Heresthetics and Aikido

Opposition to Trump demands subtle strategy

On my chaotic office shelf is a slim volume I’m inclined to pick up and read again. The Art of Political Manipulation by William Riker is not one of his “seminal” publications. It’s a slim volume detailing 12 notable examples of how political leaders skillfully forced opponents into untenable positions, achieving goals that were unattainable through sheer electoral force.

Riker coined a word for this political technique: “Heresthetic.”  He described this as an approach to understanding how political actors manipulate the decision-making process so they can win.

As I contemplate the coming months of the Trump Administration, it seems clear that the opposition – and by that I do mean generally, the Democrats – will have to be much more intelligent and subtle than they have been in the past. They will have to use Heresthetics, and force Trump supporters to take positions that are unsustainable and uncomfortable. For example, the Trump Administration should be forced into positions where it openly abandons the interests of the voters who supported Trump: the working class voters, the Evangelical Christians, Fox News, and the Latinos. And the Trump Administration must be held accountable for these positions.

Also, when I think about these coming battles, I’m remembering contests I have watched when masters of Aikido met Karate black belts. An Aikido master takes the force of the Karate blow, and guides it to the ground. The Aikido master does not block the blow, or even attempt to hit back. The Aikido Master takes the energy of the blow, and uses that energy against her opponent. This is not the whole answer, but I think this approach could inform Trump opponents in the fights to come.