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Politicians sometimes make statements which sound reasonable and
sincere on the surface, but which contain a hidden falseness.
The politician arouses certain feelings, values, or mental
associations in order to bring about a desired outcome for
himself. The affected individuals, however, are unaware of their
own thinking and feeling processes because they are not savvy or
sophisticated in assessing the politician's motives and character.
Below are some
common examples of political code-talk. The politician's surface
message appears in bold print. Some surface messages can be given
both positive and negative interpretations or decodings. The 35
statements below are decoded for possible negative, underlying
content. The surface message manipulates the public's lack of
self-awareness, knowledge, and political skills. The manipulation
of this lack enables the politician to tap into various emotional
and mental states, and establish recyclable subterfuge maneuvers
and/or produce a self-serving outcome.
BREAKING THE
CODE
(1) I don't
remember __________.
(A) Taps into: Reasonable doubt.
(B) Hidden content: I cannot be guilty if I do not remember
having committed the crime. If you accuse or convict me, you
could ruin my reputation or send an innocent person to prison. Do
you really want that on your conscience?
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No accountability.
(2) Nobody
warned me that __________.
(A) Taps into: Justice, victimization.
(B) Hidden content: I did it, but it's not my fault. I'm
the victim of an unfair system and unscrupulous people.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No accountability.
(3) It's in the
best interests of the country to __________.
(A) Taps into: Self-preservation, collective survival.
(B) Hidden content: I know what's best for you. What's
best for me and my cronies is what's best for the country.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No other options, fraud.
(4) That was
yesterday. This is today.
(A) Taps into: Forgiveness, tolerance, co-dependency.
(B) Hidden content: My harmful words and actions of the
past no longer matter. I used to be greedy and a cheater but, now
that I have been caught, I won't do it again--because I say I
won't. You should not judge me by my record of misconduct, but by
my current political vision.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No accountability.
(5) I made a
mistake. I'm sorry.
(A) Taps into: Sympathy, understanding, co-dependency.
(B) Hidden content: We're all human and we make
mistakes--although my mistake was a crime which harmed
others. It is not my responsibility to make amends. It is
your responsibility to pardon me.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No accountability.
(6) Only a cynic
would say __________.
(A) Taps into: Shame.
(B) Hidden content: Anyone who disagrees with me, has
different ideas, or points out problems is an obstructionist. You
are not profitable to me when you express your own thoughts. I'm
disappointed in you.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Censorship.
(7) We must
__________ for our children's future.
(A) Taps into: Responsibility, love, sacrifice, guilt.
(B) Hidden content: Anything is justifiable if it's for the
kids. You are selfish if you do not support my policy. You don't
want to be a bad parent, do you?
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No other options, fraud,
emotionalism.
(8) Stop
listening to partisan rantings.
(A) Taps into: Shame.
(B) Hidden content: Any disagreement or differences of
opinion are divisive. You are irrational for considering other
viewpoints to be better than mine. You have betrayed me.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Censorship, no other
options.
(9) This is a
time of unity.
(A) Taps into: Individual worth, security.
(B) Hidden content: You are to unite around my policies.
Other policies are divisive (racist, anti-immigrant, etc.). Only
mine are inclusive. You will gain my personal approval if I get
what I want. Since you need to feel good about yourself, I know
that my approval is more important to you than truth.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No other options,
infantalization (of the individual).
(10) We must
__________ immediately.
(A) Taps into: Anxiety, crisis mode, panic.
(B) Hidden content: I cannot give Congress the time to
study my proposed legislation because they would notice the
corruption and reject it. Nobody should think, evaluate, or
question.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Politics of fear.
(11) I disagree,
but I admire your courage to express your viewpoint.
(A) Taps into: Self-esteem.
(B) Hidden content: I will flatter you by calling you
courageous, but I will not give your viewpoint real validation or
serious consideration. My mind was made up from the beginning,
anyway. Since you do not want to be labeled as a bipartisan
obstructionist, I know you will discard your viewpoints and settle
for flattery. It makes both of us look good.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Infantalization (of the
opposition).
(12) Nobody is
ever going to agree 100% of the time.
(A) Taps into: Fairness, realism.
(B) Hidden content: You are unrealistic to expect more
agreement or consensus on this issue. Grow up. The majority
rules: even if they're really a conspiratorial and outspoken
minority.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Identity politics,
domination of special interest groups.
(13) Experts
are in agreement that __________.
(A) Taps into: Lack of knowledge and information,
inferiority complex.
(B) Hidden content: Trust me. I'm right and you don't know
anything. You don't have to know anything, because I already
checked everything out for you. I found experts who agree with
me (and I'm not counting those who don't agree). [Notice
how differently agreement is used in #12 and #13.]
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Authoritarianism, no other
options, deception.
(14) It's your
patriotic duty to __________.
(A) Taps into: Masochism.
(B) Hidden content: You are not a real American if you
don't do what I say is right, even if it hurts you.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Emotionalism.
(15) Those
attack ads were run by outside groups.
(A) Taps into: Ethics.
(B) Hidden content: Those attack ads really helped me and I
did nothing to stop them, but I did not produce the ads. I was
helpless over the situation. I am innocent. I am separate from
those people, even though they support my candidacy.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Compartmentalization.
(16) There are
big challenges ahead.
(A) Taps into: Adequacy, inadequacy.
(B) Hidden content: I am not going to honor the promises I
made. Your hopes will not be fulfilled. But, because you need
cognitive congruence for having elected me, and because you lack
self-reliance, I know you will continue to believe in me.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Decreased expectations.
(17) We must
bridge our differences.
(A) Taps into: Peace.
(B) Hidden content: Americans who disagree with me must
cross over the bridge to my side. Otherwise, they are
obstructionists. Meanwhile, I will cross over the bridge to the
side of the leaders of Europe, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, etc., because
my rhetoric is superior to American capitalism and military
might.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Authoritarianism.
(18) Let's look
at the bigger issue.
(A) Taps into: Fairness, realism, shame.
(B) Hidden content: Do not examine the details of my
policy. You are petty for wanting facts and details. Stop your
whining and quibbling! There are bigger issues at stake.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No accountability, no other
options, infantalization (of the questioner).
(19) There is no
law against __________.
(A) Taps into: Freedom, self-determination.
(B) Hidden content: I may have acted in a self-serving
manner or taken risks with others' resources, but I did not break
the law. I cannot be prosecuted. And, if you think I behaved
unethically, ethics cases are difficult to prove. Do you really
want to invest futile effort into getting rid of me?
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No accountability.
(20) I never had
any intention of breaking the law.
(A) Taps into: Benefit of the doubt, co-dependency.
(B) Hidden content: Even though I broke the law, I did not
mean to. I was ignorant of the complications and did not bother
to double-check anything. Trust me. I'm one of the good
guys.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: No accountability.
(21) I'm not
going to discuss hypothetical situations.
(A) Taps into: Focus, attention, shame.
(B) Hidden content: You are distracting everyone by asking
for examples and possible scenarios. Your questions are unworthy
of my precious time. I'm going to stick to my pre-written notes.
You pest!
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Censorship, oppression,
infantalization (of the questioner).
(22) My sense is
that __________.
(A) Taps into: Honest discussion.
(B) Hidden content: I really do not know the answer to your
question, but I will go on a tangent about my sense of
things in order to distract you. [Notice the different uses of
hypothetical and sense in #21 and #22.]
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Censorship, oppression.
(23) You can
focus on a very narrow definition of what __________ is, or we
can look at the overall benefits.
(A) Taps into: The greater good, shame.
(B) Hidden content: I want to avoid the controversial
details, so I will belittle you as narrow-minded by suggesting we
talk about the possible although unlikely advantages of my policy.
You are petty, while I am watching out others.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Censorship, no other
options, infantalization (of the questioner).
(24) What we
need is the right combination of __________.
(A) Taps into: Working together, inclusion.
(B) Hidden content: Since you insist on details, I will
pacify you by leading you to believe that I'm going to include
your concerns somewhere in my legislation. In the end, however, I
will still get what I want. You will get nothing or just a
token.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Oppression, deception.
(25) He made a
mistake, but he's still the best person for the job.
(A) Taps into: The greater good, practicality.
(B) Hidden content: He fits in with my private political
group. Besides, I owe him, even if he made inexcusable mistakes
and many people doubt his qualifications.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Cronyism, no other
options.
(26) That was
his decision to drop out. You'll have to ask him about his
reasons.
(A) Taps into: Freedom, self-determination.
(B) Hidden content: I just realized that his past mistakes
were too severe for the public to tolerate. He is an
embarrassment. He no longer fits in with my private political
group. He is expendable. I am separate from him now, as though we
were never cronies. I am separate from my own past.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Compartmentalization.
(27) The ongoing
effort is more important than any individual.
(A) Taps into: The greater good, co-dependency.
(B) Hidden content: My brand of government and my personal
power are more important than the individuals who are dedicated to
public service. Everyone is expendable, except me.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Authoritarianism.
(28) I am not
losing sight of the issues. I am moving forward. My work
continues. You voted for a new era, and I'm going to deliver
it.
(A) Taps into: Salvation.
(B) Hidden content: I failed to anticipate obstacles, and I
have made promises which I cannot honor. I am losing some of my
popularity. But do not believe the reality around you. Trust in
me.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Authoritarianism.
(29) I do not
keep a list of everything I have ever said.
(A) Taps into: Honest discussion.
(B) Hidden content: I've made so many conflicting
statements to so many different people that I cannot be expected
to remember everything. I probably said what you say I said, but
I am not going to take responsibility for it. Let's stick to my
pre-written notes and not quibble over the details.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Censorship, no
accountability.
(30) I
appreciate the opportunity to answer questions, but I am not going
spend the day talking about __________.
(A) Taps into: Priorities, shame.
(B) Hidden content: I don't want to discuss details. You
are wasting my valuable time. I have important things to do.
Stop pestering me!
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Infantalization (of the
questioner).
(31) The
conclusion is unmistakable.
(A) Taps into: Logic.
(B) Hidden content: Any intelligent person will see the
rightness of my policy. You are intelligent, aren't you?
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Fraud.
(32) Our
country will enter an era of disastrous conditions if my proposed
legislation is not passed.
(A) Taps into: Salvation.
(B) Hidden content: I'm getting really frustrated because
people are not doing what I want. I owe my constituency, and it
will be disastrous for my political future if I do not pay them
back through this legislation.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Politics of fear, fraud.
(33) Compared to
what?
(A) Taps into: Honest discussion.
(B) Hidden content: Instead of addressing your concerns
directly, I will weigh my policy against others which are worse
(and I will ignore those which are better).
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Censorship, deception.
(34) Hardworking
Americans are counting on government to __________.
(A) Taps into: Self-preservation, collective
survival.
(B) Hidden content: People need a governmental leader to
take care of them. Americans must be lured away from traditional
self-reliance and capitalism.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Dependency (on government
programs).
(35) The
problems of __________ require historic responses.
(A) Taps into: Facing the unknown.
(B) Hidden content: We can no longer learn from the past.
We are the special ones. The old assumptions about democracy,
family, and education must be discarded. We are entitled.
(C) Political maneuver/outcome: Increased government
regulations and control.
As mentioned
earlier, some of the surface messages above can be given a
positive interpretation. There are times when people need to
fulfill their patriotic duty, or do what is in the best interests
of their children, or give others the benefit of the doubt.
However, it wise to exercise self-awareness and caution when
listening to professional politicians. The public must discern
between those who want to serve and those who seek
self-importance.
[NOTE: The surface
statements used in this essay were taken or adapted from speeches
and interviews as heard on T.V. news programs, as well as White
House news briefings. These statements are used as examples and
without reference to or accusation of any particular politician or
leader. The decoded content represents the author's perception
and is subject to error.
A small portion of
the (A) and (B) sections were inspired by commentary heard on
Special Report w/ Bret Baier, FOX News Channel.
Specifically, sections 25-B and 32-B were adapted from others'
commentary. The term salvation was inspired by another's
use of the term political salvation. The term honest
discussion was taken from another's commentary--I originally
had used the term intelligent discussion, and then heard a
commentator use the former and I felt it was more descriptive. The
term fraud used in (C) sections was inspired by another's
use of that term to describe the current stimulus bill.]
(Written 02/09/09)
Until we meet
again....... .......stay sane.
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