--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Possibly the defining development of…" description: "\"Possibly the defining development of postmodern politics - naturally, an American one - is the separation of personality from ideology. If you are like..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/michael-wolff-423_american_possibly-the-defining-development-of-pos_1118824.jpg" --- # Possibly the defining development of postmodern politics… ![“Possibly the defining development of postmodern politics - naturally, an American one - is the separation of personality from ideology. If you are likeable, or at least not disagreeable, if you can strike a personal bond with the electorate, if you reassure rather than disrupt, it doesn't really…” quote by Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/michael-wolff-423_american_possibly-the-defining-development-of-pos_1118824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/michael-wolff-423_american_possibly-the-defining-development-of-pos_1118824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/michael-wolff-423_american_possibly-the-defining-development-of-pos_1118824.jpg) > “Possibly the defining development of postmodern politics - naturally, an American one - is the separation of personality from ideology. If you are likeable, or at least not disagreeable, if you can strike a personal bond with the electorate, if you reassure rather than disrupt, it doesn't really matter what you stand for.” [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political success increasingly depends on personal likability rather than clear ideological positions. **In simple terms:** Charm can outweigh ideas in politics. Key Takeaway Cultivate genuine connections with voters. Themes politics personality media trust campaigns Mood cautious critical analytical Type observational commentary political When to use this quote - election campaigns - public speaking - media interviews - grassroots organizing Key Concepts populism branding authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How does personal appeal affect policy accountability? - Can a politician be both likable and ideologically clear? A Different Perspective Charisma may mask harmful policies; reliance on likability can erode accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bond/) [Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology/) [Ideology Likeable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology-likeable-3016454/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Personality Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality-ideology-3016453/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Postmodern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postmodern/) [Postmodern Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postmodern-politics-3016452/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[I\]n so far as postmodern politics involves a '\[t\]heoretical retreat from the problem of domination within capitalism,' it is here, in this silent suspension… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-n-so-far-as-postmodern-politics-involves-a-t-heoretical-retreat/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [ Concerning \[postmodern\] ideas, let us not mince words. The ideas are profoundly dangerous. They subvert our civilization by denying that truth is found by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/concerning-postmodern-ideas-let-us-not-mince-words-the-ideas-are/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [There are some beautiful books out there. But the ones that leave me cold are the ones where I feel - it's that postmodern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-some-beautiful-books-out-there-but-the-ones-that-leave-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Shift from modern nuclear family to the postmodern permeable family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-elkind/shift-from-modern-nuclear-family-to-the-postmodern-permeable-family/) [David Elkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-elkind/) > [Architects thrive after massive urban disasters. 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On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Fast and the Furious' is really a postmodern Western.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/fast-and-the-furious-is-really-a-postmodern-western/) [Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/) ## More by Michael Wolff > [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“it confirmed Bannon’s worst fear: Trump, in his true heart, was a marshmallow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/it-confirmed-bannon-s-worst-fear-trump-in-his-true-heart-was-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“An important aspect of Kaplan’s New York Observer and its self-conscious inside media baseball was that the paper became the prime school for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/an-important-aspect-of-kaplan-s-new-york-observer-and-its-self/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The candidate who billed himself as a billionaire—ten times over—refused even to invest his own money in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-candidate-who-billed-himself-as-a-billionaire-ten-times-over/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [If institutions don't grow, they... well, I don't know what happens to them, because they always grow. I suppose the point is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/if-institutions-don-t-grow-they-well-i-don-t-know-what-happens-to/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Even though Trump liked to portray his business as an empire, it was actually a discrete holding company and boutique enterprise,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/even-though-trump-liked-to-portray-his-business-as-an-empire-it-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“the organizational premise of the Trump White House: the family would always prevail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-organizational-premise-of-the-trump-white-house-the-family-would/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump, who referred to the Chinese leader as “Mr. X-i”; the president was told to think of him as a woman and call him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-who-referred-to-the-chinese-leader-as-mr-x-i-the-president-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Donald Trump, even more than his father, was perceived as a vulgarian—after all, he put his name on his buildings, quite a déclassé thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-even-more-than-his-father-was-perceived-as-a-vulgarian/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-index-that-appeared-in-the-print-version-of-this-title-does-not/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-liked-to-say-that-one-of-the-things-that-made-life-worth-living/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The kids”—Jared and Ivanka—exhibited an increasingly panicked sense that the FBI and DOJ were moving beyond Russian election interference and into family finances. “Ivanka…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-kids-jared-and-ivanka-exhibited-an-increasingly-panicked-sense/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [I am old enough to think the word 'journalist' is not all that noble a designation. 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