Many years ago - back before the turn of the century - I learned something that significantly changed the way I bargained and negotiated. I rarely share this Secret with anybody because, well, if everyone knew it then it diminishes my chances for success.
But now it's time for me to mix my metaphors and let the cat out of the bag to sow its wild oats and reap the whirlwind... or something like this.
So, are you ready for the Secret? Will you promise not to tell anyone? Pinky-swear?
Ok, here goes...
It's really quite simple:
NEVER MAKE A COUNTER-OFFER TO YOUR OWN OFFER
Simple really, but you'd be surprised how many people don't understand this simple rule. To some people it comes naturally. Car dealers thrive on this. Here's an example:
Uh, I took your offer to my manager and he says that we just can't make that work. Can you do a little bit more? Think about it for a minute and let me know what kind of offer you can make that my boss will accept...
You see, they never make the counter offer. They want you to keep making offers without any give and take.
Once I was told about this, it totally changed the way I negotiated - and I became far more successful. If done properly, the other person doesn't even know it's happening and they will blindly comply and keep giving and giving, never knowing when they've given too much.
What I fear is that our Democratic congress-critters don't get this. They have no idea how to put out a proposal and wait for the counter offer. Where's the Republican health insurance proposal? There isn't one - they just want to maintain the status quo. The Republicans will shoot down any proposal, and the Democrats will go back and revise and float another offer. I hate to see it, because it's so stinking obvious.
There have been some Democrats who understand this - they present a wildly extreme proposal and then "compromise" to the outcome they want. In this case, they should be standing on the tables shouting "Single Payer or Nothing!" And then negotiating back to a robust public option.
Perhaps I've always been a bit naive, and this is common knowledge to everyone else. But I doubt it. Now, with your new knowledge, go forth and prosper - but use it for good and not for evil.