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    The Art of Politics & Campaigning - How Sun Tzu Can Advance Your Political Aspirations
    The Art of Politics & Campaigning - How Sun Tzu Can Advance Your Political Aspirations
    The Art of Politics & Campaigning - How Sun Tzu Can Advance Your Political Aspirations
    Ebook111 pages2 hours

    The Art of Politics & Campaigning - How Sun Tzu Can Advance Your Political Aspirations

    By Allan P. Sand

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    About this ebook

    This material is useful regardless of the size of the campaign arena and is easily scalable from running for class president up to a national electoral challenge.

    During the last 100 years, many writers have applied Sun Tzu's book on war to business, sports, and, of course, various levels of politics. His instructions, considerations, suggestions, and warnings have been directly integrated into offensive and defensive strategies and tactics that have been used in all types of governments from the dictatorial to socialistic to democratic. The political playing arena can be as small as a neighborhood to as large as the entire planet. The strategies and tactics of war are presented to advance one political player (person or idea) over another.

    Your tactics will focus on the many ways to confront opponents, directly or indirectly. The book "Psychology of Gamesmanship" provides many tactical tools that can be applied to the political arena.

    From the "Art of War"...
    "The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

    From the "Art of Politics & Campaigning"...
    The art of political competition begins with your commitment to successfully win a position that you want to occupy. In the process, you will have to raise people's confidence in your knowledge and ability to present yourself, your capability to perform the duties of the position, and how well you are able to respond to setbacks. It requires an expansion of your mental awareness. Preparation for predictable and unpredictable situations is critical to the campaign's success. Improper or incomplete readiness always results in opportunities to experience abject embarrassment.

    Once publicly committed to the race, you can't quit or even appear to give up – even when the world knows that a snowflake dropping into a pan of boiling water has a better chance of survival than you do winning. If you did, you could never find a single supporter willing to help you in another campaign.

    Continuing the battle, even against overwhelming odds will keep you in consideration for future political opportunities. When organizations and powerful individuals consider your qualifications, being known as a "quitter" will guarantee your exclusion from the short list.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAllan P. Sand
    Release dateApr 29, 2012
    ISBN9781476402024
    The Art of Politics & Campaigning - How Sun Tzu Can Advance Your Political Aspirations
    Author

    Allan P. Sand

    Allan P. Sand Santa Clara, CA billiardgods@gmail.com PBIA (Professional Billiards Instructor Association) and ACS (American Cue Sports) billiards instructor for ten years. My playing and competitive experience goes back over 50 years. I love the give and take of competitive sports and enjoy helping others improve their playing and thinking skills. The books I have published on Smash Words include: • Psychology of Gamesmanship – How to Manage Mind Games & Tricks – Identifies more than 80 sharks and how to prevent your opponent from using them. Also applicable to other team (football, basketball, soccer) and individual (pool, tennis, darts) sports. • The Art of War versus the Art of Pool – The philosophy of pool as defined by Sun Tzu, the Chinese general who wrote about applied warfare, 2500 years ago. • The Art of Politics & Campaigning - an easy road map to success in competition against others for a valued position. • The Art of Team Coaching - how Sun Tzu would coach coaches, including specifics on team and individual training. • The Art of Personal Competition - how Sun Tzu would guide your development as a team player. • Kitchen God's Guide for Single Guys – a humorous cooking book for bachelors BOOKS that are not available on Smashwords (file size too big): • Table Map Library - free on the billiardgods web site. 3,100+ cue ball paths and patterns. For advanced One Pocket and 9 Ball players. • Drills & Exercises for Pool & Pocket Billiards – progressive practices to improve your game, skills, and abilities. • Safety Toolbox – the defensive tools needed to advance your offensive game. Includes drills, tactics, strategies, and precision ball control drills. • Advanced Cue Ball Control Self-Testing Program – Find out if you are an "A" player now and what it takes to get there. • Cue Ball Control Cheat Sheets – the shortcuts that show how to use precise cue ball speed and spin to get position anywhere on the table. VIDEOS Also available are the following videos, which can be rented or purchased on Amazon and on the billiardgods web site: • Secrets of One Rail Kicks - simple calculations about how to figure out short and long rail kicks to another ball on the table. • Secrets of Shooting with Spin - two techniques that describe how to use side spin on the cue ball (with accuracy). • Kicking to a Bib Ball - open...

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      Book preview

      The Art of Politics & Campaigning - How Sun Tzu Can Advance Your Political Aspirations - Allan P. Sand

      0 Introduction

      This book was written based upon the assumption that you are involved in a political campaign. It might be for any kind of elective office, or a position that requires the collection of public support. If you are the candidate or active in supporting a candidate, study this material to help make plans as needed. This material is useful regardless of the size of the campaign arena and is easily scalable from running for class president up to a national electoral challenge.

      The Art of War was written by the ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu. It has become the world’s premier guide to students of military planning and battlefield management. When war is studied in depth, this ancient treatise is always at the top of the book list. Sun Tzu detailed the necessary thinking and planning required for an individual or group to prosecute war, in general and in specifics. Included in this presentation is the requirement that a general be able to handle planned and unplanned situations. This flexibility, when combined with the use of deceptive and distractive tactics (gamesmanship), significantly improved the chances to win. His recommendations are proactive and he sternly warns of the consequences of reactive thinking in stressful conditions.

      During the last 100 years, many writers have applied Sun Tzu’s book on war to business, sports, and, of course, various levels of politics. His instructions, considerations, suggestions, and warnings have been directly integrated into offensive and defensive strategies and tactics that have been used in all types of governments from the dictatorial to socialistic to democratic. The political playing arena can be as small as a neighborhood to as large as the entire planet. The strategies and tactics of war are presented to advance one political player (person or idea) over another.

      Your tactics focus on the many ways to confront opponents, directly or indirectly. The book The Psychology of Losing provides many tactical tools that can be applied to the political arena.

      Being political

      Participation in politics should be done whole-heartedly with a personal commitment to stick out the race to the last vote. Expect to work harder than any of your supporters throughout this campaign and more than you have ever done in any other job or business situation. Before committing yourself to this 24/7 effort, prepare yourself. Strengthen the depth of your knowledge, not only from your viewpoint, but also the viewpoint of opponents. You must develop fundamental personal skills in relating to others regardless of their history, background, and financial levels. This continuous preparation will help inspire your direct and indirect supporters.

      Natural public skills honed in other civic venues will get you some early successes, but cannot carry you through an entire campaign. If you expect to win success based only on early results, you will fall back. The dogged determination of lesser talented but more dedicated competitors will surpass you. It's the story of the tortoise and the hare. The moment you decide to celebrate your competence, you set yourself up to lose.

      Historical knowledge of your supporting and opposing organization’s track record in critical. Study the failures and successes to determine all of the reasons behind the results. Extending your historical studies back a decade or more in the operations of organized politics will provide useful knowledge and tactics that can be adapted in your current effort.

      How to study this book

      Read the words of The Art of War in ITALIC. The indented commentary will be its particular application to politics. Consider how the words could make you a better competitive candidate.

      There are many levels of understanding buried within the words. How you interpret a section during the first time you read the material will be different from what you realize on the third or fourth reading. It is well worth your time to continuously go through the various chapters on a monthly basis.

      Keep a pencil and notepad close by as you read through this book. Highlight sections and segments whether you are reading this as a printed book or on an eBook reader. It is a good idea to document the many ideas and concepts that will light up your consciousness. As this material becomes personalized, you will prove yourself to be a more thoughtful individual and a more intelligent campaigner.

      The benefits of your dedication do not stop at the end of a campaign. If you win, your schedule will continue to be frenzied and hectic. If you lose, you will re-evaluate your strategic and tactical efforts in preparation for the next race that you decide to enter.

      Working with advisors/experts

      There will be plenty of advisors willing to offer political and campaign guidance. Others are willing to provide expertise. To have the privilege of participating in your campaign, each individual needs to contribute something to the campaign’s operation. This can be expertise in publicity, planning, scheduling, speech-writing, and so on. Each individual will control part of your efforts. As long as you have faith in their competence, maintain a solid working relationship with each. When you follow their directions, do so with enthusiasm.

      It is the advisor's job to get the best out of you and your team by providing effective advice and recommendations. As your public efforts (based on their suggestions) bear results, your confidence in his help will increase. Further plans will build upon those foundational successes.

      On an individual basis, an advisor can assist your mastery of specific campaigning skills. He can advise you on proper approaches and processes. He can recommend study material that will improve your public reactions. He will push and prod as needed, making sure that his contributions achieve the maximum affect for the campaign’s success.

      01 Calculations

      Notes: Quotes from The Art of War by Sun Tzu are shown in italics. The corresponding interpretation is indented and in regular type.

      The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are:

      Moral Law - causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

      Heaven - signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

      Earth - comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

      Commander - stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness.

      Method and discipline - the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

      These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows

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