A must-read for government majors

How to Survive a Power Surge in Post-Election Washington

Washington Post staff writer Sally Quinn tells you how to stay in the power circles and return to a position of influence when you, or those whose coattails you are hanging onto, lose. If you have the chance, read the full article, but here are the basic rules:

1. Never, never, never count anyone out, unless you have seen the body with a stake through the heart. Because they always come back.

2. If you decide to stay here once you've lost power or lost access to it, make sure you're staying for the right reasons.

3. It's actually more comfortable being on the outside than on the inside

4. Only invite the people you really like, whether they are in or out of power.

5. Once you have made a commitment, stick with your candidate through ups and downs.

6. The people who last, who remain socially and politically viable in Washington, are those who have confidence in their own social standing despite the prevailing political winds.

She sums up:

In the end, the only people who ultimately survive in Washington are those who have made friends and kept and cherished them over the years. There is nobody here who has not been down and out sometime, and it's then that the values of those friends are tested.

Oh, and don't forget . . . those here whose friends either desert them or stick with them have very long memories.