Politics and Playing to Win

I am thoroughly bad at playing politics. I am too honest of a person to do that and people see right through me. Unfortunately, I am not playing with people who have an identical mindset to my own, and people will take dick moves personally. I have finally settled on that reality and have started to see how political maneuvering can work for me. Some games seem to rely on it, so despite how unreliable it is, it's still a tool to be used under the Playing to Win philosophy.
I decided to try this with Settlers of Catan online recently. Prior to playing politics, I was always the first to make aggressive use of the robber, and therefore the only one up for attack from everyone. Of course, this meant that I would not be able to get the stable footing I would need for a good game. Although the board strategy I had was sound, I had not anticipated the level of disdain I would get from other players for using the robber. I really hate having to play the way scrubs do, but I've discovered you always have to know your audience. My strategy is good for other people who play to win, but no more than that.
When playing against people who apparently think the robber should not be a part of the game, I have to act like it's not and move it to the most harmless of places. This is entirely a defensive maneuver so that I don't get hit by everyone. When I am personally hit, then I am at liberty to act like I took it personally and attack whoever got me. Of course, this goes out the window once someone hits 6+ points since, after all, I do want to win. This is where it can be a little interesting. Who will be the first one to pull that trigger? You can be sure that I will, but I have to be careful not to do it too quickly. It has to be obvious that it's done to keep someone from running away with the game rather than merely taking small advantage.
Politics in gaming is a strange concept to me, so I'll be very slow on the uptake here. I have no doubt it will be of significant value, though.