The inspiration for my blogs is the four mile walk that I take around the reservoir in Central Park here in NYC. When I think about politics, which I try not to do as a rule, I usually do not want to write about them. Herewith, nonetheless, is my contribution to the political races to date.
What I find interesting about the race for president is how the candidates perceive the electorate. For example, Romney and Clinton seem to want to be all things to all people. Giuliani, on the other hand, has cast himself in a Bushian mould of decisiveness. Edwards is working for the people and Obama seems a little lost. The NY Times doesn’t seem to cover the rest of the field that closely and I hate to admit to it, but they are my primary news source.
How the candidates get elected is a very different thing, as our current president has proven, from how he/she leads. Indeed, that is what we really need, a leader. The camouflage of running in the primaries makes it very difficult to know if we have a leader. I would fault the current OOO (Oval Office Occupant) for his leadership abilities, not so much in being able to stir us into action, but more for the choices he has made on which paths to take the USA down. Our nation needs more than he can supply.
Ultimately, the electorate panders to itself in a big way. Hard choices have nothing to do with less or more taxes. Hard choices have to do with deciding to work for the future, not just for today. Toyota has worked for the future since it was founded and is now the world’s leading seller of cars. We need to think about things in a fundamental way that might upset temporary profits but prove profitable in the long run. It is a lot to ask, but it is the right question.
Thinking about it, I don’t think I want a leader as president of the USA. I want a manager, someone who will focus on education, infrastructure and health. If those aspects of the country are solid, the country will be able to weather a great deal. If not, this country will lurch into being an also ran in world affairs.