What makes a great politician?

[JMadonna]

(12-18-2017 04:06 PM)AussieMick Wrote:  My candidate selection criteria for a great politician (not in priority order):

Ability to choose subordinates and trust them to make decisions.
Ability to make decisions and recognise mistakes and make new decisions.
Ability to focus on objectives and the strategy to achieve them.
Ability to inspire and maintain confidence.
Ability to conceive the impact of decisions on individual members of society.
Pragmatism: in the terms of knowing what is achievable and when.

I have to disagree, those are the qualities of a leader - not a politician.

Above all else a politician needs to be elected. As FDR often said, If I'm not elected I cant do anything. He was a master at manipulating events to his political advantage.

His 1940 election was a classic. With the help of the British secret service he managed to turn the main issue not on the economy (in which he failed miserably) but on the war in Europe. The BSS operation managed to manipulate the Republican convention into nominating a No-War neophyte named Wendell Willke who had never even ran for dog catcher before. The choice boiled down to experience vs rookie and FDR won easily.

Is their any doubt about his manipulation of Japan into attacking Pearl Harbor or the court packing scheme to control the Supreme Court?

FDR was probably the greatest politician ever - he devoted his entire life to succeed at the game. He was so good that the 22nd amendment was passed to prevent another FDR.