Political actors balance what is right against what is politically feasible

Evidence

In politics, of course, it is not only a question of doing what is right or best for the country. It’s also a question of what you can carry. An incomes policy [limits on wage increases] is needed to get our economic house in order. But it would be political suicide to go whole hog and impose a straight-jacket policy. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2305

Categorization

• CANDY: Light, quotable line: politics is not just about what is right but about what you can carry.
• ADDENDUM: The ‘what you can carry’ tradeoff enriches the sacrifice article’s theme of constrained choices under social pressure.