A few months ago, I lauded the virtue of keeping open lines of communication with people on all sides of the political spectrum. Today I want to present a corollary, one that might seem contradictory, but I believe it is part of the same paradigm: The purpose of politics is to win, and if you’re not winning, you’re losing.
If that sounds crass, go back and read my piece a few weeks ago about the politics of power. It’s pretty simple logic, actually. What is the purpose of politics? To enact policies that protect our life, liberty, and property. How do we do that? By achieving power. How is power achieved in the United States? By winning elections.
Everything else is window dressing.