"Of course great politicians are always liable to be wrong about something, and the more people tell them they are wrong, the more stubbornly they defend their error"
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Mount lands a quietly lethal blow on the romance of “great leadership” by insisting that error isn’t an exception to political greatness; it’s practically part of the job description. The sting is in the structure: “of course” signals a weary familiarity, as if anyone who’s spent time near power has watched this movie too many times. “Liable to be wrong about something” sounds mild, even charitable, then the sentence tightens into the real diagnosis: contradiction doesn’t correct the mistake, it hardens it.
The subtext is psychological before it’s ideological. Politics turns belief into a public asset. Once a leader has staked authority on a claim, admitting error isn’t just intellectual humility; it’s a threat to the narrative that got them elected, the coalition that needs them to be certain, the staff who’ve built a whole week’s messaging around the line. “The more people tell them they are wrong” isn’t a plea for reason, it’s an escalation of stakes: every critic becomes an audience, every correction a referendum on competence. Stubborn defense becomes less about the original issue than about preserving face and control.
Mount’s specific intent reads like a warning against naive faith in technocratic correction: evidence doesn’t automatically penetrate power, especially when power has learned to treat dissent as a loyalty test. “Great” here is also doing double duty - not merely admirable, but large, insulated, and accustomed to winning. The line captures the trap of modern politics: the louder the feedback loop, the more performative the certainty.
The subtext is psychological before it’s ideological. Politics turns belief into a public asset. Once a leader has staked authority on a claim, admitting error isn’t just intellectual humility; it’s a threat to the narrative that got them elected, the coalition that needs them to be certain, the staff who’ve built a whole week’s messaging around the line. “The more people tell them they are wrong” isn’t a plea for reason, it’s an escalation of stakes: every critic becomes an audience, every correction a referendum on competence. Stubborn defense becomes less about the original issue than about preserving face and control.
Mount’s specific intent reads like a warning against naive faith in technocratic correction: evidence doesn’t automatically penetrate power, especially when power has learned to treat dissent as a loyalty test. “Great” here is also doing double duty - not merely admirable, but large, insulated, and accustomed to winning. The line captures the trap of modern politics: the louder the feedback loop, the more performative the certainty.
Quote Details
| Topic | Decision-Making |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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