{"id":36,"date":"2012-12-22T12:53:05","date_gmt":"2012-12-22T17:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/?page_id=36"},"modified":"2012-12-31T14:18:42","modified_gmt":"2012-12-31T19:18:42","slug":"chapter-2-why-incumbents-rule-municipalities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/chapters-1-7\/chapter-2-why-incumbents-rule-municipalities\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 2: Why Incumbents Rule Municipalities"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Chapter II: Concerning Hereditary Principalities,<\/strong> Machiavelli describes the advantages a hereditary ruler has over one who has taken the principality by force. Today we don\u2019t use the same sort of armed force to win our power: we use elections and campaign teams; battlegrounds and armies of a different sort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are fewer difficulties in holding hereditary states, and those long accustomed to the family of their prince, than new ones. For even a prince of average powers to maintain himself in his state he only needs to not diverge from the customs of his ancestors, and to deal prudently with circumstances as they arise\u2026.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Machiavelli is basically saying that it\u2019s easier to run a state that you have inherited. As long as you don\u2019t mess things up, as long as you stick to the time-honoured customs and practices, you should get along fine. You don\u2019t need to be\u00a0aggressive, you don\u2019t need to be innovative, just continue with what\u2019s been done before.<\/p>\n

Sounds a lot like political incumbents, doesn\u2019t it? The electorate often feels comfortable and safe with incumbents. As long as they don\u2019t do anything rash or stupid; as long as they don\u2019t rock the boat, they have a good chance to get back in without having actually earned that privilege<\/p>\n

What is prudent behavior for incumbents? Anything that keeps them in power, anything that doesn\u2019t hurt their reputation, or awaken the public too much. Barring extraordinary circumstances, incumbents don\u2019t have to do much at all to stay in power.<\/p>\n

Machiavelli says that incumbent politicians with only average or even mediocre talents can survive in office.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe art of using moderate abilities to advantage wins praise, and often acquires more reputation than actual brilliancy.\u201d
\nFran\u00e7ois\u00a0de La Rochefoucauld: Moral Maxims (No. 162)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s easy for incumbents to fossilize in place and end up more like museum specimens than active politicians. They don\u2019t need much effort to keep themselves there, at least until someone in office seriously screws up, and upsets the status quo sufficiently.<\/p>\n

This act will bring forth a challenger who can successfully engage the electorate to overthrow the wayward incumbent:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026unless he be deprived of it by some extraordinary and excessive force\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even then, Machiavelli adds, the former incumbent has a good chance to regain the seat next time around if the newcomer makes enough mistakes and loses the public\u2019s affection:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if he should be so deprived of it, whenever anything sinister happens to the usurper, he will regain it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Incumbents, he warns, should be careful not to bring in a lot of changes all at once, because that gets the electorate eager for more reform. One good change deserves another, and the next change could be in politicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cA hereditary prince has less cause and less necessity to offend; hence it happens that he will be more loved; and unless extraordinary vices cause him to be hated, it is reasonable to expect that his subjects will be naturally well disposed towards him; and in the antiquity and duration of his rule the memories and motives that make for change are lost, <\/strong>for one change always leaves one toothing for another.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Established incumbents don\u2019t make waves lest their waves become a tsunami rushing to overthrow them.<\/p>\n

The Incumbent Advantage<\/h2>\n

One estimate suggests incumbents have a 40 percent better chance of getting re-elected than newcomers have of getting elected.<\/p>\n

What is prudent behavior for incumbents? Anything that keeps them in power, anything that doesn\u2019t hurt their reputation, or awaken the public too much. Barring extraordinary circumstances, incumbents don\u2019t have to do much at all to stay in power.<\/p>\n<\/div>Every one of us knows of incumbents who stay in office through sheer inertia, rather than by great acts, reforming zeal, or by taking brave and principled stands. People forget why they first voted these councillors or aldermen into office. Yet people continue to vote for them years after the incumbent\u2019s energy has drained away, when they are ineffective in office, slow to respond and out of date.<\/p>\n

Why? Because the electorate is comfortable when the incumbents don\u2019t challenge the status quo too much or too quickly. Changes encourage the people to want more of them. And that opens the door to newcomers who promise change. The result is what Machiavelli called a \u2018new principality.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cPreach the need for change, but never reform too much at once\u2026 Too much change is traumatic and will lead to revolt.\u201d
\nRobert Greene, 48 Laws of Power: 45<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yet Machiavelli warned against complacency in office. He stressed the need for rulers to always win the public’s love and gratitude to stay in power. Never take the electorate for granted is a subtext in his book. When you do, you\u2019re going to be ruined.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat everything is fine today, that is our illusion.\u201d
\nVoltaire: On the Disaster at Lisbon<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/em><\/strong>
\nPrevious Chapter<\/a> – Next Chapter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Chapter II: Concerning Hereditary Principalities, Machiavelli describes the advantages a hereditary ruler has over one who has taken the principality by force. Today we don\u2019t use the same sort of armed force to win our power: we use elections and campaign teams; battlegrounds and armies of a different sort. \u201cThere are fewer difficulties in … Continue reading “Chapter 2: Why Incumbents Rule Municipalities”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":209,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-36","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13,"url":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/addenda\/a-brief-biography-of-machiavelli\/","url_meta":{"origin":36,"position":0},"title":"A Brief Biography of Machiavelli","author":"Ian Chadwick","date":"December 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In order to appreciate Machiavelli, it is necessary to have at least a superficial understanding of his life and environment. Although his ideas are timeless, he was very much a product of his time and place \u2013 the Italian Renaissance. Five hundred years later, his ideas generally hold up well\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/addenda\/a-brief-biography-of-machiavelli\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23,"url":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/chapters-1-7\/chapter-1-home-town-kingdoms\/","url_meta":{"origin":36,"position":1},"title":"Chapter 1: Home Town Kingdoms","author":"Ian Chadwick","date":"December 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In Chapter I: How Many Kinds of Principalities There Are, and by What Means They Are Acquired, Machiavelli opened The Prince with a brief description of two types of states common in his contemporary Italy: \u201cAll states, all powers\u2026 are either republics or\u00a0principalities.\u201d In his day, almost every state in\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18,"url":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/addenda\/about-the-prince\/","url_meta":{"origin":36,"position":2},"title":"About The Prince","author":"Ian Chadwick","date":"December 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Il Principe, or The Prince, is a short book of 26 chapters, and roughly 30,000 words. Most modern editions are fewer than 100 pages, including an introduction and perhaps a glossary. It\u2019s elegantly written, although the author used run-on sentences a lot. Newer editions break up those long pieces into\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":197,"url":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/chapters-22-26\/chapter-24-how-not-to-be-re-elected\/","url_meta":{"origin":36,"position":3},"title":"Chapter 24: How Not to be Re-Elected","author":"Ian Chadwick","date":"December 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Newcomers are more closely watched by the public and the media than incumbents. Everyone knows what to expect from incumbents, but newcomers, especially new mayors, are a mystery that needs close observation. In part, it\u2019s because voters want assurances that they made the right decision to put you in office.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":134,"url":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/chapters-8-14\/chapter-9-problems-newcomers-face\/","url_meta":{"origin":36,"position":4},"title":"Chapter 9: Problems Newcomers Face","author":"Ian Chadwick","date":"December 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Perhaps even more relevant to municipal politicians\u00a0who are elected\u00a0to their role than his comments on hereditary states, Machiavelli also wrote about republican states where a ruler was appointed from among the populace, \u201c\u2026by the favour of his fellow citizens, not\u00a0by wickedness or force, this may be called a civil principality.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85,"url":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/addenda\/machiavellian-misquotes\/","url_meta":{"origin":36,"position":5},"title":"Machiavellian Misquotes","author":"Ian Chadwick","date":"December 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Machiavelli today is commonly known by two things. One is the statement that, \u2018the end justifies the means.\u2019 The other is by the adjective \u2018Machiavellian,\u2019 meaning something evil, underhanded, treacherous, cunning or sneaky in politics. Neither is accurate. Many people recognize that he wrote The Prince (Il Principe), but few\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/addenda\/machiavellian-misquotes\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":627,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36\/revisions\/627"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/machiavelli\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}