What
is the secret Italian connection to Election 2014? No, don’t resurrect the
ghost of Quattrocchi. And don’t even think of some mysterious Maino you have never
heard of.
Not many care that Marcus Cicero, the eloquent Roman statesman who shaped
the future of prose in Europe, had a younger brother named Quintus, a military
leader given to crude punishments. In 2012, Philip Freeman, an American
professor of classical language, resurrected a candid letter the maverick
brother believed to have written to Marcus more than 2000 years ago.
Freeman’s
slim 128-page translation, How
to win an election: An ancient guide for modern politicians, of Quintus’s
advice for his illustrious elder brother when the latter decided to run for Rome’s
top office gave many Americans a few déjà vu moments during the noisy
presidential election campaign.
Now
it is not entirely unfair that the Obamas, Bidens, Romneys or Ryans would
occasionally find themselves on the same page with Quintus. After all, Cicero
senior, it is said, inspired the founding fathers of the United States.
But
given that Indian politics’ Roman, I mean Italian, connection (or devotion or
aversion) is fairly recent, it is uncanny how the far-removed contestants in
Election 2014 are playing the game by the campaigning guidelines Quintus had
laid down for Marcus.
Sample
a few:
Side with big money: You should pay special attention to…
businessmen and moderately wealthy citizens. You must diligently cultivate
relationships with these men of privilege. Never let them think that you are a
populist. Tell them if you seem to be siding with the common people on any
issue it is because you need to win the favor of Pompey (a popular general of
the time).
Give false hope: The most important part of your campaign is
to bring hope to people and a feeling of goodwill toward you. If you break a promise,
the outcome is uncertain… But if you refuse to make a promise, the result is
certain and produces immediate anger in a larger number of voters…
Lie generously: People would prefer you give them a
gracious lie than an outright refusal…
Remember (the politician) Cotta, that master of campaigning, who said
that he would promise everything to anyone, unless some clear obligation
prevented him, but only lived up to those promises that benefited him…
Don’t be accountable: You should not make specific pledges either
to the Senate or the people. Stick to vague generalities. Tell the Senate you
will maintain its traditional power and privileges. Let the business community
and wealthy citizens know that you are for stability and peace. Assure the
common people that you have always been on their side.
Bark, don’t bite: You don’t have to actually bring your
opponents to trial on corruption charges. Just let them know you are willing to
do so. Fear works even better than actual litigation.
Be seen as popular: You must have a wide variety of people
around you on a daily basis. Voters will judge you on what sort of crowd you
draw both in quality and numbers... It is vital that you have a crowd of
devoted followers with you at all times.
Target youth: It will (also) help your campaign
tremendously to have the enthusiasm and energy of young people on your side to
canvass voters, gain supporters, spread news, and make you look good.
Own your followers: You must make those overzealous and
devoted groups you have feel inspired with hope believe that you will always be
there to help them…
Play to the gallery: Encourage those who show goodwill because
of a personal attachment they believe they have made with you by adapting your
message to fit the particular circumstances of each… Show them that the more
they work for your election the closer your bond to them will be.
Buy support: You can win uncommitted voters to your
side by doing them even small favors.
Don’t fear pedigree: Another factor that can help you as an
outsider (hailing from outside Rome) is the poor quality of those men of the
nobility who are competing against you…. Who would believe that men as pathetic
as Publius Galba and Lucius Cassius would run for the highest office in the
land, even though they come from the best families?
Get personal: It also wouldn't hurt to remind them
(voters) of what scoundrels your opponents are and to smear these men at every
opportunity with the crimes, sexual scandals, and corruption they have brought
on themselves.
Build your cult: Now, my brother, you have many wonderful
qualities, but those you lack you must acquire and it must appear as if you
were born with them.
Reinvent yourself: You have excellent manners and are always courteous,
but you can be rather stiff at times. You desperately need to learn the art of
flattery -- a disgraceful thing in normal life but essential when you are
running for office.
Hard sell yourself: You must always think about publicity… it
is vital that you use all of your assets to spread the word about your campaign
to the widest possible audience.
Play to your strength: Your ability as a public speaker is key… Since
you are such an excellent communicator and your reputation has been built on
this fact, you should approach every speaking engagement as if your entire
future depended on that single event.
Put on a show: Finally, as regards the Roman masses, be
sure to put on a good show… full of the color and spectacle that appeals so
much to crowds… people are moved more by appearances than reality…
That
was 64 BC and Marcus Cicero won the election for consul’s office. If brother Quintus’s
directives still sound uncomfortably familiar, it is because, as Peter Stothard observed in The Wall
Street Journal, a campaigner’s “concerns have remained
just as constant as the debate about whether any democracy is ever democratic
enough”.
Or
could it be because one or more leaders in Election 2014 have internalized the
Quintus treatise like nobody before? Now, now, your guess is as innocent as
mine.
No comments:
Post a Comment