Smooth Operator

Operative. Op.er.a.tive Noun. Def. A person who works  towards achieving the objectives of a larger interest.

Only in recent times has the label ‘Political Operative’ been seen in the public domain, mostly without explaining the term. For years I was an Intelligence Operator and spent many of those years ‘Operating the Operatives’. Intelligence, like politics, is like a game of Chess, using the attributes of different pieces in a strategy at the same time sacrificing pawns to gain an advantage. The player, in order to win, must work towards the larger ‘endgame’ and does not reveal his strategy within the smaller moves.

Covert Operatives are used by nations and organizations to get access and trust in an opposing organization and work towards destroying it from the inside. These are working consciously to sabotage or undermine the opposition.

‘Patsies’ are used by organizations to create an outcome desired, but sometimes are unaware of their masters’ true intentions. True pawns.

So without naming names. How about this for a scenario.

A Larger Interest wishes to win an election against a strong opposition that is divided amongst itself. The Larger Interest believes in ‘Divide and Conquer’ and engages an Operative to achieve that division in the short term in the longer term. The Larger Interest knows that to win that they need to be matched against the most extreme exponents of the organization; and to attract the votes of moderates and swing voters who would be opposed to extremism.

Enter the Operative. Choose an attractive, minority race person; preferably female that was brought up in a fairly affluent family where deep values are felt. Change the narrative to that of a person from a lower socio-economic area in one of the left leaning coastal states that they can claim. Place them in a College environment to get experience and credibility.

Even though they have no financial assets they are courted by the Larger Interest by the use of a ‘cut out’, person or entity that works as a go between. Their ego is inflated by this interest. This is called the ‘Small Hook.’

They are then bank rolled to seek public office against a high profile representative. They are young and pretty, and ethnic. The media is engaged to boost the profile of this person whose message, using the energy of socialist youth, catapults them in to the realm of Identity Politics. The sponsorship of the Larger Interest, necessary to carry the Operative forward is the ‘Big Hook’.

They win. All of a sudden the Operative, who is broke, is able to wear $4000 suits and has a fashionable wardrobe instantly. Everything this person now says is news the media fawns over its newest shiny thing. A celebrity is created.

The Larger Interest does not mind that the Operative makes na?ve gaffes, nor does it try to limit the ridicule from its own supporters. The bigger game is not to beat this Operative but for the Operative to defeat its own organization.

Due to the trend of identity politics, and in an election cycle, the main contenders, in order to garner popularity and interest, and funding, have to actively associate with and seek approval from this Operative. Freshman peers, with less media attention are keen to associate with the Operative to remain relevant and in doing so give the inference that together they are a movement.

Normally a freshman has little effect in a new congress as they begin to earn the ropes. However due to the media attention the Organization’s leaders are compelled to bring the Operative into the inner circle to appeal to its base. The Operative is getting as much airtime as the Speaker of the House, the Operative now has massive social capital. At this time it is released that save that of the law the Operative could be a Presidential contender. Now everyone wants to be the one that ‘was there at the beginning’.

In an unfathomable act of confidence for a freshman, the Operative, amid massive media accolade, produces a highly detailed policy document that must have taken many more months and resources to produce than could be done organically. The content of the policy document is so radical and extreme that under normal circumstances it would be dismissed out of hand, but in the hands of the Operative it is a weapon. The contenders for Presidency dare not decry it or risk political suicide with their supporters, so they jump in to endorse it, even though everyone knows it cannot work.

The Larger Interest is pleased. The moderates in the opposition shift to the extreme just to keep in the Primary race and win the Organization’s nomination. The Larger Interest knows he will win by a bigger margin against an opponent that is seen to be extreme.

The Operative is only geared to serve a term or two and once the Operative’s plans are shown to be a losing strategy the operative will be sidelined by the organization and have less impact.

With one more term and presumably another 3 or more Supreme Court nominations, the Larger Interest wins the generational long game, irrespective of intervening elections.

Does the Operative actually know who the Larger Interest is and what their agenda is? Usually not. Does the Pawn know the strategy of the Chess Player?

The Hispanic background of the Operative and their continued narrative maintains the extreme views in the Immigration debate.

The Larger Interest would also of course have other Operatives, perhaps one to offset the issue of extreme Islam and one to offset the issue of Palestine. Both issues that split the opposition, who are compelled to support Zionist Israel. Fractures that will be exploited at a later date.

The Larger Interest is a Master of the Game and Master of the Deal. You only realize it at the moment of Check Mate.