Is Any Politician's Superpower Knowing When To Shut Up?

One skill you don't expect any politician to understand is when it's better to say nothing. A NY Times Op-Ed suggested that this may be the key to some recent political success President Biden has enjoyed. Many political advances in countries around the world have been destroyed not because of disagreement over policy itself but by ego-driven squabbles over who will take credit by insecure politicians. When you have a government filled with people whose primary motivation is making sure the other guy doesn't get credit for anything, obstructionism and impasse is the most likely result. And that's where government too often stalls.

It makes me wish there was a good way to rate and elect politicians based on this singular personality trait of a willingness to let someone else take credit aside from themselves. That feels like a game changer. There are plenty of voters (myself included) that would ignore party affiliations and vote for any politician who demonstrated a willingness to put aside their own ego just for a moment.