The Teflon President: The Relevance of Chaim Perelman’s Formulations for the Study of Political Communication

Abstract

It can be humbling to plunge from the heights of political power to the depths of exile. It produces sober reflection on the nature of politics. It did for the defrocked Florentine Secretary to the Ten, Niccolo Machiavelli, banished into exile at his small farm near San Casciano. In 1513 Machiavelli published his reflections in The Prince. Commenting on the attributes required of a successful political leader, Machiavelli noted that “a prince may not have all the admirable qualities,” but “it is very necessary that he should seem to have them.” He wrote that “it is good to appear merciful, truthful, humane, sincere, and religious; it is good to be so in reality.” Yet, he went on, “a prince cannot possibly exercise all those virtues for which men are called ‘good.’ ” For, “to preserve the state, he often has to do things against his word, against charity, against humanity, against religion” (Adams, 1957, pp. 50–51). In short, a prince must dissemble, i.e., disguise the real nature of things, hide them with a specious appearance or semblance, make a false show or feign.