Political Skill.

[cleveramerican]

As so many get bogged down in position papers and hammering this one or that one over previous position papers, I would like to discuss the politician as mechanic.
Politician is a job and to excel at any job you must posses the necessary skills.
This subject is almost completely ignored in the political discussions I witness.

#1. The ability to boil down a ten minute question to a two minute answer that sounds good and offends no one, in 10 seconds or less.
This is one, and its much harder than it first appears.
What are some others?
I'm sure you folks can come up with more.

[lvx35]

1. The ability to identify win-win situations

This is a biggy, because you often have sections of your constituency disagreeing. Mediating between opposing forces so mutually beneficial solutions can arise is a really important skill for anybody who wants to keep their base unified.

[cuke]

2. The ability to "twist arms" and "call in favors"

In another thread, a poster objected to something a candidate did, claiming tha it was because the candidate "twisted arms" and "called in favors". I would argue that these are necessary skills for an effective president