Most Positive Outcomes in Politics are the Result of Skillful Planning

Most positive outcomes in politics are the result of skillful planning.
Describe a specific political situation in which a positive outcome might not be the result of skillful planning. Discuss what you think determines whether or not skillful planning in politics will result in positive outcomes.
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Politics--the process by which groups of people make collective decisions--encompasses all areas of life. It is most associated with the running of government institutions, states and nations. Politics also can be found within the workplace, home and even on the playground of an elementary school. All forms of politics involve plays of power and directing one's influence to reach a positive outcome. Whether an outcome is considered "positive" depends on the point of view of the politician. In this case, it would be plan that plays out as expected and to the advantage of those behind the plan. Indeed, positive outcomes usually result from skillful planning. In some cases, however, positive outcomes may be due to other factors, such as luck and being in the right place at the right time.

In government politics, skillful planning oftentimes results in better outcomes. The killing of Bin Laden by US forces is a recent illustration of how skillful planning helped prop up the Obama administration. While the military and CIA personnel carried out the mission, it was ultimately Obama's choice to go forward with the plan. He realized that an unsuccessful outcome of this mission would be disastrous for the US image and for his re-election chances. However, with adroit and careful planning, the US successfully carried out the mission.

Perhaps the Obama administration, along with military and CIA forces, took lessons from botched missions of the past. Most notably, President Carter's Operation Eagle Claw---the attempt to rescue US hostages in Tehran--proved valuable to the current administration's execution of joint missions. Carter's failed attempt resulted from inadequate preparation. This includes, among others, limited rehearsals of the mission, training not being conducted in a joint manner, and inadequate contingency plans. The leaders of the Bin Laden assassination team most likely drew from mistakes of earlier administrations and operations.

No doubt, positive outcomes in politics can also be due to an array of factors other than skillful planning. One is sheer luck or the chance of being in the right place at the right time. Another factor could be just the need of a successful outcome in order to evade undesirable consequences. April's last-minute bipartisan agreement to the budget is an example of this. Congress needed to come up with an agreement by a certain due date in order to bypass a government shutdown. Given the already low poll ratings of the legislature and disastrous consequences of a shutdown, both aisles of the political lines were forced to come up with an agreement. The budget plan itself may not have been deemed "successful" by both parties but avoiding a government shut down proved to be a positive outcome for the legislature as a whole.

Skillful planning, indeed, is a crucial element for increasing chances of a positive outcome in politics. One cannot control luck and being in the right place at the right time. However, one can prepare ahead of time to address all angles and contingencies of a plan.