Manipulation and reason

I found one of the most truthful and compelling points laid out in our reading, was the authors' discussion of manipulation as a tool to hinder rationality. "...In politics," Gutmann and Thompson write in the introduction to the manipulation section, "the attempt to bypass reason is usually a sign that, if reason were more in control, it would not approve the act in question" (160). In "Lyndon Johnson, Master Manipulator," we read about a case of clear manipulation, but one that, paradoxically, relies on reason rather than attempting to circumvent it.

Robert A. Caro's description of Lyndon B. Johnson's manipulation of the senate is a powerful and disturbing one. He writes vividly of Johnson 'springing his trap' and the curtain rising to a scene of actors playing roles in order to manipulate and exploit their naive audience. Caro's metaphorical use of the senatorial chamber as a stage and Johnson as a master puppeteer is certainly an entertaining and powerful way to illustrate the use of manipulation in politics. Certainly Caro was correct in describing Johnson as a master puppeteer in that he ingeniusly and premetatively arranged a series of events in order to accomplish his political aims. However--while it is true that Johnson 'assembled an all-star cast' and 'gave them their cues'--Caro, in his attempt to portray Johnson as a deceptive manipulator, neglected to address Johnson's main tool in his ploy--reason. Rather than use reason to bypass the rationality of the senators, Johnson (though deceptively) wove a strong and compelling argument for his case against the most probable objections his opposition would have to his argument.

I certainly empathize with people who find Johnson's tactics immoral, and I, myself, am far from completely comfortable with his behavior in the case study we read. However, I think it is important to Johnson credit for using, rather than deception, the rationality of the senators and a strong, compelling argument to accomplish his goals.