Shoring-Up: A Grounded Theory of Process in Political Leadership

Political decision making is interesting in a number of ways but particularly interesting that in some vague way the general populace views the process as corrupt and even dirty. Some even suggests that they would rather replace the entire process with rational decision making. The theory of Shoring-up demonstrates that political decision making is rational. It is rational in a way that society forces an approach to political decision making that demands immediate action and generally forces the taking of sides. A rational model of decision making is forged through the process of reasoning by calculation. Political leadership and the holding of power are dependent upon the politician s ability to calculate consequences and to estimate the ability of special interest groups to exert influence at the ballot box. As the rational model demands, there are facts underlying all situations and political decisions. Politics may be energized by emotion but its decisions are cold hard calculation weighing the consequences as to how action could lead to a threat to power.