Dakota Beacon

Machiavelli. Everyone has heard of him. But, who really knows him? He fits his own maxim. Men are “neither utterly wicked nor perfectly good.” They are all complicated actors at best.

As a product of the Renaissance, Machiavelli rejected the old mediaeval moral order prescribed by Biblical sanction as to how men might best live. In his view, the best life brought fame, distinction, honors, and reputation. To achieve these objectives power is required. Machiavelli argued that power is good in and of itself in order to acquire and maintain these ends. Power is something a person owns in relation to other people and is exercised through political institutions. Hold that thought.

Niccolo Machiavelli was born in 1469 when the Medici family was at the height of power in Florence, Italy. He was a young man when the Medici family was overthrown and the Florentine Republic was established. Niccolo became an official in the new republican government with responsibilities for diplomatic and military affairs. He held the position 14 years basking at the center of Florentine political life. In 1512 the republic came to an end as did Machiavelli’s political career. Pope Julius II (the Warrior Pope) prevailed, and the Medici family was restored to power.

Machiavelli’s signature work, The Prince (soon banned by the Catholic Church), should be read together with his other work, Discourses on Livy. In The Prince he lays out a set of principles and maxims by which the possibility of a “new prince” (reasserting republicanism?) might come to power. By playing both ends against the middle he was attempting to curry favor with the Medici family in order to regain a position in their government. But, alas, he was tarnished forever by his republicanism.

Machiavelli believed that public and private morality had to be understood as two separate things. Of course a prince had to be concerned with reputation. But, he should also be absolutely willing to act immorally at the right time. It was far better to be feared than loved. To be sure, Machiavelli, emphasized the need to occasionally use brute force and deceit including murder to head off any challenge to a prince’s authority. He regarded as normal such immoral behavior as killing of innocents, dishonesty, and deviousness.

He further maintained that force may be used by the prince to eliminate political rivals, coerce resistant populations, and purge the community of anyone who would challenge or attempt to replace him.

Imagine Nic arriving in Washington, DC seeking work as a political advisor or consultant. He drops off a résumé at the White House and Congress marketing himself while waiting for an interview.

What are the prospects he might get hired by President Trump? After all, when writing The Prince he was a consultant looking for a job. How might Trump respond?

The president despises the consultant class. Political consultants are part of the swamp. Trump had no use for the consultant class during his campaign and he has no use for them now. Consequently, as a group these people were never offered positions in his administration. He owed them nothing. He knows how to make enemies and influence people. As a pragmatist, he knows how to get things done. So, from the very beginning, Nic had a big strike against him and the White House would never hire him.

This would be a very short story if Nic had not marketed his résumé at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue to Congress. Here he would find a far more receptive audience among both the House Democrats and the Senate Never-Trump Republicans. The media, the propaganda arm of the Democrat Party, would endorse Nic and encourage him in principle. How could he not find gainful employment in this crowd?

Consider very current events. The recent probe by Special Counsel Robert Muller into President Trump’s so-called “Russia collusion” was a complete bust. That won’t stop those in Congress who are thoroughly miffed that Hillary Clinton was denied an Obama third term. The fight to discredit Trump is no longer a legal fight. It is now a Machiavellian political fight.

Another of Machiavelli’s maxims went like this: “An able statesman out of work, like a huge whale, will endeavor to overthrow the ship unless he has an empty cask to play with.” With a stretch of imagination, choose your whale (fill in the blank -- former presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama or James Clapper, John Brennan, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, a host of Republican Never-Trumpers, and a large field of Democrat wannabes). So, Trump tweets to distract them.

Here is the answer to the question, “What would Machiavelli do?” He would open a consulting firm on “K” Street in Washington, sign multiple contracts with Democrat leaders, take all the taxpayer dollars he could get, and profit handsomely. He might even get hired by the next Democrat administration – if there is one.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).