QUALITY AND QUALIFIED

It matters little how any of us feel about specific issues, if the people we elect don’t have certain important and key personal attributes and skills.  This is true whether we’re electing a new President or members of Congress.  We need to also remember that the attributes and skills required to be an effective President are different (but complimentary) from the attributes and skills possessed by a successful Congressperson.

In my post on January 11th of this year, I highlighted Robert Dallek’s course, TO LEAD A NATION, The Presidency in the Twentieth Century, in which he discusses the reasons why some of the Presidents of the Twentieth Century (Theodore Roosevelt through Ronald Reagan) rose to greatness, while most of us can’t remember who the others were.  

Mr. Dallek identifies several things that the “great Presidents” consistently score high in.  This list of six items includes:  Vision, charisma, pragmatism, consensus building, trust or credibility, and luck.

Before we vote in November this year, and elect a new House of Representatives and one third of the Senate, what if we identify the attributes and skills that a member of Congress should bring to the job.  I propose that the list for a Congressperson includes items in five areas:  Problem solver and action oriented, detail minded and pragmatic, consensus and team builder, trustworthy and credible, and service minded and unselfish.  This list also complements Mr. Dallek’s list for Presidents.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the President and Congress could work together no matter what party they might belong to?  Aren’t personal attributes and skills a good place to start so that at a basic level they will all feel like they want to work together.  

All of us have jobs where our personal attributes and skills were the first things considered when we were hired.  Why would we want to do anything different when we vote (hire) for the people we are asking to do the work that needs to be done for America?

No matter how we feel on the issues, let’s elect quality people who can govern, and want to do the difficult work of governing. As voters, our goal should be to elect a Congress that we can give an approval rating above 20%.  If we elect quality and qualified people to represent us, they will know how to help us sort out the issues.

Remember, when we step into the voting booth in November, lets vote for people who are problem solvers and action oriented, detail minded and pragmatic, consensus and team builders, trustworthy and credible, and service minded and unselfish.

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

The Elephant in the Room

Last week, and again this week, while people have flooded across our southern border, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas has grown in intensity, and ML-17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, President Obama has had a flood of his own.  He’s attended multiple and numerous fundraisers to raise millions of dollars for the Democratic Party.  

Now, the news outlets have started to focus on the “optics” of how it looks for the President to raise so much money for his party at a time when so many things need his attention.  Of course, he’s not the first President to do this type of thing.  Similar questions were asked when President Bush was slow in visiting the site after Hurricane Katrina.

The commentators and pundits all express different thoughts on whether the President should be in Washington DC to run and respond to the world events of the day.  They ask, “with modern day communications, does the President’s location matter?”  Maybe it does, and maybe it doesn’t. I believe the important point is something else.  It’s not Democrat or Republican.  It’s not partisan at all.

The “elephant in the room” is the damage that money is doing to our American democracy.  The good news is that we voters can “cure” this ailment with our votes.  Let’s practice using “Voting Alert  Beacon #5:  The Money.”  

Below, I’ve copied in the Beacon and add some comments.

Beacon #5: THE MONEY

DO vote for candidates who accept and receive contributions from individual citizens.

[Comment:  The fundraisers that President Obama has been attending recently require attendees to pay in the “ballpark”  of $10,000 per plate.  Any person who pays that amount becomes a “stand-alone” special interest group.  Or, at the very least, everyone attending that kind event is forming a de facto PAC for the evening by their contribution and presence.  In fact, these dinner events are sometimes sponsored by special interest groups or PACs.]

• DON'T vote for candidates that receive and accept money from PACs, Unions, Businesses, etc.

[Comment:  This speaks for itself.  Go to the Federal Election Committee link on the right side of this blog and check to see which candidates take large amounts from “non” individuals or special interest groups.  You won’t be surprised to see most often the incumbents are the most guilty.]

• Vote for candidates with the smallest average contribution from individual citizens.

[Comment:  Again, take a look at the Federal Election Committee link on the right side of this blog.  You can see how much money individuals are contributing to each candidate.  Then, divide the total dollar amount by the number of contributors.   Using “Beacon #5:  The Money,” vote for the candidate with the smallest average individual contributor amount.]

• We can take the improper money and resulting influence out of our government by using our vote effectively.

[Comment:  Folks, we voters are the only ones who can get this done.  I believe we can do it and that we will.  So, let’s get started!]

Spread the word!  Tell your friends about the Voting Alert Beacons!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2014 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.