Pull-ese
Some people have it from the get-go. Born into it, really. The product of being in the right place at the right time, the offspring of parents who somehow managed to attain it during their existence or, in turn, had it gifted to them through their folks. Others acquire it piecemeal, taking as much as a lifetime to garner a mere modicum of success. And then there's the vast majority who never really come by it, try as they may. It occurs in varying degrees and arrays, from the elite, all-inclusive, "able to grant your every wish" benefactors to those with capabilities in a certain field and still others who have the knack but in just one very specific area. We're talkin' power here. In some cases, serious power with life-altering effects. We're talkin' people who can get it done. The difference makers. The closers. The fixers. So, yeah... we're talkin' "pull".
For the record, I admit it: I got no pull. You want a great deal on some fancy jewelry, don't count on me. Looking for someone to fix your traffic ticket, I'm totally useless. Hoping for some floor seats for the NBA play-offs?... not even close to being your guy. There's a chance I could get you a semi-deep discount on outdoor furniture factory seconds but all the variables would have to be in place, and even then it's pretty iffy. Actually, forget it; I'd never be able to pull that off. But, people who have pull?... yeah, they find a way to get it done. And the go-betweens--the people who put you in touch with the people with the pull--just by offering, "Don't worry, I got a guy" or "let me make a phone call; I know a woman..." seemingly generate their own, albeit less consequential, pull for being the catalyst, the middleman, if you will. So yeah, pull begets pull.
Pull has been around since, like, forever. Eve obviously had pull when it came to affecting Adam's fruit salad choices. Likewise, Noah, when the moment arrived for picking cruise candidates. Back in the day, Caesar had some pull until Brutus and the boys pulled some knives. So didn't Abe Lincoln until he pulled up to the Ford Theater. In the religion department, Jesus, Buddha and Allah have possessed some serious pull for a really long time. And in a much lesser religious capacity, Jim Bakker, the evangelical preacher, had pull for a New York minute, ya' know, until he got caught pulling a fast one, embezzling huge amounts of money from the followers of his ministry resulting in him pulling a handful of years in the Crossbar Hotel.
While certainly not easy to attain, the equation for pull is downright simple: Money and/or Power = Pull. So if you're rich?... yeah, the world's your oyster. Walk around with the last name Buffet, Musk, Bezos or Gates and you've got more pull than a Sparkletts owner in the middle of the Mojave. A little short when it comes to coin but still jonesin' for a piece of the "pull pie" then power is the way to go. And what best exemplifies power? The political arena, of course (and getting through directly to Jay-Z on his cell phone; those two things), the place where laws are enacted and a whole lot of blowhards blow really hard. The spot where people with pull decide which other people with pull in their district get even more pull.
Interesting, too, how much pull the word "pull" has in our daily usage. We're constantly pulling up a chair, having the rug pulled out from under us, pulling out all the stops, pulling punches or pulling one over on somebody. Pulling a prank can be fun; the same with someone's leg. Not so fun if you pull a muscle or teeth. When it comes to pulling meats, pork seems to be a crowd pleaser. Likewise, taffy when talkin' candy. Or tractors when it comes to pulling big metal sleds. And let us not forget that gravitational pull that never takes a day off. In baseball, if you're a successful pull hitter you just might succeed in getting the opposing pitcher pulled. But if you have a pull hook in golf you'd better pull out a couple Tylenol 'cause you're in for a long day. Vices, too, have their place, as you can take a pull on a flask or a cigar or pull a seven for an inside straight while pulling an all-nighter with your poker buddies.
Alrighty then, just kinda pulled this whole pull concept right out of my hat (that's right, I said "hat"). Just know that at no time did I try to pull the wool over your eyes and that I worked hard, pulling out all the stops, to pull this off. And one more thing: If someone asks you to pull their finger... don't.