Letter: Putin relationship explained
Politics is all about perception (“optics”); business is all about getting things done. This is why politicians and some of the general public fail to understand what President Donald Trump is doing.
They have criticized him for being too friendly with Vladimir Putin. As a businessman, he knows to keep his friends close and his enemies even closer. If you have a potential enemy, you want to know what his thoughts are, how he feels about issues, and what plans and goals he has. That better prepares you for any actions he might take against you.
And, if you know you will be negotiating with someone, friend or foe, you are better off starting from a position of friendliness and cooperation than from a belligerent position. If you enter into negotiations as a belligerent, you can expect a belligerent response. That is no way to get anything done.
Our entrenched politicians are all about huffing and puffing. Exaggeration, bullying, lying, and name-calling are staples of American politics. That’s one reason so little gets done.
It’s noteworthy that some of Trump’s political foes are now in his Cabinet.
Pete Welch
Hilton Head Island
This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Letter: Putin relationship explained."