Leadership Quote by Rodney Alexander

A politician’s favorite magic trick is to plead innocence while quietly admitting guilt-by-method, and Rodney Alexander’s line pulls it off in eleven words. “We didn’t do anything wrong…” is the broad shield: not merely a denial, but an attempt to set the terms of debate. Wrong becomes strictly legalistic or procedural, not ethical, not democratic, not decent. Then comes the pivot that gives the game away: “Some are frustrated that we did it this way.” The grievance is acknowledged, but it’s miniaturized into “some,” a faceless minority whose feelings read like background noise. The focus shifts from the substance of the criticism to the optics and process, where political damage is often managed.

The ellipsis matters. It’s the audible pause where an audience can insert the allegation Alexander won’t repeat. That omission is strategic: by refusing to name the charge, he avoids amplifying it, while still signaling he understands exactly what people think happened.

Contextually, this is the language of a controversial maneuver - a party switch, a backroom deal, a vote timed to dodge scrutiny, a procedural end-run. The phrase “this way” is doing heavy lifting: it implies there were alternative routes that might have looked cleaner, even if the outcome was identical. He’s not defending the choice as principled; he’s defending it as permissible.

The subtext is an instruction to move on: nothing “wrong,” just hurt feelings about tactics. It’s the governing ethos of modern politics distilled - legality as alibi, process as scapegoat, accountability reduced to managing frustration.