the more cautious. Full disclosure and genuine transparency are the order of this era.

Networking is a wonderful social and business phenomenon, but don't insinuate yourself into a chain of fools (with apologies to Lady Aretha Franklin, Queen Mother of Soul) just to "help someone out" or to make some extra money. Whether you like it or not, if you catalysize a relationship which turns out badly for either or both parties, you might find yourself facing down a large, rolling juggernaut of waste matter.

In sum: Be careful with whom you associate, and be just as careful about whom you recommend. As an aside, don't let the natural human propensity toward greed impair your judgment -- avarice, like alcohol, can be very dangerously intoxicating.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

DOUGLAS CASTLE

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THE POLITICAL FRONT: Observations And Lessons About the Madoff Mess