Lead by Whining

It’s a fairly standard tactic
For parrying discomfiting
Topics or aggressive questions,

None so skilled as politicians
Who pose for backers and donors
Even while equivocating—

Lead by whining, by suggesting
Bias in whoever’s pressing,
Pretend it’s your toes being trod

Then pivot, pounce, and stamp down hard.
Partners will attempt this often
When caught stumbling on the back foot

In domestic arguments, but
Even children on a playground
Or teens exchanging messages

Will try it. Lead by whining, lead
By asserting it’s already
Unfair, then lunge forward from there.